Closing Bell
U.S. equities on the S&P 500 sold off into Friday's close after spending the majority of the day in positive territory, joining the Nasdaq in the red for the day.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.26%, or 69 points to 26,726, while the S&P 500 fell 0.05%, or 2 points to 2,929, and the Nasdaq fell 0.51%, or 41 points to 7,987.
Hurricane Florence May Have Caused a Duke Energy Dam Breach in North Carolina
One day after Duke Energy Corp. (DUK) activated a high-level emergency alert at a retired coal-fired power plant because of rising floodwaters from Hurricane Florence possibly breaching a dam nearby, the company said the dam has, in fact, been breached and coal ash could be flowing into nearby Cape Fear River.
Duke Energy has shut down the 625-megawatt natural gas plant at the site.
North Carolina's Department of Energy Mineral and Land Resources didn't return a request for comment on the situation.
Floodwaters overtook an earthen dike on the north side of Sutton Lake, which is a 1,100-acre reservoir at the L.V. Sutton Power Station. Floodwaters also breached a steel retaining wall that contains one of three large coal ash dumps that are on the banks of the lakeshore.
The current situation is different from another rupture at a nearby coal ash landfill reported at the site last weekend. That breach spilled enough coal ash to fill 180 dump trucks.
Hackers Stole $59 Million in Crypto From Japanese Exchange
On September 14, hackers breached Japanese cyrptocurrency exchange Zaif and stole an estimated $59 million in digital currency.
The company discovered the breach on September 17 and realized that they had been hacked the next day. Zaif lost 5,966 bitcoins, as well as some monacoin and bitcoin cash.
This week's theft highlights the vulnerability of crypto exchanges even as the currencies themselves remain tough to manipulate.
In 2014, Japan's Mt. Gox exchange declared bankruptcy after losing $473 million in a theft.
Google Is Still Allowing Apps to Scan Your Gmail Account
Google (GOOGL) sent a letter to congress admitting that it continues to allow other companies to scan users' emails even after the company itself stopped doing so.
Google originally scanned emails for ad targeting purposes, but it stopped the practice last year after years of criticism for the practice. However, the company's letter to lawmakers makes it clear that Gmail accounts are still subject to being scanned.
While the company admitted to the practice, it also said that the relevant privacy policy is "easily accessible to users to review before deciding whether to grant access."
Walmart Isn't On Board With Trump's Tariffs
Walmart (WMT) sees higher prices on the horizon if the Trump administration continues its trade war with China and Europe, according to a letter sent two weeks ago to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer that was reviewed by Reuters.
Everything from food products to beverages and personal care items could see markups, according tot eh letter.
Just this week Trump announced 10% tariffs on another $200 billion in Chinese imports.
Premarket
U.S. futures are barely moving premarket Friday as investors continue to digest the possibility of a new round of tariffs in Trump's trade ware.
Dow futures are gaining 0.06%, indicating an open 15 points higher, while S&P futures indicate an open 1 point lower and Nasdaq futures indicate an open 3 points lower.
In Asia, the Hang Seng rose 1.73%, the Shanghai Composite jumped 2.5% and the Nikkei gained 0.82%.
In Europe, the FTSE 100, DAX, and CAC 40 40 gained 0.85%, 0.43% and 0.63% respectively with about four hours left in trading.
