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By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are drifting higher on Wednesday as Wall Street waits to hear where the Federal Reserve may be taking interest rates.

The S&P 500 was up 0.4% in midday trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 198 points, or 0.5%, as of 11:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.5% higher.

Some of the strongest moves were again in the oil market, where crude prices swung with hopes that Israel’s fighting with Iran could cool. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran has reached out to him and that it’s not “too late” for Iran to give up its nuclear program, though he also declined to say whether the U.S. military would strike the country.

“I may do it. I may not do it,” he said. “I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.”

After topping $74 during the morning, the price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. oil dropped to $71.93, down 1.8% from the day before. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 1.9% to $74.96 per barrel. read more

By MOLLY QUELL

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch government advised parents on Tuesday not to have children under 15 use social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, citing psychological and physical problems among children using them, including panic attacks, depression and difficulties sleeping.

The Ministry of Health also encouraged parents to limit how long their children spend using electronic devices, keep phones and laptops out of bedrooms, and have 20 minutes of screentime followed by two hours of outside play.

The advisory “gives children the time to further develop digital resilience and media literacy,” Vincent Karremans, caretaker deputy minister for youth and sport, said in a letter to parliament. Karremans is one of several ministers who remained on after the Dutch government collapsed earlier this month pending October elections.

Both TikTok and Instagram require users to be at least 13 years of age.

The guidelines, which are not legally binding, distinguish between “social media” sites like TikTok and Instagram and “social interaction platforms” such as messaging services WhatsApp and Signal. The social media sites have “significantly more additive design features” that have a negative impact on children, the government said. read more

By JENNIFER PELTZ

NEW YORK (AP) — Elon Musk ’s X sued Tuesday to try to stop New York from requiring reports on how social media platforms handle problematic posts — a regulatory approach that the company successfully challenged in California.

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New York’s law, which Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul signed late last year, is poised to take effect later this year. X maintains that the measure impinges on free speech rights and on a 1996 federal law that, among other things, lets internet platforms moderate posts as they see fit. read more

Amy Arnott of Morningstar

Amid this year’s market turmoil, I’ve heard investors wonder if they should hit pause on 401(k) contributions until things settle down.

Related Articles

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  Dutch government recommends children under 15 stay off TikTok and Instagram

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  Musk’s X sues New York over requirement to show how social media platforms handle problematic posts

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  Zillow says it’s fighting for buyers. Compass says it’s fighting for sellers. What if neither is fighting for you?

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  NAACP, environmental group notify Elon Musk’s xAI company of intent to sue over facility pollution

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  First look: ‘Hydro Surge’ stage show at SeaWorld Orlando

Though this approach sounds tempting, it’s better to stick with your investment strategy instead of waiting for conditions to improve.

Running the numbers

To test how a “wait and see” approach would have fared compared with continuing to invest, I looked at four different market downturns of the 21st century.

In each case, I looked at results under two different scenarios: an investor who started saving $500 per month and continued to do so throughout downturns, and another investor who stopped saving until the market started to improve. I assumed all contributions were invested in stocks. (In the first four cases below, I assumed that contributions were only paused during the bear market in question and then resumed for all the periods that followed.) read more