WEATHER ALERT
Free breadsticks and reasons for hope at Olive Garden
FILE - This June 27, 2016 file photo shows an Olive Garden restaurant in Methuen, Mass. Darden Restaurants said Thursday that every hourly restaurant worker will earn at least $10 per hour including tips as of Monday. At one point, same-store sales at Darden, a key reading in retail for the health of a company, plunged 75%. About 99% of Darden's dining rooms have since re-opened with at least partial capacity. AdIn the fiscal third quarter, which ended Feb. 28, Darden’s sales fell 26% to $1.73 billion, better than the $1.6 billion Wall Street had expected, according to FactSet.
Asian shares extend gains after more Wall Street records
Asian shares logged strong gains on Wednesday after another round of record highs for major indexes on Wall Street. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)BEIJING – Asian shares logged strong gains on Wednesday after another round of record highs for major indexes on Wall Street. Shanghai edged lower after China reported that its consumer price index slipped 0.5% in November compared with a year earlier. It noted that core consumer price inflation, excluding volatile food and energy prices, was steady at 0.5% from a year earlier. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index gained 1% to 26,743.52, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 1.2% to 26,609.17.