The Commerce Department has revised down its growth rate in the fourth quarter of 2022 to 2.7 percent. Its previous estimate was 2.9 percent, which was still down from the 3.2 percent growth rate from July through September, suggesting that economic growth is slowing but remains steady.
FED MINUTES UPDATE
The minutes from the latest Federal Reserve FOMC meeting shows officials acknowledging that inflation is coming down but not enough to reverse course on more interest rate hikes.
SHRINKING MORTGAGE FEES
The Biden administration is lowering insurance premiums for borrowers who take out loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration. The move will save an estimated 850,000 homeowners an average of $800 on home financing costs. The annual premium will drop from 0.85 percent to 0.55 percent.
BILL GATES BUYS HEINEKEN STAKE
Bill Gates has purchased a $902 million stake in Heineken, according to the Netherlands Financial Markets Authority. He bought the shares, which represent 3.8 percent share of the company's value, from Mexico's FEMSA. Gates bought 6.65 million shares in an individual capacity, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust bought 4.18 million shares.
TESLA STAYING IN CALIFORNIA
Elon Musk says Tesla is staying in California for the foreseeable future. The electric vehicle maker will make the Golden State its global engineering home, while its corporate headquarters will remain in Texas. Tesla's plant in Fremont, California, will increase production this year to more than 600,000 vehicles.
MERCEDES BENZ-GOOGLE PARTNERSHIP
Mercedes-Benz and Google have announced a long-term partnership to bring supercomputers into automobiles. The automaker will use Google technology to develop a branded navigation experience based on in-car data and Google's Maps platform. The deal essentially gives Mercedes-Benz access to the latest Google geospatial technology.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
