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NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are little changed in early afternoon trading on Wall Street, as investors study the minutes of the last Federal Reserve policy meeting. After being down most of the day, the Dow and the S&P 500 have inched into positive territory while the Nasdaq remains slightly negative.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Minutes of the Federal Reserve's July policy meeting show that officials believed that near-term economic risks had diminished and conditions could soon warrant a rate hike. Fed officials were encouraged by a strong rebound in job growth in June. They also took note of a stabilization of financial markets following a bout of turbulence triggered by Britain's June 23 vote to leave the European Union. The minutes said given the improved economic outlook, officials believed a rate increase "was or would soon be warranted." Their next meeting is in September.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Not a bad start to the summer air travel season. The Transportation Department reports that 78 percent of flights on major U.S. airlines arrived on time in June, up from 74.8 percent in June of last year. But the on-time rate slipped from May's 83.4 percent mark. And travelers filed fewer complaints with the government about U.S. airlines: 1,078 in June, down from 1,567 a year earlier.
NEW YORK (AP) — AT&T is joining Verizon in raising the prices of some of its data plans. As with Verizon, AT&T is going to great lengths to avoid calling the changes a price hike, as the higher prices come with more data, reducing the cost per gigabyte for many customers. The new rates take effect Sunday. AT&T customers who want to keep their existing plans don't need to do anything. They can still add lines to their account, but won't be able to change data levels without switching to the new rates.
ALBANY, La. (AP) — The U.S. Small Business Administration plans to open several locations in southern Louisiana to help businesses damaged by record flooding. Federal aid is available for businesses located within the 20 parishes included in the federal disaster declaration. The SBA provides loans of up to $2 million to repair and replace damaged equipment, inventory and property.
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