St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • A11

03.11.2020 Wednesday 1 sT. LOUIs POsT-dIsPaTCH A11 MARKET WATCH Argentina .0160 .0160 Australia .6488 .6600 Brazil .2153 .2108 Britain 1.2913 1.3111 Canada .7279 .7335 China .1437 .1440 Euro 1.1292 1.1458 India .0136 .0134 Israel .2825 .2838 Japan .009511 .009796 Mexico .048045 .047270 Russia .0139 .0133 So. Africa .0627 .0618 So. Korea .000841 .000833 Switzerland 1.0653 1.0822 FOREIGN CURRENCY IN DOLLARS Gold 1659.10 Silver 16.91 Platinum 869.40 DATE CLOSE CHGCHICAGO BOT NEW YORK Chicago BOT is in cents. CLOSE CHGNEW YORK ExchangeRatesFutures PreciousMetals Corn Mar 20 380 Soybeans Mar 20 873 Wheat Mar 20 526.75 DATE CLOSE CHG Crude oil Apr 20 34.36 Gas blend Apr 20 1.1571 Heating oil Apr 20 124.99 Natural gas Apr 20 1.936 DATE CLOSE CHGCHICAGO MERC Feeder cattle Mar 20 127.75 Live cattle Apr 20 105.45 Hogs Apr 20 65.00 Milk Mar 20 16.33 Copper Mar 20 255.65 PREVCLOSE TRACK YOUR STOCKS AND GET THE LATEST NEWS STLTODAY.COM/BUSINESS 2,600 2,800 3,000 3,200 3,400 MO 2,720 2,960 3,200 500 Close: 2,882.23 Change: 135.67 (4.9%) 10 DAYS 22,000 24,000 26,000 28,000 30,000 MO 23,680 25,620 27,560 Dow Jones industrials Close: 25,018.16 Change: 1,167.14 (4.9%) 10 DAYS Advanced 2096 Declined 599 New Highs 13 New Lows 646 Vol.

(in mil.) 7,484 Pvs. Volume 8,226 4,255 4,376 2076 966 16 665 NYSE NASD DOW 25020.99 23690.34 25018.16 DOW Trans. 8521.39 8069.45 8520.84 DOW Util. 875.78 820.82 860.03 NYSE Comp. 11794.00 11246.52 11793.27 NASDAQ 8347.40 7930.43 8344.25 500 2882.59 2734.00 2882.23 400 1696.67 1609.83 1696.67 Wilshire 5000 29088.23 27600.94 29088.03 Russell 2000 1351.48 1288.93 1350.90 HIGH LOW CLOSE CHG.

WK MO QTR YTDStocksRecap The online personal shopping ser- vice slashed its 2020 financial fore- casts. The avocado fiscal first-quarter profit fell far short of an- forecasts as it faced flat pric- es and rising costs. The sporting goods retailer beat Wall fourth-quarter profit and revenue forecasts. A surge in oil energy companies rebound from a sharp fall a day earlier. The sale to Infineon Technologies cleared a regulatory The ski resort operator reported dis- appointing second-quarter profit abandoned its 2020 financial tar- gets.

SOURCE: FIS AP Stocks on Tuesday recouped a portion of their historic losses from a day earlier after Presi- dent Donald Trump pitched ideas for countering the coro- economic impact to Senate Republicans. 150 200 250 $300 MJ Vail Resorts MTN Close: $177.90 or $170.64 $255.37 Mkt. Cap: 1.9m (5.3x avg.) $7.2 52-week range PE: Yield: 4.0% 15 20 $25 MJ Cypress Semiconductor CY Close: $22.75 7.47 or 48.9% $14.57 $23.55 Mkt. Cap: 50.8m (7.3x avg.) $8.5 52-week range Yield: 1.9% 0 20 40 $60 MJ Occidental Petroleum OXY Close: $14.34 1.83 or 14.6% $12.04 $68.83 Mkt. Cap: 110.3m (8.2x avg.) $12.8 52-week range Yield: 22.0% 30 40 $50 MJ Sporting Goods DKS Close: $35.87 1.39 or 4.0% $31.27 $49.80 Mkt.

