Oil prices are rising as the war with Iran threatens to drag on, but U.S. stocks are nevertheless hanging near their records. The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil climbed 2.9% to top $104 Monday after President Donald Trump called Iran’s latest proposal to end their war totally unacceptable. The rejection keeps the two sides in an uneasy limbo, one that has already driven the price of Brent up from roughly $70 per barrel before the war. But the S&P 500 added 0.1% to its record set Friday. The Dow rose 14 points, and the Nasdaq composite was virtually unchanged.

NEW YORK (AP) — Costs are piling up for businesses during the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran — and many economists see a bleak outlook, wi…

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes were essentially flat in April, another lackluster showing for the housing market during what’s tradit…

Tariqul Islam, a ride-share driver in Bangladesh, faces long fuel lines due to supply disruptions linked to the war in Iran. This has sharply cut his income, making it hard to survive in Dhaka. Bangladesh, heavily reliant on imported fuel, is grappling with an energy crisis affecting daily life and economic growth. Governments across Asia face similar challenges as rising energy prices lead to inflation and higher operating costs. The World Bank warns of slower growth and increased inflation in Bangladesh. The garment industry, a key economic sector, is also struggling with rising costs and slowing exports.

A referendum on Oregon's primary ballot seeking to repeal a Democratic gas tax increase is complicating the affordability message  central to the party's midterm election strategy. The Democratic-controlled Legislature raised the state gas tax and other fees last fall as a way to pay for roads and plug a hole in the state’s transportation budget. Republicans responded with a petition to repeal the increases. That's leading to a referendum that will land before voters just as the Iran war is causing the price of gas to skyrocket around the country. Republicans say the tax increase will further fuel the high cost of living.

U.S. stocks rose to records following the latest sign that the nation’s job market is doing better than economists expected. The S&P 500 climbed 0.8% Friday to an all-time high after a report said employers added more jobs last month than expected, even though the war with Iran is raising fuel costs and uncertainty. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up less than 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 1.7% to its own record. Monster Beverage and Akamai Technologies helped lead the market after reporting better profits for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Oil prices climbed on uncertainty about the war with Iran.

America’s employers delivered a surprising 115,000 new jobs last month despite an economic shock from the Iran war. Hiring was better than the 65,000 that economists had expected, though it decelerated from the 185,000 jobs created in March. The unemployment rate remained at a low 4.3%. The war has caused the biggest disruption of global oil supplies in history and sent average U.S. gasoline prices surging past $4.50 a gallon this week. But the conflict hasn’t done much damage to the American job market so far.