BUSINESS DIGEST || Covelli Centre to host job fair

Covelli Centre to host job fair

YOUNGSTOWN

Covelli Centre will have a job fair from 5 to 7 p.m. next Wednesday in the Youngstown State University Community Room at the center, 229 E. Front St. in downtown Youngstown.

The center is hiring for part-time positions in security, ushers, ticket takers and more. Attendees are asked to bring a resume and prepare for an interview.

Toys expected to have strong year

NEW YORK

Toys are staging a comeback.

The U.S. toy industry is expected to have its strongest year in at least a decade after several years of kids choosing video games and mobile apps over Barbie and stuffed bears.

Annual toy sales are projected to rise 6.2 percent to $19.9 billion in 2015, according to The NPD Group Inc., a market research firm that tracks about 80 percent of the U.S. toy market. That’s up from a 4 percent increase last year, and the biggest increase in at least 10 years since the group has tracked toys using its current system.

The increase factors in brisk sales during the final quarter of this year, when sales are expected to be up 5 percent to $9.6 billion, a stronger pace than last year’s 3.6 percent gain.

Chipotle reopening restaurants after E. coli outbreak

SEATTLE

Chipotle said Tuesday that it is reopening the 43 Pacific Northwest restaurants it closed amid an E. coli outbreak after tests at the Mexican food chain came back negative for the bacteria.

Health officials have not found a cause of the outbreak that started last month, but concluded there is no ongoing risk of contracting the illness that has sickened about 40 people.

Chipotle will reopen the restaurants in Washington state and Oregon in the coming days after giving them a deep cleaning and ordering a fresh supply of ingredients, the company said. It also said it is testing the new food prior to restocking and is instituting additional safety procedures and audits in all of its 2,000 restaurants to ensure robust food safety standards.

Stocks break 4-day slump

NEW YORK

Stocks reversed course and moved mostly higher Tuesday, breaking a four-day losing streak.

The gainers included retailers and media companies. Strong quarterly results from D.R. Horton boosted shares of homebuilders.

Health care stocks including drug companies also made gains, while Apple dragged down the technology sector. Analysts at Credit Suisse said a slowdown in the company’s orders for components suggests demand for the new iPhone 6 is weak.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 27.73 points, or 0.2 percent, to 17,758.21. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index added 3.14 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,081.72. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite gave up 12.06 points, or 0.2 percent, to 5,083.24.

Staff/wire reports

Selected local stocks

STOCK, DIVIDENDCLOSECHANGE

Alcoa Inc., .128.35-0.26

Aqua America, .71 28.820.49

Avalon Holdings,1.890.02

Cortland Bancorp, .2415.450.05

Farmers Nat., .128.330.08

First Energy, 1.44 29.480.36

Fifth/Third, .5220.630.22

FirstMerit Corp., .6820.400.02

First Niles Financial, .208.500.00

FNB Corp., .4814.430.04

General Motors, 1.4435.62-0.05General Electric, .9230.120.37

Huntington Bank, .24 11.610.04

iHeartMedia Inc.,1.500.15

JP Morgan Chase, 1.7667.680.29

Key Corp, .3013.220.05

LaFarge, .3416.750.30

Macy’s, 1.44 47.020.78

Parker Hannifin, 2.52 102.20-0.40PNC, 2.0495.300.67Simon Prop. Grp., 6.20194.462.95Stoneridge 13.55-0.05

Talmer Bank, .04 17.860.04

United Comm. Fin., .10 5.820.16

Selected prices from Tuesday’s 4 p.m. close.