The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

Researchers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, (UPV) have designed a new seismic isolator that improves the way buildings respond to earthquakes. The key to the Sisbrick, as the invention is known, lies in the way different materials have been combined to achieve two main effects: it is able to absorb horizontal seismic movements, while also supporting vertical loads (for …

Dallas, Texas—James Harden scored 25 points after another rough shooting start against Dallas as the Houston Rockets beat the Mavericks, 100-96, on Friday (Saturday in Manila).

By John Leicester / The Associated Press Monaco—Sebastian Coe won Olympic gold and silver medals for running very fast in circles. Now, as the chief administrator of his sport, he’s proving to be skilled in the art of U-turns, too. 

Los Angeles—Automakers debuted key models at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show. 

Review by Ann M. Job / The Associated Press The Ford Escape gets better for 2016 with a new, easy-to-operate version of its Sync onboard communications and control system that’s quicker to respond and more user-friendly. 

By Jake Coyle / The Associated Press New York—Michael Caine sits down for lunch at the St. Regis Hotel in midtown New York, clutching a copy of the day’s Daily News, given to him by the hotel doorman, who has earmarked a photo of Caine and his Youth co-star Jane Fonda. 

Los Angeles—If the teasers, trailers and hints haven’t sated your appetite for all things Star Wars in advance of the latest entry in the franchise, then it’s time to tap into the force of fan films. 

By Bree Fowler / The Associated Press New York—Online fraud spikes during the holiday shopping season, as people searching for the perfect gifts take to cyberspace and head to traditional stores armed with their smartphones. 

By Jesse J. Holland / The Associated Press Neil Gaiman is one of the world’s beloved writers and could probably work on any project he wants. And what he wanted to do is go back to his roots in the comic-book world.

By Luis Leoncio The 6-percent economic growth in the third quarter that the gov­ernment trumpeted as “among the fastest in Asia” failed to impress the market, which was, in fact, disappoint­ed by the lower-than-expected figure.