KANSAS CITY (AP) – Inflation remained stubbornly elevated last month as gas prices rose, but it’s a snapshot of consumer prices before a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran sent energy costs soaring. Consumer prices rose 2.4% in February compared with a year earlier, the Labor Department said Wednesday, matching January’s increase.
NEW YORK (AP) – A widening war in Iran has halted oil tankers, made targets of refineries and spooked investors worried about the cascading impact of spiking energy prices. The International Energy Agency agreed on Wednesday to release the largest volume of emergency oil reserves in its history, to make 400 million barrels of oil available.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Nearly two decades ago, Virginia gave tech companies a tax break on equipment and software, and they began to build. The state became a data center hub, and they kept building. Residents bemoaned the noise while they built some more. Artificial intelligence boomed, and the power grid strained – still, more building.
PARIS (AP) – The International Energy Agency agreed Wednesday to release the largest volume of emergency oil reserves in its history, in a bid to counter the effects on energy markets of the war in the Middle East.
NEW YORK (AP) – Among dozens of companies competing for Pentagon contracts to supply attack drones, one stands out. Powerus is flush with cash and ballooning in size as it buys up rivals and has one other advantage: It is partly owned by President Donald Trump’s two oldest sons. The Trump family has drawn criticism for expanding its real estate business into foreign countries.
HONG KONG (AP) – China’s exports jumped nearly 22% in the first two months of the year from a year earlier, powered by a surge in shipments of computer chips, autos and electronics. The export figures released by China were much better than economists had forecast. They far exceeded the 6.6% annual pace of growth recorded in December.
Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes picked up in February from the previous month as home shoppers took advantage of easing mortgage rates and a modest increase in properties on the market heading into the spring homebuying season.
For the third consecutive year, Michael Bloomberg landed the No. 1 spot on the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s exclusive ranking of the 50 biggest donors of 2025. The founder of the Bloomberg financial-news empire and former New York mayor gave $4.3 billion to support arts, education, the environment, public health, and programs to improve city governments.
NEW YORK (AP) – As the price of crude oil surpassed $110 a barrel Monday, reaching heights not seen since 2022, consumers were feeling the effects of the Iran war and its damage to worldwide energy production. Gasoline prices are climbing, and many people will find some of the most immediate economic pain at the pump.
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