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Stocks fall on Wall Street, giving back recent gains

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are falling on Wall Street Wednesday, giving back some of their recent gains as uncertainty about interest rates and inflation continues to reign. The S&P 500 was 1.2% lower in afternoon trading following another mixed set of earnings reports from big companies. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 246 points, or 0.7%, at 33,920, as of 3:20 p.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 1.8% lower. The pullback follows Tuesday’s gain of 1.3% for the S&P 500, which came after the first public comments by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell since the ...

Kish Bank celebrates grand opening of Mifflintown branch

MIFFLINTOWN — The Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for Kish Bank’s new Route 35 branch, located at 55 Parkside Court in Mifflintown, on Monday, Feb. 6. The ceremony was attended by Kish team members, Chamber representatives, and local dignitaries, ...

Estate develops storage facility

LEWISTOWN — The Investment Real Estate Group of Companies (IREGC) announced it is retiring its brokerage services and will begin focusing solely on the expansion of its Moove In Self Storage portfolio. A Moove In Self Storage facility is located at 895 US Highway 22, Lewistown. In 1997, CEO John H. Gilliland brokered his first self storage facility in Hanover. One year later, he started IREGC. The company would grow into a national leader, with more than 100 employees providing brokerage, feasibility, construction, development, insurance and property management services. “We ...

Microsoft bakes ChatGPT-like tech into search engine Bing

REDMOND, Wash. (AP) — Microsoft is fusing ChatGPT-like technology into its search engine Bing, transforming an internet service that now trails far behind Google into a new way of communicating with artificial intelligence. The revamping of Microsoft’s second-place search engine could give the software giant a head start against other tech companies in capitalizing on the worldwide excitement surrounding ChatGPT, a tool that’s awakened millions of people to the possibilities of the latest AI technology. Along with adding it to Bing, Microsoft is also integrating the chatbot ...

Fed’s Powell: Strong hiring could force further rate hikes

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday that if the U.S. job market further strengthens in the coming months or inflation readings accelerate, the Fed might have to raise its benchmark interest rate higher than it now projects. Powell’s remarks followed the government’s blockbuster report last week that employers added 517,000 jobs in January, nearly double December’s gain. The unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in 53 years, 3.4%. “The reality is if we continue to get strong labor market reports or higher inflation reports, it might be the ...

Retailers try to curb theft while not angering shoppers

NEW YORK (AP) — When the pandemic threat eased, Maureen Holohan was eager to scale back her online shopping and return to physical stores so she could more easily compare prices and scour ingredients on beauty and health care products for herself and her three children. But that experience was short lived. In the past six months or so, CVS, Target and other retailers where Holohan shops have been locking up more everyday items like deodorant and laundry detergent as a way to reduce theft. And the 56-year-old Chevy Chase, Maryland resident is now back to shopping online or visiting ...