The price of lithium batteries is dropping as demand for electric vehicles continues to fall. The price of the commodity is down more than 30 percent in 2023, ending a two-year rally that pushed the price of the key battery material to new heights. In addition, prices for other metals that go into batteries, such as cobalt and nickel, are also sliding. The reversal comes as electric auto makers such as Tesla and Ford cut vehicle prices to attract more customers.
Stocks fell in the opening session Tuesday as earnings reports continued to pour in and as investors brace for the Federal Reserve's interest-rate decision on Wednesday.
A flow of recent data from the U.S. government has made one thing strikingly clear: A surge in consumer spending is fueling strong growth, demonstrating a resilience that has confounded economists, Federal Reserve officials and even the sour sentiments that Americans themselves have expressed in opinion polls.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning parents and caregivers not to buy or serve certain pureed fruit pouches marketed to toddlers and young children because the food might contain dangerous levels of lead.
General Motors and the United Auto Workers union have reached a tentative contract agreement that could end a six-week-old strike against Detroit automakers, three people briefed on the deal said.
