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Fed officials feared adverse market reaction in 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials were worried about an adverse market reaction when they made their first tentative moves in 2013 to pull back on the massive support they had been providing to help the economy recover from the Great Recession. Transcripts of their discussions released Friday show that then-Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues devoted considerable time debating the wording of the statement. The Fed ended up approving a proposal to trim its $85 billion per month in bond purchases by a small $10 billion. Both of Bernanke’s successors, ...

US stocks drift in quiet close to another winning week

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes nestled a hair lower on Friday after the falling price of oil weighed on energy companies, but the S&P 500 nevertheless closed out its third straight winning week following a brutal stretch in December. It was a day full of broken streaks — oil fell for the first time in two weeks, and the yield on the 10-year Treasury note sank to its first loss in more than a week — but the market remained calm through it. Gradual moves for markets in recent days have offered a respite following the tumultuous trading that rocked investors in late ...

New lease on life

GREEN VALLEY — When saving antiques that have substantial wear and tear but plenty of sentimental value, owners in Marshall and nearby locations often turn to Dan Markell. He operates Markell’s Antique Restoration at his acreage north of Marshall. His shop building, originally an on-farm ...

Avera Health announces new chief human resources officer

Avera Health President and CEO Bob Sutton announces that Kim Jensen has been named chief human resources officer for the Avera Health system. She officially begins that role Dec. 30. “Kim brings numerous years of experience with HR leadership – and specifically more than 20 years of ...

SpaceX launches Air Force’s best GPS yet

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX has launched the U.S. Air Force's most powerful GPS satellite ever built. A Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Sunday, hoisting the satellite into orbit. The satellite was supposed to soar Tuesday but rocket concerns and then weather delayed the flight. Heather Wilson, secretary of the Air Force, says this next-generation GPS satellite is three times more accurate than previous versions and eight times better at anti-jamming. It’s the first in a series and nicknamed Vespucci after the 15th-century Italian explorer who ...

London airport open, but location of drone culprit up in air

LONDON (AP) — London's Gatwick Airport was operating without problems Sunday, but the fugitive drone operators who brought incoming and outgoing flights to a standstill over multiple days remained at large — and a potential threat — after police cleared two local residents who were arrested as suspects. Sussex Police were hopeful they had halted the disruptive and costly drone incursions during one of the heaviest travel periods of the year with Friday’s arrests of a couple who live near the airport. But they were released Sunday, and police said they were no longer ...