Cap: 7.3m (4.5x avg.) $2.3 52-week range PE: Yield: 3.1% 40 60 80 $100 MJ Calavo Growers CVGW Close: $52.64 or $49.52 $100.58 Mkt. Cap: 861.9k (3.7x avg.) $926.2 52-week range PE: Yield: 2.1% 10 20 $30 MJ Stitch Fix SFIX Close: $15.86 or $14.28 $37.72 Mkt. Cap: 18.4m (8.8x avg.) $877.7 52-week range PE: Yield: 24.4 PE: 219.2 PE: 10.7 29.7 64.9 Inc 30.05 39.70 35.85 16 2.08f Aegion Corp AEGN 14.12 23.65 16.36 22 Allied Hlthcre Prod AHPI 0.92 45.00 10.18 dd Amdocs DOX 52.90 77.29 64.51 18 1.14 Ameren Corp AEE 70.27 87.66 x82.59 29 1.98 ABInBev BUD 47.87 102.70 51.13 13 3.19e Arch Coal ARCH 35.06 101.92 37.21 3 2.00f Avadel Pharma AVDL 1.03 10.75 8.57 dd Bank of America BAC 21.51 35.72 23.61 8 0.72 Belden Inc BDC 38.29 62.28 39.93 10 0.20 BellRing Brands BRBR 15.15 24.03 16.62 dd Boeing BA 224.37 398.66 231.01 22 8.22 Build-A-Bear Wkshp BBW 2.31 6.29 3.04 dd Bunge Ltd BG 42.19 59.65 43.34 19 2.00 Caleres Inc. CAL 8.42 28.50 9.33 4 0.28 Cass Info. Systems CASS 37.51 60.97 39.74 12 1.08 Centene Corp.

CNC 41.63 68.64 60.37 17 Charter CHTR 336.04 546.54 476.76 95 Cigna CI 141.95 224.64 197.77 19 0.04 Citigroup 51.00 83.11 55.58 8 2.04 Commerce Banc. CBSH 51.68 71.92 56.47 15 1.08f Edgewell EPC 25.43 45.12 32.90 17 Emerson EMR 50.33 78.38 53.86 15 2.00 Energizer Holdings ENR 32.54 53.84 45.27 30 1.20 Enterprise Financial EFSC 29.91 48.81 32.13 10 0.72f Esco Technologies ESE 65.69 107.10 87.92 24 0.32 FutureFuel FF 9.07 17.36 9.58 12 0.24a General Motors GM 24.15 41.90 27.12 dd 1.52 Home Depot HD 182.33 247.12 225.70 23 6.00f Huttig Building Prod HBP 1.06 3.29 .93 dd Lee Enterprises LEE 1.18 3.65 1.16 Lowes LOW 91.60 126.73 104.02 23 2.20 Mallinckrodt plc MNK 1.43 24.12 2.19 MasterCard MA 227.84 347.25 280.57 65 1.60 MCD 182.32 221.93 199.86 30 5.00 Olin OLN 10.93 25.35 11.97 3 0.80 Peabody Energy BTU 3.62 30.54 3.78 0.58 Perficient PRFT 26.97 53.76 40.89 50 Post Holdings POST 91.92 113.73 94.53 10 Reinsurance Gp RGA 98.56 169.26 103.85 9 2.40 Reliv RELV 3.22 7.75 3.54 dd Spire Inc SR 73.82 88.00 x77.00 17 2.49f Stereotaxis, Inc. STXS 2.99 5.82 4.65 Stifel Financial SF 42.39 69.10 45.19 14 0.68f Target Corp. TGT 70.03 130.24 108.33 18 2.64 UPS UPS 87.10 125.31 92.82 16 4.04f US Bancorp USB 35.88 61.11 38.64 9 1.68 US Steel 5.85 20.54 6.62 4 0.04m Verizon VZ 52.18 62.22 56.52 15 2.46 WalMart WMT 96.53 125.38 119.79 69 2.16f Walgreen Boots WBA 44.61 64.50 49.16 9 1.83f Wells Fargo WFC 32.22 54.75 35.08 8 2.04 52-WK NAME TKR LO HI CLOSE CHG CHG RTN DIV 52-WK NAME TKR LO HI CLOSE CHG CHG RTN DIV Stocks of Local Interest Dividend Footnotes: a Extra dividends were paid, but are not included. Annual rate plus stock.

