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Penney: We haven’t hired advisers for in-court restructuring

NEW YORK (AP) — J.C. Penney, looking to soothe rattled investors, said Friday it hasn’t hired any advisers to prepare for an in-court restructuring or bankruptcy. The company’s statement came after a report said Penney was hiring experts to help restructure its debt. Reuters reported Thursday that Penney has held discussions with lawyers and investment bankers who work with struggling companies on debt restructurings. It cited anonymous sources familiar with the matter. Penney’s shares fell nearly 17% Friday. The department store chain based in Plano, Texas, continues to ...

US stock indexes continue to climb into record territory

NEW YORK (AP) — The major U.S. stock indexes closed at record highs on Friday, with the S&P 500 ending above 3,000 for the first time. The market was driven higher by technology, consumer discretionary and industrial company stocks, which more than offset the drop in drugmakers. Investors continued to remain focused on the Federal Reserve. The Fed is expected to cut its benchmark interest rate later this month for the first time in more than a decade to help counter slowing economic growth caused by various trade disputes. Investors have bet heavily that the Fed is moving that ...

Current economic expansion longest in history — what does this mean for your finances?

The current U.S. economic expansion recently enjoyed its ten-year anniversary. This means that for the past decade the economy, as measured by the nation’s gross domestic product has been consistently growing without a measurable pull-back, or recession. This long expansion follows the very difficult economic decline of 2008 and 2009, a period often referred to as the Great Recession. If you are a stock investor who has been keeping an eye on recent headlines, you may wonder how long this expansion will last, and what may trigger the next economic downturn or recession. Read on for ...

Guacamole blues: Mexicans dismayed by avocado price climb

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexicans are dismayed by continued increases in the price for avocados, a staple of the country’s cuisine. And the situation has also led to outrage too, as recipes have begun popping up for so-called “mock guacamole” without avocados. “This really does hurt,” the Mexico City food and entertainment magazine Chilango said in a story this week about the “fake guacamole” recipes circulating on social media. In truth, similar recipes have been circulating for years — a blended emulsion of tomatillo, zucchini, oil and chile — but they have gained ...

Seeking the positive

MARSHALL — It all began with a school project. Eric Leach, Parker Terfehr, and Simon Zahrbock, recent graduates of Marshall High School, started TZ Clothing, a business and clothing line, in December. It started when Terfehr and Zahrbock worked on a school project involving the ...

Trump pick for Fed says she does not want to harm investors

WASHINGTON (AP) — Economist Judy Shelton, tapped by President Donald Trump for a seat on the Federal Reserve board, said on Friday she does not favor credit tightening by the Federal Reserve that would harm investors. In a CNBC interview, Shelton sought to align her past criticism of the Fed's record low interest rates during the Obama administration with the current attacks by Trump on Fed rate hikes. “When you consider that over half of American households are invested in mutual funds or pension funds in this market, I don’t want the Fed to pull the rug out from under them by ...