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Stocks stand still ahead of raft of earnings, economic data

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:27 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street remained stuck in its standstill Monday, and stocks again moved only modestly ahead of reports that could offer more direction on where the economy and corporate profits are heading. The S&P 500 edged up by 3.52 points, or 0.1%, to 4,137.04 after barely budging last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 66.44, or 0.2%, to 33,875.40, while the Nasdaq composite slipped 35.25, or 0.3%, to 12,037.20. Coca-Cola slipped 0.2% after it reported stronger-than-expected profit for the first quarter but refrained from raising forecasts for sales and other measures for the full year. It was the only company in the S&P 500 to report Monday morning, but more than 170 others are scheduled to follow it this week. The question is whether they can top the low bar that Wall Street has set for them, and what CEOs say about their prospects for profits later this year. Analysts expect S&P 500 companies to report their worst drop in earnings since the spring of...

S&P/TSX composite ticks down as energy stocks balance softness, U.S. markets mixed

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:27 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index edged downward to start the week as strong energy stocks helped balance out softness in financials, tech and battery metals, while U.S. markets were mixed.The S&P/TSX composite index was down 16.41 points at 20,676.74.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 66.44 points at 33,875.40. The S&P 500 index was up 3.52 points at 4,137.04, while the Nasdaq composite was down 35.26 points at 12,037.20.“Markets seem to be waiting for the big earnings that are coming up,” said Allan Small, senior investment adviser at iA Private Wealth.In the U.S., some of the biggest tech names are reporting this week, said Small, including Alphabet, Microsoft and Meta. “That’s going to set the stage for how the market performs,” he said. It’s these companies that have seen some of the biggest growth so far this year after underperforming the market last year, he said: “These are the names that got hit the hardest, and many people are betting tha...

Central Technical School locked down after reports of person with gun

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:27 GMT

Central Technical School is in lockdown after reports of a person with a gun, police said in a tweet on Monday.Police were called to the high school in the Bathurst Street and Bloor Street West area at around 3:09 p.m.No further details were immediately available.Police remain on scene. There are no reports of injuries.More to comeCentral Technical School3:09 pm-reports of person with a gun-school is in lockdown-police o/s-no reports of injuries-will update#GO908697^sc— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) April 24, 2023

Sen. Ron Johnson renews call for Wisconsin abortion vote

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:27 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson on Monday renewed his call for a statewide vote in Wisconsin on abortion rights, saying he thought most voters would support a ban after 12 weeks of pregnancy. Johnson declined to say how he would vote, however. Johnson won reelection to a third term in November, one of only two Republicans to win statewide in Wisconsin since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. Johnson said Monday at the Milwaukee Press Club that abortion has been an “important factor” in Democrats’ recent wins.During the campaign, after the Supreme Court’s ruling, Johnson called for a statewide referendum on abortion. He wanted the question framed as: “At what point does society have the responsibility to protect the life of an unborn child?” The options would range from the moment of conception to never.Wisconsin law does not allow for citizens to place such a question on the ballot. The Republican-con...

CN Rail rides higher grain volumes, oil prices to record first-quarter revenue

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:27 GMT

MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway Co. says it reaped record first-quarter revenues due to a bumper grain crop and higher oil prices.CN is reporting revenues of $4.31 billion for the quarter ended March 31, a 16 per cent boost from $3.71 billion a year earlier.The Montreal-based company says net income jumped to $1.22 billion in its first quarter from $918 million in the same period last year.On an adjusted basis, diluted earnings increased 38 per cent to $1.82 from $1.32 a year ago, beating analyst expectations of $1.72 per share, according to financial data firm Refinitiv.CN is also boosting its forecast for the year, predicting adjusted diluted earnings per share growth in the mid-single digits compared with 2022, up from a low single-digit target set in January.The company says its board approved a second-quarter dividend of 79 cents per common share, to be paid after markets close on June 30.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2023.Companies in thi...

