Nasdaq gains for 9th straight session; gas jumps 26 cents in month; Google tries undercutting Apple Pay: P.M. Business News Links

gasoline-pump

The average price of a regular gallon of gas jumped 13 cents in the past two weeks to $2.33, repeating the hike seen two weeks prior for a total 26 cents rise in the last month.

(David Duprey, Associated Press)

Stock market update:

The Nasdaq ended higher today for a ninth straight day following gains in Apple, while the Dow and S&P 500 eased off recent record highs as lower oil prices dragged down energy shares. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 23.60 points to 18,116.84, the S&P 500 lost 0.64 points to 2,109.66 and the Nasdaq Composite added 5.01 points to 4,960.97. (Reuters)

Canadian stocks rose, snapping a three-day loss, as Valeant Pharmaceuticals International rallied after agreeing to acquire a U.S.-based drugmaker, offsetting a drop among the nation's lenders. (Bloomberg News)

Gold prices settled lower today, but found some support at the key $1,200 level as traders watched developments linked to Greece's bailout extension. (MarketWatch)

Business news:

The average price of a regular gallon of gas jumped 13 cents in the past two weeks to $2.33, repeating the hike seen two weeks prior for a total 26 cents rise in the last month. (Associated Press)

Broad-based price increases put more properties out of reach for American homebuyers in January, becoming the latest hurdle preventing a more robust recovery in residential real estate. (Bloomberg News)

Canadian drugmaker Valeant Pharmaceuticals International has agreed to buy Salix Pharmaceuticals for about $10 billion in cash. (Associated Press)

Target didn't even introduce a site-wide free-shipping offer till last summer, but it's already cutting in half -- to $25 from $50 -- the purchase threshold, undercutting rivals including Amazon.com and Walmart. (MarketWatch)

Dockworkers returned to work at the Port of Oakland Sunday night after a dispute over relief breaks caused a daytime disruption on what was to have been the first full day of port operations since a tentative agreement on a contract was reached. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Investment bank Stifel Financial said it will buy privately held Sterne Agee Group for $150 million to expand its wealth management and fixed-income business. (Reuters)

Members of OPEC have discussed holding an emergency meeting if crude continues to slide, according to Nigeria's oil minister, in a sign of their growing alarm over the impact of a lower oil price on their economies. (Financial Times)

Technology news:

Aiming to undercut Apple's latest hit service, Google is teaming up with three major U.S. wireless carriers to prod more people into using its mobile wallet. (Associated Press)

The FCC should delay its vote on net neutrality rules for at least a month after releasing Chairman Tom Wheeler's proposal for public comment, the commission's two Republican members said today. (IDG News Service)

To address the increasingly worrisome issue of data sprawl, IBM has introduced a series of new cloud computing technologies and investments to help enterprises securely connect applications, data and services across a multitude of traditional systems and clouds. (eWeek)

A new approach to making silicon chips that are programmable could help drive faster product development cycles and improve the performance of a wide range of devices, according to a small Silicon Valley startup. (Sci-Tech Today)

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.