NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are slightly lower after an hour of trading on Wall Street, as investors focus on the latest earnings reports for the third quarter. Bank of America rose 2 percent after its results beat analysts’ estimates. Chipmaker Intel fell 4 percent after reporting earnings and revenue that fell slightly.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans are spending more on cars, clothes and dining out, but less on gasoline. As a result, the Commerce Department says retail sales rose just 0.1 percent last month. Auto purchases shot up 1.8 percent, while spending at gasoline stations plunged 3.2 percent because of lower prices. Spending at restaurants rose 0.7 percent, while spending at clothing stores gained 0.9 percent. Over the past 12 months, sales have climbed 2.4 percent largely due to demand for cars and meals outside the home.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Prices fell for manufacturers, farmers and other producers in September, as lower energy costs have limited broader inflation. The Labor Department says the producer price index, which measures price changes before they reach the consumer, dropped 0.5 percent last month. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices tumbled 0.3 percent in September. The meager inflation creates an obstacle for the Federal Reserve’s plans to raise interest rates.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Commerce Department says U.S. businesses kept their stockpiles unchanged and registered lower sales in August. Business inventories were flat from July. Sales slid 0.6 percent, the biggest drop since a 2.3 percent fall in January. The reluctance to build inventory could prove to be a drag on economic growth in the July-to-September quarter.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Volkswagen has disclosed to U.S. regulators that there is additional suspect software in its 2016 diesel models that would potentially help their exhaust systems run cleaner during government tests. Volkswagen tells The Associated Press that the “auxiliary emissions control device” at issue operates differently from the “defeat” device software included in the company’s 2009 to 2015 models disclosed last month. That disclosure triggered the worldwide cheating scandal engulfing the world’s largest automaker.

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