Finance

The latest on developments in financial markets (all times local): 4:00 p.m. Stocks are closing mostly lower Friday as a decline in technology stocks offsets a strong performance by Wall Street banks. Apple dropped 1.9% and Broadcom fell 3.4% after the chipmaker warned that demand remains weak. JPMorgan rose 2% and Citigroup gained 1.6%. Banks […]

U.S. retail sales rose moderately in August, driven higher by a jump in auto buying and healthy online sales, evidence that consumers are still spending enough to support growth. The Commerce Department said Friday that retail sales increased 0.4% last month, down from a strong 0.8% in July. There were also signs that consumers have

U.S. stocks gave a mixed performance in midday trading on Friday as health care, banks and industrial companies gained ground and offset a decline in technology stocks. Still, stocks are on track for their third straight weekly gain, having been bolstered in prior sessions by an easing of tensions in the U.S.-China trade war. Bond

Ten years ago, Edmunds said, the average sticker price of a new vehicle was $6,500 above the base price; now, it’s more than $10,000. The difference is mostly due to advanced safety and entertainment systems and consumers’ appetite for pricey add-ons in new cars. By buying used, shoppers can get the fancy features at a

Ford is recalling more than 300,000 of its 2017 Ford Explorer vehicles because of a sharp seat frame edge. The automaker said Friday that there have been 31 reports of hand injuries. Ford Motor Co. said users could come in contact with the sharp edges when reaching between the power front seat and center console.

But will the acquiring firms push their advisers to sell clients products that earn higher fees? That’s a hard one to answer, since no firm is going to admit that’s the plan, and because what you get for your money matters, too. David Barton, vice chairman of Mercer Advisors, has been acquiring smaller advisers —

The United States is on recession watch as market signals flash red. Manufacturing is straining under President Trump’s trade war, business investment is slowing and consumer confidence is showing cracks. But many economists expect that growth will weaken slightly over the next couple of years — but not contract — and that distinction is crucial.

BEIJING — China will exempt some American soybeans, pork and other agricultural products from additional tariffs, state media reported on Friday, in the latest move by Beijing to ease trade tensions with the United States. China Central Television, the nation’s official broadcaster, did not disclose details. But in a brief report issued late Friday afternoon,

Chinese families are having to rethink menu options as pork prices soar despite government efforts to rebuild herds decimated by African swine fever and large-scale closures of pig farms for environmental reasons. Liu Min, a 61-year-old retired cleaning lady, went ahead and bought a small chunk of pork that cost her 21 yuan ($3) during

Stocks were broadly higher in Asia on Friday as investors stepped up buying on hopes for an easing of tensions in the costly trade war between the U.S. Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 1.1% to 21,988.29 while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong climbed 0.6% to 27,262.80. Sydney’s S&P ASX 200 added 0.2% points to 6,669.20.