Business Update for 11/22/13

Business news for Friday, November 22.

NEW YORK (AP) — Health care stocks have been leading the market's gains today. Shares of the biotechnology company BioGen surged on reports that it's won market exclusivity in Europe for its top-selling multiple sclerosis drug. After closing above 16,000 for the first time Thursday, the Dow was up about 35 points in afternoon trading. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 is again flirting with 1,800 level, up about 7 points. And the Nasdaq has been up about 20 points.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Labor Department's breakdown of October's employment data suggests the job market is improving in most regions of the country. Unemployment fell in 28 states last month, while employers added jobs in 34 states. The biggest gains were in Florida, California and North Carolina. On the other side of the equation, Kentucky, Washington state, and New Jersey lost the most jobs.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration says people will have another eight days to sign up for health care insurance at Healthcare.gov and still get coverage by Jan. 1 People will have until Dec. 23 to enroll. The extra time could prevent people from having a break in coverage because of the federal government's balky enrollment website.

DALLAS (AP) — Leaders of the congressional transportation committees are calling on the Justice Department to allow all U.S. airlines, not just low-fare carriers, to bid on gates and landing rights being given up by American Airlines and US Airways as a condition of their merger. In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, the lawmakers say low-cost carriers often don't serve smaller towns, so the divestitures won't help those consumers.

HOUSTON (AP) — The owner of the Houston Astros says baseball isn't as lucrative as it's made out to be, at least in his market. Jim Crane has filed a lawsuit against former Astros owner Drayton McLane Jr., Comcast Corp. and NBC Universal, alleging they misrepresented the value of a regional television network that broadcasts the team's games and fraudulently boosted the $615 million price he paid for the team.

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are up after a rough start today. The Dow Jones industrial average is up 1 point, at 16,010. The S&P 500 rose 2 points at 1,798. And the Nasdaq composite gained 13 points, at 3,982.WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. job openings and overall hiring both rose to five-year highs in September, signaling improvement in the job market. The Labor Department says job postings rose 69,000 to a seasonally adjusted 3.9 million. That's the most since March 2008, just a few months after the Great Recession began. Total hiring rose 26,000 to 4.6 million, the highest level since August 2008.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is pushing its economic agenda as it tries to give Democrats something to talk about other than the troubled health care rollout. Vice President Joe Biden and Cabinet members are being deployed across the country to draw attention to improvements in the still sluggish economic recovery and detail the costs of last month's partial government shutdown. Next Tuesday, President Barack Obama will talk economy during a visit to the DreamWorks film studios in Glendale, Calif.

DETROIT (AP) — A former director of Washington, D.C.'s Financial Control Board is now in charge of running Detroit's finances. John Hill took over yesterday as chief financial officer of a city that's estimated to have an accumulated long-term debt of $18 billion. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder had appointed emergency manager Kevyn Orr to run the city in place of its elected officials because of its financial problems. And Orr has been seeking federal court approval to take Detroit under bankruptcy protection.

UNDATED (AP) — Taylor Swift and Bon Jovi top the list of concert performers who bring in the most money per city. The concert trade publication Pollstar says Taylor Swift brings in an average of more than $1,818,500 per city, with an average North American ticket price of $81.53. Bon Jovi brings in almost $1,518,980 per city, with a ticket price of $93.32 in North America.