Author: US

As Tropical Depression Fred wreaks havoc across the eastern United States, it’s yet another reminder of the need for adequate homeowner’s insurance — but many homeowners could be in for a rude awakening about what their policy actually covers. Fred made landfall as a tropical storm earlier this week on the Florida Panhandle. Although it […]

Cisco Systems Inc.’s stock dipped 2% in extended trading Wednesday after the computer-networking company reported fiscal fourth-quarter results slightly above Wall Street estimates. The company CSCO, -1.54% reported net income of $ 3 billion, or 71 cents a share, compared with net income of $ 2.6 billion, or 62 cents a share, in the year-ago […]

Nvidia Corp. shares rose in the extended session Wednesday after the chip maker’s earnings topped Wall Street estimates and the company addressed how supply constraints in the ongoing global chip shortage were reflected in its outlook. Nvidia NVDA, -2.15% shares, which wobbled between slight gains and losses initially after hours, were up about 3% at […]

Most of the 19 top Federal Reserve officials said last month that they thought it would be appropriate to start reducing the pace of its asset purchases this year, according to minutes of their policy meeting released on Wednesday. These officials said they thought the Fed’s benchmark of “substantial further progress” criterion had been met […]

Two U.S. senators are urging the Federal Trade Commission to open a probe into whether Tesla Inc. TSLA, +3.96% used deceptive marketing practices involving driver-assistance features that the electric-vehicle maker calls Autopilot and Full Self-Driving. In a letter to the head of the FTC, Lina Khan, dated Wednesday, Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ed […]

ViacomCBS Inc. is making progress with its streaming goals, which could help the company become a more attractive takeover target, according to an analyst. Wells Fargo’s Steven Cahall upgraded Viacom’s stock VIAC, +1.32% to overweight from equal weight Wednesday, amid optimism about the company’s streaming momentum, upcoming content slate, and attractiveness in a rapidly consolidating […]

The former head of human resources at 1-800-Accountant has been convicted of maliciously destroying the company’s personnel files and deleting thousands of resumes for prospective employees after she had been fired. Federal prosecutors say Medghyne Calonge, 41, of Tampa, Fla. had been let go in June 2019 after just six months at the New York-based […]

Dear Quentin, My husband’s son has been living with his girlfriend for 10 years. They bought a house with land in a very popular state about five years ago. They are now breaking up. It is a sad, messy, situation. His girlfriend’s mental state is fragile — she is not taking care of herself mentally, […]

Dear Quentin, My father abandoned me when I was a baby and he and my mother divorced. He never paid any child support. All I ever knew of him was his name. When I turned 30 and had a 6-year-old son, I decided I needed to find him.  With only his name and remembering that […]

What’s it like to ask customers if they’re vaccinated against COVID-19? Sometimes awkward, always necessary and typically without tension, say some business owners who’ve made the decision do it every day. In Phoenix, some Oven + Vine customers already know the drill: they come to the bar window with their COVID-19 vaccination cards in a […]

When investors think about the supermarket industry, dynamic growth probably doesn’t come to mind. But Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett loves Kroger. One reason may be that the stock is cheaply priced relative to earnings estimates. Another is that Kroger Co. KR is ramping up online sales; digital sales increased 16% in the fiscal first […]

A growing interest among younger workers to access their pay more quickly could create a $ 12 billion market for payroll providers and earned-wage upstarts that seek to disrupt the traditional idea of pay periods. Fintech companies see a big opportunity to speed up access to earned wages, especially for hourly employees with tighter cash-flow […]

U.S. stocks fell Tuesday, threatening to end a five-day run of record finishes for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 indexes, after July retail sales came in weaker than expected. What’s happening The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.99% fell 346.78 points, or 1%, to 35,278.62. The S&P 500 SPX, -0.96% dropped 41.99 […]

The numbers: Americans cut spending at retail stores in July for the second time in three months, largely reflecting an Amazon Prime hangover and a limited selection of new cars. The fast-spreading delta strain of the coronavirus appeared to partly dampen spending last month. The amount of money spent at bars and restaurants increased at […]

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, despite a booming economy, about 40% of households said they would have trouble paying a $ 400 unexpected expense. About half of these households really didn’t have $ 400, and the other half had $ 400 but were burdened by credit card debt.  When households are operating under such tight budgets, […]

Cisco Systems Inc. is about to show investors how the networking giant has dealt with increasing component costs amid a global chip shortage. Cisco CSCO, -0.34% is scheduled to report fiscal fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday afternoon, wrapping up its fiscal year. The company acknowledged back in May that it was facing supply constraints and higher […]

The Biden administration is set to announce that most vaccinated Americans should get a COVID-19 booster shot eight months after being fully vaccinated, the New York Times reported Monday night. An official announcement is expected later the week, the Times said, and the first booster could be administered to nursing-home residents and health-care workers as […]

Dear Quentin, I am writing to you in desperation. I have no regular income weekly or monthly. I recently married my second husband. He has three adult children from his first marriage, and two from his second marriage, one of whom is intellectually disabled and lives with us — even though her mother officially has […]

MARKETWATCH FRONT PAGE The sudden collapse of Afghanistan is raising questions about the standing of the U.S. in the eyes of its allies and enemies, while investors and analysts debate what it means for the dollar and other assets. See full story. Americans are creating their own vaccine mandates by cutting ties with the unvaccinated […]

Oil futures fell Monday, with the commodity under pressure after a round of weak China data underscored the potential damage to demand from the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The factors pressuring oil prices include “rising COVID-19 cases, lower economic activity in China and delayed economic recovery elsewhere,” said […]