BUSINESS DIGEST ||

AT&T investment in area networks

YOUNGSTOWN

AT&T invested more than $40 million in the Youngstown wireless and wired networks during 2014-2016. These investments enhance reliability, coverage, speed and overall performance for residents and businesses, the company said. It also improves critical services that support public safety and first-responders.

In 2016, AT&T made more than 210 wireless network upgrades in Mahoning and surrounding counties. The completed improvements include adding greater capacity and speeds to cell towers within the area.

ReStore box truck dedication at MVR

YOUNGSTOWN

Habitat for Humanity of Mahoning Valley will have a dedication for its new ReStore box truck at 10 a.m. today in the MVR parking lots in downtown Youngstown.

The truck was made a reality by grants and support from The Youngstown Foundation, Huntington National Bank, Cerni Motors and RL Smith Graphics.

The truck allows Habitat ReStores to keep serving the community by weekly pick-ups of donated materials for the stores in Struthers and Salem. Habitat ReStores are similar to thrift stores. All merchandise is donated then sold at a discount to the public.

China auto sales shrink in April

HONG KONG

China’s auto sales shrank in April as demand for most types of vehicles wilted, an industry group said Thursday.

The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said 1.7 million passenger cars were sold in China last month, down 3.7 percent from the same period a year ago.

That’s down from 1.7 percent sales growth in March.

Total vehicle sales, including buses and trucks, fell 2.2 percent from a year earlier to 2.1 million.

Average US 30-year mortgage rate ticks up to 4.05 percent

WASHINGTON

Long-term U.S. mortgage rates inched higher this week. The benchmark 30-year rate remained above the key threshold of 4 percent.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate on 30-year fixed-rate home loans rose to 4.05 percent from 4.02 percent last week. The rate stood at 3.57 percent a year ago and averaged 3.65 percent in 2016, the lowest level in records dating to 1971.

The rate on 15-year mortgages ticked up to 3.29 percent last week from 3.27 percent.

To calculate average mortgage rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country between Monday and Wednesday each week. The average doesn’t include extra fees, known as points, which most borrowers must pay to get the lowest rates. One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount.

Selected local stocks

STOCK, DIVIDENDCLOSECHANGE

Alcoa Inc., .1231.140.06

Aqua America, .71 31.660.00

Avalon Holdings,2.550.04

Chemical Bank, .2747.43-1.34Community Health Sys. 10.15 -0.05

Cortland Bancorp, .2818.700.00

Farmers Nat., .1614.35-0.20

First Energy, 1.44 28.81-0.04

Fifth/Third, .5224.44-0.19

FirstMerit Corp.,--

First Niles Financial, .1210.500.00

FNB Corp., .4814.24-0.35

General Motors, 1.5234.12-0.11

General Electric, .9228.880.18

Huntington Bank, .28 12.79-0.11

iHeartMedia Inc.,2.050.05

JP Morgan Chase, 1.9287.16-0.27

Key Corp, .3418.25-0.25

LaFarge, .34--

Macy’s, 1.51 24.35-4.99

Parker Hannifin, 2.52 159.05-0.12

PNC, 2.20121.71-0.74

Simon Prop. Grp., 6.60161.78-3.87

Stoneridge 17.65-0.34

United Comm. Fin., .12 8.25-0.13

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