Business category, Page 14
Retirement savings plans can be used to fund a home down payment. But should you?
LOS ANGELES — Raiding retirement savings for a down payment on a home can be tempting, especially if you’ve struggled to scrape together enough money to buy. But should you? Most 401(k) and similar retirement savings plans like Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) allow homebuyers to withdraw or borrow a limited...
Japan’s Nikkei 225 share index falls more than 6% as oil soars over $100 a barrel
BANGKOK — Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index plunged more than 7% early Monday and other Asian markets also tumbled after oil prices soared to about $114 a barrel due to disruptions from the war in the Middle East, casting a shadow over economies heavily dependent on imported crude and gas...
Travelers encounter long waits at some airports as DHS shutdown affects security checkpoints
Travelers complained of long waits Sunday — lasting hours in some cases — at security checkpoints at airports in Houston and New Orleans, which officials blamed on a government shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The estimated wait time at the standard security checkpoint at the William P....
Trump’s ‘roaring’ economy meets a rough start to 2026: What the latest numbers show
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump promised that 2026 would be a bumper year for economic growth, but instead it has kicked off with job losses, rising gasoline prices and more uncertainty about America’s future. In his State of the Union address less than two weeks ago, the Republican president confidently...
Crude oil prices surpass $100 a barrel as the Iran war impedes production and shipping
CHICAGO — Oil prices eclipsed $114 per barrel for the first time since 2022 on Monday as the Iran war intensified, threatening production and shipping in the Middle East. The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, surged past $114 after trading resumed on the Chicago Mercantile...
Retail sales fall modestly in January as American consumers pull back on spending
American consumers pulled back their spending to start 2026, extending the malaise in retail sales that began late last year. Retail sales fell 0.2% in January, following a flat reading in December, according to the Commerce Department’s report issued on Friday. January’s figure came in below the forecasts of economists,...
U.S. lost 92,000 jobs last month and unemployment rate ticked higher to 4.4%
WASHINGTON — American employers unexpectedly cut 92,000 jobs last month, a sign that the labor market remains under strain. The unemployment rate blipped up to 4.4%. Hiring deteriorated from January, when companies, nonprofits and government agencies added a healthy 126,000 jobs, the Labor Department reported Friday. Economists had expected 60,000...
How to set and invest your emergency fund
Emergency funds need a PR makeover. Who wants to think about broken-down cars, sick dogs, or job loss? We should call them “cushion funds.” Then there’s the frequently cited ideal amount: three to six months of expenses. That’s a decent starting point, but it sounds off-putting to people just starting...
Inspired Women Sewickley founder cultivates beautiful spaces and relationships
When Catherine Montague emigrated to the United States from France to study international business, she never imagined that her career would end up taking a more creative turn. After a stint working for Ralph Lauren Women’s and Home Flagship store in New York City, Montague discovered a passion for home...
Average long-term mortgage rate ticks up to 6%, ending 3-week slide
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate came off its lowest level in three and a half years this week, as bond yields marched higher following a spike in oil prices because of the war with Iran. The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate ticked up to 6% from 5.98% last...
Stocks drop after oil spikes to its highest price since the summer of 2024
NEW YORK — Stocks sank Thursday on Wall Street when the price of oil spiked to its highest level since the summer of 2024 because of the war with Iran. The S&P 500 fell 0.6% and erased what had been a small gain for the year so far. The Dow...
More than 20 states sue over new global tariffs Trump imposed after his stinging Supreme Court loss
WASHINGTON — Some two dozen states challenged President Donald Trump’s new global tariffs on Thursday, filing a lawsuit over import taxes he imposed after a stinging loss at the Supreme Court. The Democratic attorneys general and governors in the lawsuit argue that Trump is overstepping his power with planned 15%...
