Stocks sink on new COVID variant; Dow loses 1,000 points

A day after the Stock Market was closed for Thanksgiving, news of a new COVID-19 variant sent stocks falling, with the Dow losing 1,000 points.

Rising inflation not stopping consumer spending, new data shows

Personal incomes, which provide the fuel for future spending increases, rose 0.5% in October after having fallen 1% in September, a reflection of a drop in government support payments.

Unemployment benefits claims hit 52-year low after seasonal adjustments

Seasonal adjustments around the Thanksgiving holiday contributed significantly to the bigger-than-expected drop. Unadjusted, claims actually ticked up by more than 18,000 to nearly 259,000.

Dollar Tree doubles down on pricing items over $1

Dollar Tree will charge $1.25 for the majority of its products across all of its locations nationwide by the end of April.

Pennsylvania's jobless rate drops for 8th straight month

Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate fell for the eighth month in a row in October, according to new state figures, as payrolls grew but the labor force shrank amid an ongoing struggle for employers struggle to find workers.

US unemployment claims drop seventh straight week to 268,000

U.S. jobless claims dipped by 1,000 last week from the week before to a pandemic low of 268,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

Target, Walmart say holiday inventory is up despite supply chain disruptions

Target and Walmart say they are kicking off the holiday season with stocked shelves despite the industry's battle with supply chains and shipping backlogs.

US inflation: Economists explain why consumer prices are rising

For months, many economists had sounded a reassuring message that a spike in consumer prices, something that had been missing in action in the U.S. for a generation, wouldn’t stay long.

Santa Claus may not be coming to town this year amid hired Santa shortage

There are an estimated 10-15% fewer Santa Clauses this year compared to last year due to COVID-19 and many Santas retiring, according to Mitch Allen, head elf at Hire Santa.

US hospitals ask for donations of gently used crutches, canes, walkers amid shortage

An aluminum shortage is hitting hospitals across the U.S. hard, limiting the number of much-needed crutches, canes, walkers and even wheelchairs that they can provide to patients.

US consumer prices jumped 6.2% in past year, highest inflation rate since 1990

Driving the price spikes are supply shortages resulting from consumer demand and COVID-related factory shutdowns coming out of the pandemic recession.

11 Democratic lawmakers ask Biden to dip into Strategic Petroleum Reserve to alleviate gas price hike

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is stored in huge underground salt caverns at four sites along the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico and is the world’s largest supply of emergency crude oil.

October jobs report: US hiring rebounds with 531,000 jobs added

The October 2021 U.S. jobs report showed employers stepped up their hiring, adding a solid 531,000 jobs — the most since July.