Liquidating dividend. Amount declared or paid in last 12 months. Current annual rate, which was increased by most recent dividend announcement. i Sum of dividends paid after stock split, no regular rate. Sum of dividends paid this year.

Most recent dividend was omitted or deferred. Declared or paid this year, a cumulative issue with dividends in arrears. Current annual rate, which was decreased by most recent dividend announcement. Initial dividend, annual rate not known, yield not shown. Declared or paid in preceding 12 months plus stock dividend.

Paid in stock, ppr ximate cash value on ex-distribution date. PE Footnotes: Stock is a closed-end fund no ratio shown. cc exceeds 99. dd Loss in last 12 months. Other: ex-dividend.

NET 1YR TREASURIES LAST CHG AGO 4.25 5.25 5.50 1.13 2.38 2.38 PRIME RATE FED FUNDS YEST 6 MO AGO 1 YR AGO 3-month T-bill .44 2.38 6-month T-bill .43 2.50 52-wk T-bill .41 2.52 2-year T-note .47 2.46 5-year T-note .61 2.46 7-year T-note .72 2.53 10-year T-note .75 2.64 30-year T-bond 1.23 3.03 1YR BONDS LAST CHG AGO Barclays Glob Agg Bd .87 1.91 Barclays USAggregate 1.32 3.14 Barclays US High Yield 6.10 6.74 Moodys AAA Corp Idx 2.42 3.82 Barclays US Corp 2.33 3.86 10-Yr. TIPS .69 Interestrates The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 0.75% on Tuesday. Yields affect rates on mortgages and other consumer loans. I terestrates 500 2882.23 Frankfurt DAX 10475.49 London FTSE 100 5960.23 Hong Kong Hang Seng 25392.51 Paris CAC-40 4636.61 Mexico City Bolsa 39565.44 Tokyo Nikkei 225 19867.12 Sao Paolo Bovespa 92214.50 Toronto 14958.09 Zurich 9195.93 GlobalMarkets INDEX LAST CHG CHG YTD Charts show stocks that made the news yesterday. Tuesday, March 10, 2020 2,600 2,800 3,000 3,200 3,400 MO 2,720 2,960 3,200 500 Close: 2,882.23 Change: 135.67 (4.9%) 10 DAYS 22,000 24,000 26,000 28,000 30,000 MO 23,680 25,620 27,560 Dow Jones industrials Close: 25,018.16 Change: 1,167.14 (4.9%) 10 DAYS DATE CLOSE CHGICE Cotton May 20 61.41 Coffee Mar 20 114.25 Sugar May 20 27.30 The online personal shopping ser- vice slashed its 2020 financial fore- casts.

The avocado fiscal first-quarter profit fell far short of an- forecasts as it faced flat pric- es and rising costs. The sporting goods retailer beat Wall fourth-quarter profit and revenue forecasts. A surge in oil energy companies rebound from a sharp fall a day earlier. The sale to Infineon Technologies cleared a regulatory The ski resort operator reported dis- appointing second-quarter profit abandoned its 2020 financial tar- gets. SOURCE: FIS AP Stocks on Tuesday recouped a portion of their historic losses from a day earlier as hopes rose that the government will try to cush- ion the economic pain from the coronavirus.

