BUSINESS DIGEST ||

MVYP reunion

CANFIELD

The Mahoning Valley Young Professionals will have a reunion mixer at Whitefire Grille, 6580 Ironwood Blvd., from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday.

All former 25 Under 35 Honorees, MVYP’s and nominators are invited to attend the reunion mixer to reconnect, network and celebrate the 25 Under 35 Honorees for 2017-18.

Members get in free, and the nonmember fee is $10. The event will feature heavy appetizers, networking and a cash bar.

Artworks donation

CORTLAND

The office of Allstate agent Jason Durica has donated $1,000 to a local nonprofit art organization called Community Artworks.

The donation supports the organization’s most recent art show, the Community Artworks annual exhibit. Community Artworks has the goal of promoting local artists, specifically local adult artists, to raise awareness of the value of art in the community.

Ribbon-cutting

COLUMBIANA

The Columbiana Area Chamber of Commerce recently had a red-ribbon- cutting ceremony at The Bastion Group, 103 Columbiana Plaza.

The Bastion Group works with clients to develop a strategic financial plan to meet their life goals.

J.C. Penney is the bright spot for retail this week

NEW YORK

J.C. Penney delivered some encouraging news: It reported a solid rise in sales at established stores Friday, reversing four-straight quarters of declines. It also posted a smaller-than-expected loss for the third quarter, all news that sent its shares soaring.

The news stanched, at least for a moment, an extended selloff in company shares, which accelerated last month when the Plano, Texas-based chain warned that it would be forced to liquidate poor-selling merchandise. Shares, which have tumbled 67 percent this year, had touched an all-time low.

Penney’s performance was a bright spot in a mixed bag of results from department stores, which released their reports this week. Yet more challenges lie ahead with the critical holiday- shopping season.

US stocks on 2-day losing streak as health stocks fall

NEW YORK

Stocks fell for the second day in a row Friday, which hadn’t happened in a month, as Amazon put a scare into yet another industry: medical-device and health care equipment companies.

Those companies slumped after an analyst for Citi Investment Research said Amazon might be on the verge of shaking up their industry by speeding up distribution and cutting prices.

One factor in those losses was uncertainty over the Republican plan to cut taxes. Stocks dipped Thursday after Senate Republicans proposed leaving corporate tax rates alone in 2018 before cutting them in 2019. That surprised investors, who pulled stocks down slightly from their recent record highs.

Staff/wire reports

Selected local stocks

STOCK, DIVIDENDCLOSECHANGE

Alcoa Inc., .1242.99-0.34

Aqua America, .71 35.97-0.20

Avalon Holdings,1.960.02

Chemical Bank, .2751.710.30Community Health Sys. 4.36 -0.14

Cortland Bancorp, .2818.850.08

Farmers Nat., .1613.650.05

First Energy, 1.44 33.880.28

Fifth/Third, .5227.67-0.34

FirstMerit Corp.,--

First Niles Financial, .1211.000.00

FNB Corp., .4812.910.01

General Motors, 1.5242.670.56

General Electric, .9220.510.52

Huntington Bank, .28 13.14-0.07

iHeartMedia Inc.,0.810.26

JP Morgan Chase, 1.9297.50-0.13

Key Corp, .3417.64-0.21

LaFarge, .34--

Macy’s, 1.51 19.980.48

Parker Hannifin, 2.52 182.26-0.08

PNC, 2.20132.45-0.10

Simon Prop. Grp., 6.60163.732.47

Stoneridge 21.570.07

United Comm. Fin., .12 8.99-0.03

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