Trump says deal on data centers will lower electricity prices as tech companies vow to cover costsVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump invited technology companies to the White House on Wednesday to commit to developing their own power generation as he tries to ease tensions over the cost of electricity used by data centers to develop artificial intelligence. “They need some PR help because people think that...
Judge rules companies are entitled to refunds for Trump tariffs overturned by the Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — In a defeat for the Trump administration, a federal judge in New York ruled Wednesday that companies that paid tariffs struck down last month by Supreme Court are due refunds. Judge Richard Eaton of the U.S. Court of International Trade wrote that “all importers of record” were “entitled...
Spirit drops Orlando service from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
Spirit Airlines is pulling the plug on its long-running Orlando service from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport next month, a move that leaves the Unity airfield without its most popular year-round destination. The discount carrier confirmed Wednesday it has removed the Florida destination from its schedule effective April 15. The following...
Rising energy prices from the Iran war could help Russia pay for fighting in Ukraine
FRANKFURT, Germany — The Iran war’s disruption of Middle East oil and gas supplies and soaring prices are strengthening Russia’s ability to profit from its energy exports, a pillar of the Kremlin’s budget and a key to paying for its own war in Ukraine. Prices for Russia’s oil exports have...
Astrobotic designing wheels for mobile moon outpost as part of NASA Artemis program
Astrobotic announced Tuesday it’s developing specialized wheels for a mobile lunar outpost, a critical component of the NASA-led Artemis moon exploration program. The Pittsburgh-based aerospace and robotics company has been hired by Thales Alenia Space to build a wheel system that can withstand the moon’s extreme temperatures, radiation, dust and...
Bikeshare workers form union in Pittsburgh
Workers at Pittsburgh bikeshare nonprofit POGOH have unionized. The organizers filed to join the Transport Workers Union of America last month, and they said in a Tuesday press release that POGOH employees “voted overwhelmingly” to do so. TWU already represents workers for bikeshare organizations in New York City, Boston, Chicago,...
Freight rail industry had safest year on record in 2025, advocacy group says
A group representing the nation’s freight rail companies said Wednesday that newly released data show last year was the safest year on record for the industry. The Association of American Railroads said the overall train accident rate dropped 14 percent compared to 2024, while derailments were down 13.6%, according to...
MrBeast is getting into financial services. Parents should pay attention
Jimmy Donaldson, the YouTube celebrity better known as MrBeast, became popular for broadcasting outlandish but charitable stunts that often involved giving away giant piles of money. Now the 27-year-old is asking his followers to entrust him with theirs. With the acquisition of Step, a financial services app for teenagers and...
Westmoreland commissioners to revamp airport authority board
The board that oversees operations at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity is poised to be significantly revamped through a series of new appointments Westmoreland County commissioners are expected to vote on this week. Commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew said they will appoint four new members to the nine-person...
Fetterman, Deluzio part of bipartisan push to strengthen rail safety requirements
Bipartisan bills introduced in Congress over the past week aim to strengthen safety requirements for rail carriers hauling hazardous materials, but the group representing the nation’s freight rail companies says the industry is in its “safest era ever.” U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, cosponsored the Senate version of the Railway...
West Deer residents appeal to Commonwealth Court in fight over fracking wells
A case argued Tuesday before Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court could test the reach of local efforts to challenge natural gas fracking. Concerned Residents of West Deer (CROWD), a local advocacy group, has raised concerns for years about the Leto fracking well, which is located near the heart of the West Deer...
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette files closure notice with Pennsylvania
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s planned closure will affect 171 workers, according to a WARN notice filed Tuesday with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. The WARN Act, meaning Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, is designed to protect workers, families and communities, according to the commonwealth. Through the act, employers are...
U.S. automakers risk being reduced to niche producers of gas vehicles
Perhaps no business needs certainty more than the auto industry. It usually takes at least four years to design a new model and bring it to market, requiring carmakers to divine what buyers will find appealing by the time the vehicles reach showrooms. Yet industry veterans say they can’t remember...