Stocks turned decisively higher after President Donald Trump pitched his ideas for a break on payroll taxes and other economic relief to Sen- ate Republicans. Traders worry that the COVID-19 disease could cause a worldwide recession. 150 200 250 $300 MJ Vail Resorts MTN Close: $177.90 or $170.64 $255.37 Mkt. Cap: 1.9m (5.3x avg.) $7.2 52-week range PE: Yield: 4.0% 15 20 $25 MJ Cypress Semiconductor CY Close: $22.75 7.47 or 48.9% $14.57 $23.55 Mkt. Cap: 50.8m (7.3x avg.) $8.5 52-week range Yield: 1.9% 0 20 40 $60 MJ Occidental Petroleum OXY Close: $14.34 1.83 or 14.6% $12.04 $68.83 Mkt.

Cap: 110.3m (8.2x avg.) $12.8 52-week range Yield: 22.0% 30 40 $50 MJ Sporting Goods DKS Close: $35.87 1.39 or 4.0% $31.27 $49.80 Mkt. Cap: 7.3m (4.5x avg.) $2.3 52-week range PE: Yield: 3.1% 40 60 80 $100 MJ Calavo Growers CVGW Close: $52.64 or $49.52 $100.58 Mkt. Cap: 861.9k (3.7x avg.) $926.2 52-week range PE: Yield: 2.1% 10 20 $30 MJ Stitch Fix SFIX Close: $15.86 or $14.28 $37.72 Mkt. Cap: 18.4m (8.8x avg.) $877.7 52-week range PE: Yield: 24.4 PE: 219.2 PE: 10.7 29.7 64.9 The onli personal shopping ser- vice slashed its 2020 inancial fore- casts. The avocado comp fiscal first-quart profit fell far short of an- forecasts as it faced flat pric- es and ri ing costs.

The sp rting goods retailer beat Wall fourth-quarter profit and revenue forecasts. A surge in oil lped energy companies rebound from a sharp fall a day earlier. The sale to Infine Technologies cleared a reg latory The ski resort operator reported dis- appointing second-quarter profit abandoned its 2020 financial tar- gets. SOURCE: FIS AP Stocks on Tu sday recouped a portion of their hi toric sses from day earlier as hopes rose that the U.S. government will try to cush- ion the onomic pain from the coronavirus.

Stocks turned decisiv ly higher after President Donald Trump pitched his ideas for a break on payroll taxes and other onomic relief to Sen- ate Republicans. Traders worry that the COVID-19 disease could cause a worldwide recession. 150 200 250 $300 MJ Vail Resorts MTN Close: $177.90 4 10 or $170.64 $255.37 Mkt Cap: 1.9m (5.3x avg.) $7.2 52-w ek range PE: Yield: 4.0% 15 20 $25 MJ Cypress Semic nductor CY Close: $22. 5 7.47 or 48.9% $14.57 $23.55 Mkt Cap: 50.8m (7.3x avg.) $8.5 52-w ek range Yield: 1.9% 0 20 40 $60 MJ Occid ntal Petroleum OXY Close: 4. 4 1.83 or 14.6% $12.04 $68.83 Mkt.

Cap: 110.3m (8.2x avg.) $12.8 52-w ek range Yield: 22.0% 30 40 $50 MJ Sporting Goods DKS Close: $35.87 1.39 or 4.0% $31.27 $49.80 Mkt Cap: 7.3m (4.5x avg.) $2.3 52-w ek range PE: Yield: 3.1% 40 60 80 $100 MJ Calavo Growers CVGW Close: 2.64 5 41 or $49.52 $100.58 Mkt. Cap: 861.9k (3.7x avg.) $926.2 52-w ek range PE: Yield: 10 20 $30 MJ Stitch Fix SFIX Close: $15.86 5.35 or $14.28 $37.72 Mkt. Cap: 1 (8.8x avg.) $877.7 52-w ek range PE: Yield: 24.4 PE: 219.2 PE: 10.7 29.7 64.9 The online per nal shopping ser- vic slashed its 2020 financial fore- casts. The avocado fisca fi st-quarter pr it fell far short of an- alys forecasts as it faced flat pric- and ri ing costs. The sp rting goods ret iler beat Wall Stre h-quarter profit a revenue forecasts.

