NEW YORK (AP) — Some good news on corporate earnings is nudging stocks mostly higher in early Wall Street trading, a day after the Standard and Poor’s 500 index had its best day of the year. Yahoo jumped 6 percent after reporting encouraging third-quarter results late yesterday. Yahoo got a windfall from the recent IPO of Alibaba, the giant Chinese online retailer that Yahoo owns a stake in.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer prices have edged up slightly, kept in check by falling gas prices. The Labor Department says consumer prices rose 0.1 percent in September after having falling 0.2 percent in August. Gasoline prices declined for the third straight month. Core prices, which exclude volatile food and energy, also rose 0.1 percent after no gain in August. Over the past 12 months, overall prices are up 1.7 percent.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government says millions of older Americans who rely on federal benefits will get a 1.7 percent increase in their monthly payments next year. By law, the increase is based on inflation, which is running at 1.7 percent so far this year, well below historical averages. It’s the third year in a row the increase will be less than 2 percent. The annual cost-of-living adjustment affects payments for more than 70 million Social Security recipients, disabled veterans and federal retirees.
DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government is adding more than 3 million vehicles to a rare warning about faulty air bags that have the potential to kill or injure drivers or passengers in a crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today put out a new list of vehicles, increasing the number from 4.7 million to 7.8 million. The air bag inflators made by parts supplier Takata can rupture, causing metal fragments to fly out when the bags are inflated.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — FedEx expects another record for holiday-season deliveries. The company is predicting that deliveries between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve will rise 8.8 percent over last year, to 290 million shipments. That’s a more subdued forecast than a year ago, when FedEx predicted 13 percent growth for the season. FedEx says the peak day is likely to be Dec. 15, when it expects to handle 22.6 million shipments around the world. The company plans to hire 50,000 seasonal workers to help carry the load.
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