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NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are lower in midday trading on Wall Street, with phone and utility companies posting the biggest losses. Energy companies are lower as the price of oil slips. Technology companies are holding up better than other industries. Applied Materials advanced after the manufacturer of chip-making equipment disclosed new orders and a contract backlog that were much stronger than analysts had forecast.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hiring has been strong in the past year in many presidential campaign swing states. The Labor Department says employers have added jobs at a faster pace than the national average in Colorado, Florida, Michigan and North Carolina over the past 12 months. Job gains have been solid but slightly below the national rate in other battleground states, such as Ohio and Virginia. As for July, the government says hiring rose significantly in 15 states compared with June. The only state to lose a large number of jobs in July was Kansas, which shed 5,600.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York financial regulators say Mega International Commercial Bank of Taiwan will pay a $180 million penalty and install an independent monitor for violating the state's laws against money laundering. A consent order signed by bank officials commits Mega International to install compliance controls. New York's Department of Financial Services says the bank's compliance officers were unfamiliar with U.S. regulations and failed to periodically review information meant to detect suspicious transactions.
MIAMI (AP) — U.S. health officials are warning pregnant women not to visit Miami Beach, where mosquitoes are believed to have spread the Zika virus to five people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the popular South Beach area has been identified as an infection zone. The CDC says pregnant women also should continue to avoid travel to Miami's Wynwood arts district. That neighborhood was the first site on the U.S. mainland where health officials determined mosquitoes were transmitting Zika.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The NBA has decided to hold the 2017 All-Star Game in New Orleans, after taking the midseason event away from North Carolina because of a state law that limits anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people. Charlotte had been set to host the game until the NBA decided last month to move it elsewhere. The All-Star Game is scheduled for Feb. 19, which falls during the first weekend of Mardi Gras parades.
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