A surge oil pric energy companies reb und from a sharp fall day earlier. The sale to Infineon Technologies cleared a regulatory The ski resor op rator reported dis- appointing second-quarter profit abandoned its 2020 fin ncial tar- gets. SOURCE: FIS AP Stocks on Tu sday cou ed a rtion of their historic losses from a day rlier as hopes rose that the U.S. government will try to cush- ion the economic pain from the co onavirus. ks turned cisively higher after Pr ide Donald Trump pitche hi ide for a break on payr ll taxes and oth conomic relief to Sen- ate Republicans.

Trade worry that the COVID-19 disease ld cause a worldwide recession. 150 200 250 $300 MJ Vail Resorts MTN Close: $177.90 or $170.64 $255.37 Mkt. Cap: 1.9m (5.3x avg.) $7.2 52-week range PE: Yield: 4.0% 15 20 $25 MJ Cypr ss Semicondu tor CY Close: $22 75 7.47 or 48.9% $14.57 $23.55 Mkt. Cap: 50.8m (7.3x avg.) $8.5 52-week range Yield: 1.9% 0 20 40 $60 MJ Occiden al Petroleum OXY Close: $14 34 1.83 or 14.6% $12.04 $68.83 Mkt. Cap: 110.3m (8.2x avg.) $12.8 52-week range Yield: 22.0% 30 40 $50 MJ Sporting Goods DKS Close: $35 87 1.39 or 4.0% $31.27 $49.80 Mkt.

Cap: 7.3m (4.5x avg.) $2.3 52-week range PE: Yield: 3.1% 40 60 80 $100 MJ Calavo Growers CVGW Close: $52.6 or $49.52 $100.58 Mkt. Cap: 861.9k (3.7x avg.) $926.2 52-week range PE: Yield: 2.1% 10 20 $30 MJ St tch Fix SFIX Close: $15.86 or $14.28 $37.72 Mkt. Cap: 18.4m (8.8x avg.) $877.7 52-week range PE: Yield: 24.4 PE: 219.2 PE: 10.7 29.7 64.9 The online personal shopping ser- vice slashed its 2020 financial fore- casts. The avocado fiscal first-quarter profit fell far short of an- forecasts as it faced flat pric- es and rising costs. The sporting goods retailer beat Wall fourth-quarter profit and revenue forecasts.

A surge in oil energy companies rebound from a sharp fall a day earlier. The sale to Infineon Technologies cleared a regulatory The ski resort operator reported dis- appointing second-quarter profit abandoned its 2020 financial tar- gets. SOURCE: FIS AP Stocks on Tuesday recouped a portion of their historic losses from a day earlier as hopes rose that the U.S. government will try to cush- ion the economic pain from the coronavirus. Stocks turned decisively higher after President Donald Trump pitched his ideas for a break on payroll taxes and other economic relief to Sen- ate Republicans.

Traders worry that the COVID-19 disease could cause a worldwide recession. 150 200 250 $300 MJ Vail Resorts MTN Close: $177.90 or $170.64 $255.37 Mkt. Cap: 1.9m (5.3x avg.) $7.2 52-week range PE: Yield: 4.0% 15 20 $25 MJ Cypress Semiconductor CY Close: $22.75 7.47 or 48.9% $14.57 $23.55 Mkt. Cap: 50.8m (7.3x avg.) $8.5 52-week range Yield: 1.9% 0 20 40 $60 MJ Occidental Petroleum OXY Close: $14.34 1.83 or 14.6% $12.04 $68.83 Mkt. Cap: 110.3m (8.2x avg.) $12.8 52-week range Yield: 22.0% 30 40 $50 MJ Sporting Goods DKS Close: $35.87 1.39 or 4.0% $31.27 $49.80 Mkt.

