US consumer sentiment unexpectedly improved to the highest in six months, largely propelled by wealthier Americans who have benefited from stock-market gains.

Molina Healthcare Inc.’s shares plunged after the health insurer forecast 2026 profit that was less than half of Wall Street’s expectations, on higher medical costs and insufficient government repayments.

Cambridge Health Alliance signed a $595,000 class settlement with former workers who accused the Massachusetts-based teaching hospital of failing to rein in excessive fees in their retirement plan.

Ricoh USA Inc. agreed to pay $1.75 million to resolve a pair of lawsuits challenging how the office equipment maker managed its employees’ 401(k) plan.

Sharp increases in monthly health care bills hit the wallets of more than 20 million Americans this month. Priced out of their regular coverage, some of them are forgoing insurance entirely, or taking drastic steps to get the care they need.

President Donald Trump has assumed essentially unlimited discretion to choose how many government employees lose their job security, under a rule that critics say threatens to upend the nonpartisan professional nature of the federal civilian workforce that has existed since the 1880s.