NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. 30-year mortgage rates rose to an average of 6.81% this week, the highest level of 2023, according to Freddie Mac’s mortgage market survey. Mortgage rates have risen sharply in tandem with the Federal Reserve’s aggressive monetary policy stance adopted since last year aimed at curbing inflation. As a result, the…
By Aditya Soni (Reuters) -Meta’s Threads racked up more than 30 million sign-ups within about 18 hours of its launch, emerging as the first real threat to Elon Musk-owned Twitter, as it took advantage of its access to billions of Instagram users and a similar look to that of its rival. Dubbed as the “Twitter-Killer”,…
By Mayela Armas and Vivian Sequera CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela is planning to introduce new regulations on courier shipments of food, medicine and other products in an effort to raise more taxes, one government and two private sector sources said on Thursday. So-called “door-to-door” courier services are used by some retailers to bring in goods…
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Chinese company ByteDance, which owns short-video company TikTok, on Thursday said it will launch a new music streaming service in Brazil and Indonesia, as it tries to become a player in that market. The initiative is a new attempt by ByteDance, as the company in a statement said it will stop…
By Stephanie Kelly NEW YORK (Reuters) -Oil prices were near flat on Thursday as the market weighed tighter U.S. crude supplies with the higher likelihood of a U.S. interest rate hike that could dent energy demand. Brent crude futures settled 13 cents lower at $76.52 a barrel, after a 0.5% gain the previous day. U.S….
(Reuters) – Comcast’s Mike Cavanagh named Universal’s film chief Donna Langley to an expanded role as chairman of NBCUniversal Studio Group and chief content officer with oversight of film and television content, according to a memo reviewed by Reuters on Thursday, in an overhaul of the media arm’s leadership ranks. Cavanagh, who has been running…
By Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro and Amy-Jo Crowley LONDON (Reuters) – Buyout houses including Blackstone Inc. and TPG Inc. are evaluating competing bids for a U.S. fund administrator, in a deal that may value the company at as much as $1.7 billion, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Boston, Massachusetts-based Standish Management, a service…
By Manya Saini (Reuters) -U.S. bank stocks fell and a key regional index hit a near two-week low on Thursday amid lingering worries about the health of the lenders in the aftermath of the crisis in regional banks and ahead of second-quarter results that start next week. The KBW Regional Banking Index, which hit its…
By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee plans to vote next week on President Joe Biden’s nominee for a key fifth seat on the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Democrats have been stymied since 2021 from gaining a majority on the five-member telecommunications regulator. Anna Gomez, a Democratic telecommunications attorney, currently serves…
By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Amazon’s $1.7 billion acquisition of robot vacuum cleaner maker iRobot may reduce competition and strengthen Amazon’s position as online marketplace provider, EU antitrust regulators warned on Thursday. The European Commission opened a full-scale investigation and will decide by November 15 whether to clear or block the deal. “We continue…