Cap: 7.3m (4.5x avg.) $2.3 52-week range PE: Yield: 3.1% 40 60 80 $100 MJ Calavo Growers CVGW Close: $52.64 or $49.52 $100.58 Mkt. Cap: 861.9k (3.7x avg.) $926.2 52-week range PE: Yield: 2.1% 10 20 $30 MJ Stitch Fix SFIX Close: $15.86 or $14.28 $37.72 Mkt. Cap: 18.4m (8.8x avg.) $877.7 52-week range PE: Yield: 24.4 PE: 219.2 PE: 10.7 29.7 64.9 GET THE LATEST NEWS STLTOD Y.COM INE WednesdAy 03.11.2020 A11 1 BUSINESS DIGEST BY ANNIKA MERRILEES St. Louis Post-Dispatch ST. LOUIS Medical tech- nology firm Stereotaxis has sta- bilized revenues this year, and inked two new purchase agree- ments for its robotic technol- ogy systems, the company an- nounced Tuesday.

The news comes days after the company said it had received FDA clearance for a redesigned model of its magnetic technol- ogy used to treat heart arrhyth- mia. With the clearance, the company can now start com- mercializing it in the U.S. On Tuesday, Stereotaxis re- ported revenue in 2019 of $28.9 million, down from $29.3 million in 2018, plus hospital purchase orders for two of its robotic sys- tems. The company has about 125 employees, and is headquar- tered in the Cortex district. It specializes in creating technol- ogy used for cardiac ablation procedures, one of the major categories of treatment for ar- rhythmia, or irregular heartbeat.

The procedure requires navi- gating a catheter into the heart and burning certain parts of the heart muscle. Just a few years ago, Stereo- taxis was a troubled company. In 2016 it was delisted from Nasdaq and saddled with debt. A Los Angeles firm, DAFNA Capital Management, led a $24 million recapitalization that al- lowed the company to pay off debt and ramp up research and development. had a company that had been stale for many, many said Stereotaxis chairman and CEO David Fischel.

re- building, refreshing every aspect of the In September the company was approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange. The newly FDA-cleared sys- tem marks the first maj ar- chitectural change to its robot, Fischel said. The changes have reduced its size and made it more responsive to physician control. Med tech firm sees revenues stabilize BY LEAH THORSEN St. Louis Post-Dispatch CVS Pharmacy Inc.

announced on Tuesday that it is taking over the pharmacies at Schnuck Mar- kets Inc. CVS, the largest pharmacy chain, will acquire and operate 99 of the 110 pharmacies, brand them as CVS, and close the other 11. The only in-store pharmacy in the St. Louis area ex- pected to close is the one inside the Schnucks at 10233 Manches- ter Road in Kirkwood, according to a post on the website of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655, the union that repre- sents Schnucks workers. Three local Schnucks spe- cialty pharmacies also are slated to close, the post says: at 11550 Page Service Drive in Maryland Heights, at 3915 Wat- son Road in St.

Louis, and at 1520 Brentwood Boulevard in Brent- wood. Other in-store pharmacies slated to be closed rather than converted into a CVS are in northern and central Illinois; Bettendorf, Iowa; and Janesville, Wisconsin. A specialty pharmacy in Moline, Illinois, also will close. CVS Pharmacy and its subsid- iaries will acquire the prescrip- tion files from those Schnucks pharmacies and transfer them to nearby CVS Pharmacy locations, CVS said. Schnucks on Tuesday would not disclose the number of phar- macy customers it serves or how many prescriptions it fills.

The grocer said Schnucks pharmacy customers should check with their insurance pro- viders to see if CVS is in-network and to verify copays. The purchase price and other terms of the acquisition were not released. In 2015, CVS Health Corp. bought 1,672 pharmacies and clinic businesses for about $1.9 billion to operate as a store- within-a-store format. There are six CVS pharmacies in local Targets on Hampton Avenue in south St.

Louis, on Rusty Road in south St. Louis County, and in Brentwood, Kirkwood, Belleville and Fairview Heights. A year earlier, CVS became the first major retail pharmacy to remove tobacco from its shelves. Schnucks stores became to- bacco-free on Jan. 1 of this year, a decision the companies say fur- ther aligns Schnucks with CVS.

