DETROIT (AP) — Two organizations that influence many Americans’ automobile buying decisions will begin rating vehicles on how well they track behavior of motorists who use partially automated driver-assist systems. Consumer Reports and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety say the ratings will factor into scores for new models starting this year. Automobile buyers often…
SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) — Netflix delivered its latest quarter of disappointing subscriber growth during the final three months of last year, a trend that management foresees continuing into the new year as tougher competition is undercutting the video streaming leader. The Los Gatos, California, company added 8.3 million worldwide subscribers during the October-December period,…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve on Thursday released a highly anticipated report on central bank digital currencies that suggested it is leaning toward having banks and other financial firms, rather than the Fed itself, manage digital accounts for customers. A central bank digital currency would differ in some key ways from the online and…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates continued to rise this week. The rate on the benchmark 30-year loan breached 3.5%. Home loan rates have been running in recent weeks at levels not seen since early 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic was breaking in the U.S. They remain at historically low levels, however. Mortgage…
SEATTLE (AP) — The Washington Supreme Court has narrowly upheld an $18 million fine levied against an association of large food brands that funneled dark money into a state political campaign. The 5-4 decision Thursday found that the penalty against the Grocery Manufacturers Association — now known as the Consumer Brands Association — did not…
BERLIN (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that talks with Iran over its nuclear program are at a “decisive moment,” and warned that Washington and its allies may change tactics if a deal isn’t reached in the coming weeks. Blinken said that the longer Iran fails to comply with the 2015…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department levied new sanctions Thursday against four Ukrainian officials, including two current members of parliament who administration officials say are part of a Russian influence effort to set the pretext for further invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions name parliament members Taras Kozak and Oleh Voloshyn and two former government…
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s leader said Thursday that his country, which holds the presidency of the Group of 20 biggest economies this year, wants to strengthen global partnership and inclusiveness to aid the economic recovery amid a resurging COVID-19 pandemic. In an online address to the World Economic Forum, Indonesian President Joko Widodo committed…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sales of previously occupied homes fell in December for the first time in four months as many would-be buyers were frustrated by a lack of available houses, which fell to the lowest level in more than two decades. Existing home sales dropped 4.6% last month from November, to a seasonally adjusted annual…
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s central bank kept a key interest rate unchanged on Thursday, halting a string of rate cuts that triggered a currency crisis and sent consumer prices skyrocketing. The bank’s Monetary Policy Committee said it decided to keep its policy rate “constant” at 14%, putting on hold a rate-cutting policy that has…