Retailers are ramping up hiring for the holiday season, but fewer seasonal employees are expected to be taken on this year to help customers in stores and assemble online orders in warehouses.

E-commerce giant Amazon said Thursday it will hire 250,000 full, part-time and seasonal workers for the crucial shopping period, rounding out a series of announcements made in recent weeks by the country's top retailers.

2. Losses for Big Tech companies lead Wall Street lower - Friday, August 23, 2024

Stocks on Wall Street closed lower Wednesday, as a pullback in big technology companies outweighed gains elsewhere in the market.

The S&P 500 fell 0.6%, weighed down by drops in Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon. About 56% of the stocks in the benchmark index finished in the red. Tech sector stocks, which include many companies with outsized values that tend to lean more heavily on the index.

3. Another month of solid US hiring suggests more big Fed hikes - Friday, October 7, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — America's employers slowed their hiring in September but still added 263,000 jobs, a solid figure that will likely keep the Federal Reserve on pace to keep raising interest rates aggressively to fight persistently high inflation.

4. Fewer Americans file for jobless benefits last week - Friday, September 2, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week as the labor market continues to shine despite weakening elements of the U.S. economy.

Applications for jobless aid for the week ending Aug. 27 fell by 5,000 to 232,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

5. Stocks end lower in choppy trading, on pace for weekly loss - Friday, August 26, 2022

Stocks closed lower in another day of choppy trading on Wall Street, on pace for a weekly loss after several days of declines. Losses in technology and retail stocks outweighed gains in communications and other sectors. The S&P 500 lost nearly 1% Wednesday after wavering between gains and losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq composite also lost ground. Bed Bath & Beyond lost almost a quarter of its value after announcing a major restructuring and a stock sale. Treasury yields were mixed and energy prices fell. The market closed August broadly lower after surging in July.

6. Inflation divide: The wealthy splurge, the poorest pull back - Friday, June 3, 2022

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans at the low end of the income rung are once again struggling to make ends meet.

A confluence of factors — the expiration of federal stimulus checks and surging inflation on staples like gas and food — are driving an even bigger wedge between the haves and have-nots.

7. US stocks muster slight gains after listless day of trading - Friday, May 31, 2019

Major U.S. stock indexes capped a day of listless trading with modest gains Thursday, snapping the market's two-day losing streak.

A late flurry of buying helped lift the indexes, which had spent much of the day moving sideways after an early rally lost momentum. Even so, the market remained on track for its fourth straight weekly loss and its first monthly decline of the year.

8. US-China trade dispute weighing on retail sector - Friday, May 31, 2019

NEW YORK (AP) — Pressure from the trade dispute between the U.S. and China continues to weigh on the retail sector.

Retailers have seen their shares seesaw this week as they express concern over tariffs squeezing their businesses. The latest is PVH Corp., owner of the Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger brands, which said late Wednesday that it was cutting its full-year adjusted earnings forecast partly because of the U.S.-China trade dispute.

9. US-China trade dispute weighing on retail sector - Friday, May 24, 2019

Pressure from the trade dispute between the U.S. and China is weighing on the retail sector, with shares of many in the industry falling in premarket trading on Thursday.

Retailers have seen their shares seesaw this week as they express concern over tariffs squeezing their businesses. The latest is PVH Corp., owner of the Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger brands, which said late Wednesday that it was cutting its full-year adjusted earnings forecast partly because of the U.S.-China trade dispute.

10. Top Middle Tennessee residential sales for January 2019 - Friday, February 15, 2019

Top residential real estate sales, January 2019, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.

11. US stocks edge lower, threatening four-day winning streak - Friday, August 24, 2018

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are dipping Thursday morning after a four-day rally brought major indexes to record highs. Banks are slipping with interest rates and consumer-focused companies, which have made large gains recently, also lagged the market. Technology companies took small losses.

12. US stocks move broadly higher in morning trading; oil rising - Friday, March 23, 2018

U.S. stocks rose sharply Thursday morning on the last day of trading ahead of the Easter holiday weekend. Technology stocks, which were big decliners earlier in the week, powered much of the market's climb. Banks, industrial companies and energy stocks also notched solid gains. Investors were weighing the latest company earnings and new economic data showing spending by U.S. consumers rose modestly last month.

13. Too chic for Amazon: Luxury firms in EU can pick sales sites - Friday, December 1, 2017

BRUSSELS (AP) — Luxury goods companies may ban sales of their products on online platforms like Amazon to preserve their aura of exclusivity, the European Union's top court said Wednesday.

The European Court of Justice ruled in favor of the German branch of luxury cosmetics group Coty, whose brands include Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs, which sought to keep its products from selling on non-authorized digital sale platforms.

14. Top Middle Tennessee residential transactions for September 2017 - Friday, October 20, 2017

Top residential real estate sales, September 2017, for Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports. Due to technical issues, Davidson County sales are unavailable for September.

15. Top Middle Tennessee residential transactions for July 2017 - Friday, August 18, 2017

Top residential real estate sales, July 2017, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.

16. Amazon to offer try-before-you-buy clothing - Friday, June 16, 2017

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is increasingly claiming territory once held exclusively by department stores and it's doing so again, essentially placing a dressing room in your house.

Amazon is testing a new service for Prime members that allows them to try on the latest styles before they buy at no upfront charge. Customers have seven days to decide what they like and only pay for what they keep. Shipments arrive in a re-sealable box with a pre-paid label for returns.

17. Top Middle Tennessee residential transactions for May 2017 - Friday, June 16, 2017

Top residential real estate sales, May 2017, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.

18. Retailer earnings help US stocks toward 6th day of gains - Friday, May 19, 2017

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are climbing for the sixth day in a row Thursday as strong quarterly results from retailers including Best Buy, Williams-Sonoma and PVH give consumer-focused companies a lift. The Standard & Poor's 500 index and Nasdaq composite are trading at all-time highs. Stocks are stretching for their longest winning streak in three months.

19. Banks lead stocks higher; health care debate continues - Friday, March 17, 2017

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are mostly higher Thursday as bank stocks recover some ground thanks to an upturn in bond yields, which will make lending money more profitable. Google's parent company, Alphabet, leads technology stocks lower as a number of companies say they will stop advertising on YouTube.

20. US stock indexes end mostly higher on solid bank earnings - Friday, January 13, 2017

Banks led U.S. stock indexes mostly higher Friday, propelling the Nasdaq composite index to its fourth record high this week.