Consumer Confidence
In this Thursday, Jan. 20, 2013, photo, a woman shops at a Nordstrom store in Chicago. Despite steady gains in hiring, a falling unemployment rate and other signs of an improving economy, take-home pay for many U.S. workers has in effect fallen since the economic recovery began in 2009, according to a study by an advocacy group released today.
(Nam Y. Huh, Associated Press)
Stock market news:
Stocks moved slightly higher today as markets calmed after a recent bout of turmoil. The Dow Jones industrial average added 23.38 points to 16,374.76. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 2.27 points to 1,951.13 and the Nasdaq composite fell 16.48 points to 4,733.50. (Associated Press)
Europe's main stock markets rose as China's volatile markets were closed for a public holiday and the European Central Bank hinted at more stimulus if needed in the eurozone. (AFP News)
The euro fell to its lowest level against the dollar in two weeks after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi today suggested policy makers might soon expand the central bank's stimulus measures of economic data weakens. (MarketWatch)
Business news:
Despite steady gains in hiring, a falling unemployment rate and other signs of an improving economy, take-home pay for many U.S. workers has in effect fallen since the economic recovery began in 2009, according to a study by an advocacy group released today. (New York Times)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recalled nearly 90,000 pounds of Johnsonville Cheddar Cheese & Bacon Grillers, due to customer complaints of small metal pieces found in the pork patties. (Fortune)
The crowdfunding campaign for the BauBax travel jacket with 15 built-in features was launched on July 7 with a goal of $20,000. Designer Hiral Sanghavi had 58 days to meet the goal, but got there in just five hours, on his way to $9 million. (CNN Money)
The U.S. trade deficit fell in July to its lowest level in five months as exports rose, signaling underlying strength in the economy amid concerns about a global growth slowdown. (Reuters)
Jobless claims reached an eight-week high after 12,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, bringing the total to 282,000 -- a number higher than initially predicted by Bloomberg last week. (Daily Caller)
A Pew Research Center study showed millennials -- generally defined as those ages 18-34 -- had far more negative views of their generation compared to Generation Xers, baby boomers or other age groups. (Associated Press)
Billionaire Bill Ackman's hedge fund got slammed in August when the stock market fell, tumbling by about 9 percent, according to the web site of his publicly-traded vehicle, Pershing Square Holdings. (Forbes)
Technology news:
AOL has acquired mobile-focused ad tech company Millennial Media for $1.75 per share, a deal valued at $238 million. (Business Insider)
There is a very high likelihood Apple will debut its new, larger iPad -- the iPad Pro -- and a new iPad mini next week, in addition to its new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus smartphones and Apple TV. (PC Magazine)
While Sony and its lineup of Xperia Android smartphones haven't been extremely popular in the United States, this week in Berlin during the annual IFA mobile event the company announced three very capable smartphones. (Gotta Be Mobile)
Amazon Web Services has acquired Elemental Technologies, a firm specializing in video processing and delivery for customers as diverse as CNN and NASA. (USA Today)