Netflix Inc. beat Wall Street earnings estimates for the first quarter but offered a lighter-than-expected forecast on Tuesday, demonstrating the challenges the mature streaming service faces in its pursuit of growth. The company said it shifted a wider launch of a plan to crack down on unsanctioned password sharing into the second quarter to make…

U.S. stock indexes opened slightly higher on Wednesday, helped by a fresh batch of upbeat earnings reports. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 78.55 points, or 0.22 percent, at the open to 35,835.43. The S&P 500 opened higher by 5.43 points, or 0.12 percent, at 4,580.22, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 40.29 points, or 0.26…

The Nasdaq led gains among Wall Street indexes on Wednesday after a robust forecast from Microsoft supported optimism about the third-quarter earnings season, while a decline in oil prices hurt shares of energy companies. The S&P 500 index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average struggled for direction in the first hour of trading, with seven…

For a second straight month, U.S. job growth proved to be bitterly disappointing in September, coming in more than 300,000 jobs short of what many economists had penciled in. That’s after August’s report initially came in almost half a million jobs below economists’ consensus estimate. But the 41-page Bureau of Labor Statistics report (pdf) features a…

Reports, videos, and photos have surfaced on Wednesday exposing alleged barbaric behavior from Taliban members, contradicting claims made by top officials that they will respect the rights of the people and will not commit reprisal killings. A photographer with the Los Angeles Times captured photos around the Kabul airport, where throngs of people have gathered in…

Commentary The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (SF Fed) on April 14 reported ongoing demand in residential real estate, some tapering in mortgage refinance activity, and hiring of furloughed workers in the hospitality industries where health restrictions have been relaxed. As part of the Federal Reserve’s monthly Beige Book report, the SF Fed provided…