Biden thanks ‘Tennessee three’ for ‘standing up’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:27 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday thanked three Tennessee lawmakers for “standing up” after they faced expulsion for participating in gun control protests at their statehouse.“You’re standing up for our kids, you’re standing up for our communities,” Biden told Rep. Justin Pearson, Rep. Justin Jones and Rep. Gloria Johnson during an Oval Office meeting. Flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden described the expulsion votes as “shocking” and “undemocratic.”“Nothing is guaranteed about our democracy — every generation has to fight for it,” he said.The episode has turned the lawmakers, known as the “Tennessee three,” into Democratic heroes. Harris already visited Nashville earlier this month to show her support.The statehouse protest took place days after the shooting at the Covenant School, a private Christian school where three children and three adults were killed. The three lawmakers — Rep. Justin Pearson, Rep. Justin Jones and Rep. Gloria Johnson — approached th...

Beth Murphy, owner of Murphy's Bleachers, has died

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:27 GMT

CHICAGO — The owner of an iconic bar in the shadow of Wrigley Field has died.Beth Murphy, the owner of Murphy's Bleachers on the corner of Sheffield and Waveland Avenues, passed away on Monday, WGN News has confirmed. A spokesperson for the establishment said she had been battling cancer on and off for the last five years.She also ran Murphy's Rooftop Company along with Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistrolocated at 3905 North Lincoln Avenue."We will miss you Beth," was posted on the sign outside the bar on Monday morning.The Cubs have also put a tribute to Murphy on the marquee at Wrigley Field on Monday afternoon. The Murphy family has owned the bar since 1980, when former Chicago Police officer Jim Murphy, Beth's husband, purchased what was then Ray's Bleachers at 3655 North Sheffield Avenue. He owned the bar till his passing in 2003, and it was then that Beth took it over. Murphy's Bleachers has remained a familiar gathering place for Cubs fans through the years, enduring as many...

'Jackass' star Bam Margera charged with punching brother

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:27 GMT

WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — “Jackass” star Bam Margera punched his brother in the face during an altercation at their home in the Philadelphia suburbs, then took off on foot, Pennsylvania State Police said Monday in announcing criminal charges.An arrest warrant was issued for Margera, 43, and police said they were looking for him.State police said they were called to the Chester County home in response to a reported domestic disturbance shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday. Margera's brother, Jesse Margera, told police that Bam Margera had pounded on and kicked his locked bedroom door that morning, and punched him in the eye, nose and ear during a later confrontation in the kitchen, according to court documents.Jesse Margera said he’d also found a threatening handwritten note signed “Bam," a police affidavit said.Margera, who also starred in the MTV reality series “Viva La Bam,” fled the property on foot through dense woods before troopers got there, the affidavit said.Bam Margera is charged ...

Democrats celebrate Fox-Carlson split: 'A sewer of countless lies and hate’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:27 GMT

Democrats are celebrating Monday’s shocking news that Tucker Carlson and Fox News have parted ways, going after the controversial cable news figure who frequently used his prime-time program to rail against liberal lawmakers and policies and, more recently, promote former President Trump's claims about the 2020 election.In a brief statement Monday morning, Fox News announced that Carlson’s final show had taken place the previous Friday. Harris Faulkner, the host of Fox News’s “Outnumbered,” read the news on air Monday, saying that the network and Carlson “mutually agreed to part ways.”While details of the media divorce remain unclear, Democrats were quick to respond.“Glad to hear that one of the most divisive, racist and destructive forces on television is off his prime time show,” Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) wrote on Twitter. “Tucker Carlson will not be missed.”“This program was a sewer of countless lies and hate spewed out every single night. One of the leading election deniers ...

Biden says teaching should not be 'life-threatening' job

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:27 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden honored the nation's best teachers Monday, saying they go above and beyond by providing food and supplies out of their own pockets and often find themselves “explaining the unexplainable, from banned books to duck-and-cover drills.” “Teaching should not be a life-threatening profession,” Biden said, referencing deadly school shootings that plague the United States. "And educators should not need to be armed to feel safe in the classroom." He spoke at a Rose Garden event that honored the Council of Chief State School Officers' 2023 teachers of the year from each state. Tulsa, Oklahoma, math teacher Rebecka Peterson was named overall teacher of the year. Biden spoke of the challenges of the modern-day teacher, including gun violence and a growing movement from the right to ban books in classrooms, particularly those that reference gender and sexual identity. Attempted book bans hit an all-time high in 2022.“I never thought, as a student of histor...