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Venezuela’s acting leader signs oil industry revamp

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez on Thursday signed a law that will open the nation’s oil sector to privatization, reversing a tenet of the self-proclaimed socialist movement that has ruled the country for more than two decades. Lawmakers in the ...

Street ends day where it started

NEW YORK — A day of dramatic swings on Wall Street, including Microsoft’s worst drop in years and a sudden reversal for the price of gold, finished with only relatively modest moves on Thursday. The S&P 500 slipped 0.1% after flirting with its record high in the morning and dropping by as much as 1.5% later in the day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 55 points, or 0.1%, after erasing an earlier loss of more than 400 points, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.7%. Microsoft was the heaviest weight on the market by far, and the tech giant tumbled 10% even though it reported ...

Briefcase: Norfolk Southern declares dividend

ATLANTA Norfolk Southern Corp. announced a quarterly dividend of $1.35 per share on its common stock. The dividend is payable Feb. 20 to shareholders of record on Feb. 6. The company has paid a dividend on its common stock for 174 consecutive quarters since its formation in 1982. PITTSBURGH F.N.B. Corp. declares $0.12 per share cash dividend The board of directors of F.N.B. Corp. declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.12 per share on its common stock. The dividend is payable on March 16 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 2. The company has ...

Ticker: Comcast reports $2.17B in fourth quarter profit

Comcast Corp. on Thursday reported fourth-quarter profit of $2.17 billion. On a per-share basis, the Philadelphia-based company said it had profit of 60 cents. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to 84 cents per share. The results beat Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of eight analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 75 cents per share. The cable provider posted revenue of $32.31 billion in the period, which also beat Street forecasts. Seven analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $32.14 billion. Citizens exceeds Q4 ...

Federal Reserve keeps interest rates unchanged

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve pushed the pause button on its interest rate cuts Wednesday, leaving its key rate unchanged at about 3.6% after lowering it three times last year. Chair Jerome Powell said at a news conference after the central bank announced its decision that the ...

Briefcase: Business news of local interest

HUNTINGDON MBG honors Inner Circle Mutual Benefit Group announced that 25 agency partners have qualified for Inner Circle based on 2025 business results. MBG has been rewarding agents who demonstrate exceptional customer service, consistent growth and profitability via the Inner Circle Program since 1993. L.R. Webber and Associates Inc., Duncansville, was the lone local agency that qualified for Inner Circle 2025. Restaurants honor founder On Monday, all Texas Roadhouse, Bubba’s 33 and Jaggers locations invite the public to a fundraiser to support the American Tinnitus ...