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Ticker: Wall Street rallies to edge of all-time high

U.S. stocks rallied to the edge of their all-time high, and crude oil prices eased as hopes climbed that the United States and Iran may try again on talks to end their war. The S&P 500 rose 1.2% Tuesday, bringing the index within 0.2% of its record set in January. The Dow gained 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 2%. Walt Disney Co. begins laying off 1K employees The Walt Disney Co. has begun layoffs expected to lead to 1,000 job cuts across the company. Josh D’Amaro on Tuesday announced broader layoffs following a move in January to consolidate Disney’s marketing division. ...

Much of industry opposes Paramount-Warner merger

More than a thousand movie stars, writers, directors and other Hollywood professionals announced their “unequivocal opposition” to the proposed Paramount merger with Warner Bros. Discovery in an open letter published Monday. A large swath of the movie industry, including Denis Villeneuve, Kristen Stewart, J.J. Abrams and Joaquin Phoenix came out forcefully against the $111 billion deal that would consolidate two legacy studios into one, arguing that it further reduce jobs and movies in an already downsized Hollywood. “The result will be fewer opportunities for creators, fewer ...

Young people reviving iPods

Remember the iPod? It’s making a quiet comeback. Four years after Apple killed off its digital music player, secondhand sales are surging. It’s fueled in part by young people interested not just in its retro looks but a desire to listen to music in a focused way and with playlists not ...

Jet fuel price volatility affecting travelers

A new reality is setting in for travelers worldwide: rising fees, fewer flight options and difficult decisions about whether a trip is worth the cost. The culprit is volatile oil and jet fuel prices, which have spiked sharply since the war in the Middle East began and fighting near the narrow Strait of Hormuz created a chokepoint for global oil supplies. “Volatility is the real story here,” said Shye Gilad, a former airline captain who now teaches at Georgetown University’s business school. “Right now, the airlines are trying to make bets on what they think will happen in the ...

Stocks drift lower, oil prices ease ahead of Iran-US talks

Stocks drifted mostly lower on Wall Street and oil prices slipped Friday ahead of planned U.S.-Iran talks following a shaky ceasefire agreement. The S&P 500 inched 0.1% lower after a day of choppy trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.6% and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.4%. The major indexes each notched a weekly gain for the second week in a row. They have been gaining ground this month amid optimism that the war with Iran could be heading toward a resolution. High-level talks between negotiators from Iran and the U.S. are planned for Saturday in Pakistan. The benchmark ...