Here are the AP's top business stories that have moved or are planned to move today. All times U.S. Eastern. For up-to-the minute information on AP's coverage, visit AP Newsroom's Coverage Plan.

What's open on Thanksgiving? Not much, as many stores rest -- or prepare -- ahead of Black Friday

SUMMARY: With Thanksgiving and the formal launch of the holiday shopping season, Americans will again take to the road for holiday gatherings before knocking off items on their Christmas gift lists. Most national grocery store chains are open on Thursday for last-minute needs, although many close early. Major U.S. retailers are closed on Thanksgiving Day, either giving workers the day off or preparing for Black Friday. Many will open early on the day after Thanksgiving, which is typically the biggest shopping day of the year. Black Friday has lost some of its frantic energy as customers increasingly shop for gifts online.

WORDS: 545 - MOVED: 11/26/2025 9:05 a.m. EST

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Fewer Americans sought unemployment benefits last week as job cuts stay low

SUMMARY: The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits declined last week in a sign that layoffs remain low, even as several high-profile companies have announced job cuts. U.S. applications for unemployment benefits in the week ending Nov. 22 dropped 6,000 from the previous week to 216,000, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. The number of people seeking unemployment benefits is seen as a proxy for layoffs and is close to a real-time indicator of

WORDS: 362 - MOVED: 11/26/2025 8:44 a.m. EST

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Sellers in other countries struggle to maintain US customers as holiday shopping season starts

SUMMARY: Small businesses are struggling to adapt since the U.S. ended the "de minimis" exemption on Aug. 29, which allowed imports under $800 to be tariff-free. Eliminating the exemption was meant to curb drug trafficking and stop low quality goods from flooding the U.S. market. But small businesses have been unduly affected, and they're facing not only skyrocketing costs but confusion and complaints from customers. Sellers abroad are reporting drastic declines in U.S. sales. Some are paying the duties themselves instead of passing them to consumers, trying to focus on their domestic customers to replace U.S. ones and adjusting product lineups.

WORDS: 1240 - MOVED: 11/25/2025 5:37 p.m. EST

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Layoffs are piling up, raising worker anxiety. Here are some companies that have cut jobs recently

SUMMARY: It's a tough time to be looking for a job. Amid wider economic uncertainty, some analysts have said that businesses are at a "no-hire, no fire" standstill. At the same time, some sizable layoffs have continued to pile up -- raising worker anxieties across sectors. Some companies have pointed to rising operational costs due to U.S.'s new tariffs, while others have redirected money to artificial intelligence investments. Workers in the public sector have also been hit hard. Federal jobs were cut by the thousands earlier this year. And many workers are now going without pay as the U.S. government shutdown has now dragged on for more than a month.

WORDS: 970 - MOVED: 11/26/2025 9:06 a.m. EST

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Shein faces European Union scrutiny over child safety and illegal products

SUMMARY: European Union regulators are increasing scrutiny of Shein's safety measures after French authorities found illegal weapons and child-like sex dolls on the company's website. The European Commission said Tuesday it is using the 27-nation bloc's digital rulebook to demand more information from the company. Shein has come under fire in France after officials found the items for sale on its website. The French government responded by moving to suspend access to the Shein website in France. The Commission has sent a request for information to Shein, citing serious concerns about consumer safety across the EU.

WORDS: 283 - MOVED: 11/26/2025 9:03 a.m. EST

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MacKenzie Scott's college roommate once loaned her $1K. Now it's the billionaire's turn to invest

SUMMARY: Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott is one of the world's wealthiest women. As a Princeton University sophomore, however, she faced dropping out until her roommate got her father to loan Scott $1,000. This act of kindness is one of many that Scott says inspires her own giving. And Scott now invests in the student lending company started by that sophomore year roommate, Jeannie Tarkenton. Funding U, which offers merit-based loans to low-income students without co-signers, aims to make college more affordable. Scott has pursued that same goal through grants to higher education institutions, including many HBCUs. Tarkenton sees Scott's involvement as an innovative extension of her donation strategy that more philanthropists should adopt.

WORDS: 1014 - MOVED: 11/26/2025 8:18 a.m. EST

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Federal agency boosts size of most single-family loans the government can guarantee to $832,750

SUMMARY: The Federal Housing Finance Agency is increasing the size of home loans that the government can guarantee against default as it takes into account rising housing prices. Beginning next year, mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be able to acquire loans of up to $832,750 on single-family homes in most of the country, the agency said Tuesday. The new conforming loan limit is a 3.3% increase from its 2025 level. FHFA oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which buy home loans from banks and other lenders. FHFA adjusts the loan limits annually to reflect changes in U.S. home values, which have been rising this year, albeit more slowly.