Schnucks continues to expand our emphasis on health and wellness, this collabora- tion with CVS is an opportunity for us to align with a company that has a similar Todd Schnuck, chairman and chief executive officer of Schnucks, said in a statement. also pro- vides our pharmacy teammates an opportunity to further their careers with a premier retail pharmacy CVS will post all pharmacist and pharmacy technician posi- tions and interview all Schnucks employees who apply. In-store changes will be rolled out over several months after the deal closes, which is expected to happen by the end of the second quarter. Local 655 said it represents about 700 pharmacy technicians who will be affected by the sale. Dave Cook, its president, said in a statement that his top prior- ity is protecting union jobs that provide good wages and great benefits.

He encouraged workers to re-apply for their jobs and said he had contacted CVS to request a meeting to discuss the purchase and the transition. Schnucks operates 112 stores in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Wis- consin and Iowa. CVS to buy Schnucks pharmacies Foresight declares bankruptcy: Foresight Energy, the St. Louis- based coal producer, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief Tuesday, joining its parent com- pany in efforts to restructure amid continued industry turbulence. Foresight operates a handful of coal mines in the Illinois Basin.

Murray Energy, the large Appa- lachian coal company that owns a controlling stake in Foresight, entered bankruptcy proceedings in October. The move did not di- rectly affect Foresight, although the company already faced its own financial challenges. Foresight recently missed an interest payment of $24.4 mil- lion, and Murray signaled last month that the company had plans to shut down a Foresight mine in Macoupin County in the first quarter of the year to its inability to operate profitably and ongoing issues with coal workers demand sick pay: Hourly wage workers at Mc- Corp. on Tuesday sought paid sick leave for those work- ing at its U.S. restaurants and an update to the safety protocols as coronavirus cases in the United States rise.

The burger chain has not trained or given any guidelines on the epi- demic, cooks and ca- shiers associated with labor group Fight for $15 and a union said in an emailed statement. The labor group asked the company to pay workers for any missed shifts if its restaurant shuts down due to the spread of COVID-19. hourly pay for workers varies from $7.25 to $15 based on the state. Boeing workers reject contract: The union that represents thou- sands of Boeing Co. employees said late on Monday that a four- year contract extension offer was ratified by engineers but rejected by technical workers.

Engineers in the professional unit of Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aero- space voted 3,837 to 3,658 to ap- prove the contract, according to the statement. Technical workers rejected the contract, 1,268 to 1,654. Boeing said the professional unit will be covered by the rati- fied contract that expires in 2026 and the technical unit will remain covered by the existing contract through 2022. Hawaii preps for carbon tax: Ha- waii could become the first state to enact a tax on carbon emissions, after the state Senate passed a car- bon tax bill. No dollar figure for the tax has yet been specified.

If passed by the House and signed by the governor, it would take effect in 2021, with graduated increases every three years until 2030. The tax outlined in the bill would be paid by wholesale dis- tributors of fossil fuels, but could be passed on to retailers, utilities and consumers. Revenue from the carbon tax would go into six special funds for purposes such as energy security and environmen- tal response. Saudi Arabia increases oil output to record high: Saudi state-run oil giant Saudi Aramco said Tuesday it would increase its crude oil production to 12.3 mil- lion barrels a day in April, a record amount. The move seemed to make good on the promise over the weekend to increase output after Russia refused to cooperate on cutting production.

That led to a plunge in the price of crude on Monday, the sharpest decline seen since the 1991 Gulf War. In a filing to Tadawul stock market Tuesday, Aramco said the increase in production represented a rise of 300,000 barrels per day. Analysts said that likely would involve releas- ing stored barrels as well. Russia later responded by saying it too could increase output. Saudi Aramco shares, whose trade briefly halted before an- nouncing the production deci- sion, closed up 9.88% in trading to 31.15 riyals, or $8.30, giving the most-valuable company a valuation of $1.66 trillion.

decision likely will flood global energy markets and put further pressure on prices..