WORDS: 349 - MOVED: 11/25/2025 3:46 p.m. EST

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Stocks climb on hopes for lower interest rates as Dow rallies 660 points

SUMMARY: Stocks climbed again on hopes for a coming cut to interest rates. The S&P 500 rose 0.9% Tuesday after breaking out of a morning lull and is back within 1.8% of its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 664 points, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.7%. Stocks got a boost from easing yields in the bond market. Lower rates can cover up many sins in financial markets, including prices going too high, and hopes are strong that the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate at its next meeting to juice the economy further. Small stocks had the market's biggest gains.

WORDS: 811 - MOVED: 11/25/2025 12:03 a.m. EST

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How major US stock indexes fared Tuesday, 11/25/2025

SUMMARY: Stocks climbed again on hopes for a coming cut to interest rates. The S&P 500 rose 0.9% Tuesday after breaking out of a morning lull and is back within 1.8% of its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 664 points, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.7%. Stocks got a boost from easing yields in the bond market. Lower rates can cover up many sins in financial markets, including prices going too high, and hopes are strong that the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate at its next meeting to juice the economy further. Small stocks had the market's biggest gains.

WORDS: 268 - MOVED: 11/25/2025 4:15 p.m. EST

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Best Buy ups sales outlook heading into holiday shopping ramp-up

SUMMARY: Best Buy is raising its profit and sales expectations ahead of the holiday shopping season after a strong third quarter. Comparable-store sales at the nation's largest consumer electronics chain rose 2.7%, fueled by computing, gaming and mobile phones. It was the biggest gain in four years for the Minnesota retailer. Shares rose more than 5% in afternoon trading Tuesday. The strong quarter is an encouraging sign for Best Buy, which like almost all U.S. companies, has spent months navigating an uncertain economic environment as President Donald Trump imposes wide-ranging tariffs on imports. Electronics have been particularly hard hit.

WORDS: 612 - MOVED: 11/25/2025 8:30 a.m. EST

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Campbell's IT chief on leave after lawsuit claims he said company's food is for 'poor people'

SUMMARY: The Campbell's Co. said Tuesday it has placed one of its executives on leave while it investigates claims that he made racist comments and mocked the company's products and customers in an audio recording. Martin Bally, Campbell's vice president of information technology, was named in a lawsuit filed last week by Robert Garza, a former Campbell's employee. In the lawsuit, Garza claimed he met with Bally in November 2024 to discuss his salary. During the meeting, which Garza allegedly recorded, Bally described Campbell's as "highly process(ed) food" and said it was for "poor people." Garza also claims Bally made racist comments about Indian workers.

WORDS: 357 - MOVED: 11/25/2025 3:04 p.m. EST

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Consumer confidence slides as Americans grow wary of high costs and sluggish job gains

SUMMARY: U.S. consumers were much less confident in the economy in November in the aftermath of the government shutdown and amid weak hiring and stubborn inflation. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index dropped to 88.7 in November from an upwardly revised October reading of 95.5, the lowest reading since April, when President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs that caused the stock market to plunge. The figures suggest that Americans are increasingly wary of high costs and sluggish job gains, with perceptions of the labor market worsening, the survey found.

WORDS: 461 - MOVED: 11/25/2025 10:24 a.m. EST

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US retail sales rose slightly in September, adding to months of big gains

SUMMARY: Sales at U.S. retailers and restaurants rose slightly in September as resilient consumers moderated their spending after splurging over the summer. Sales increased 0.2% last month from August, the Commerce Department said, in a report delayed more than a month because of the government shutdown. The retail sales figures suggest that Americans as a whole are still willing and able to boost their spending, a key driver of the economy, despite high prices for groceries, rent, and many imported goods hit by tariffs.

WORDS: 880 - MOVED: 11/25/2025 8:44 a.m. EST

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The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis follows science and steady funding to a broader mission

SUMMARY: Since Marc Buoniconti. then a college football linebacker, was paralyzed 40 years ago during a routine tackle, he and his father, NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti, have raised over $550 million for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. The project, co-founded by Nick Buoniconti and Dr. Barth A. Green, has expanded its research beyond paralysis to include neurological diseases. The project's research center at the University of Miami has made significant advances for medicine in general, including the use of therapeutic hypothermia. Marc Buoniconti says their mission is to change lives, and their relentless drive continues to inspire supporters worldwide.

WORDS: 926 - MOVED: 11/25/2025 8:01 a.m. EST

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Alibaba's cloud business revenue soars 34% driven by AI boom

SUMMARY: China's Alibaba Group is reporting a 34% jump in revenue from its cloud business, driven by the AI boom. However, net profit for the July-September quarter fell 52% year-on-year, as an intense price war in China's e-commerce sector eroded into profitability. The company, which started out in e-commerce and later turned its focus to cloud and AI, has pledged to invest heavily in cloud computing and AI infrastructure. On Monday, Alibaba announced its upgraded AI chatbot Qwen recorded 10 million downloads in the first week after its public launch.

WORDS: 404 - MOVED: 11/25/2025 9:23 a.m. EST

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