Economy

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Oil Slides as Saudi Price Cuts Counter Middle East Worries

LONDON—Oil prices fell by more than 2 percent on Monday on sharp price cuts by top exporter Saudi Arabia and a rise in OPEC output, offsetting supply concerns generated by escalating geopolitical tension in the Middle East. Brent crude slid 2.2 percent, or $1.74, to $77.02 a barrel by 1024 GMT while U.S. West Texas […]

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Tesla Recalls Over 1.6 Million EVs Exported to China to Fix Automatic Steering, Door Latch Glitches

BEIJING—Tesla is recalling more than 1.6 million Model S, X, 3 and Y electric vehicles exported to China for problems with their automatic assisted steering and door latch controls. China’s State Administration for Market Regulation announced the recall on Friday. It said Tesla Motors in Beijing and Shanghai would use remote upgrades to fix the […]

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Social Media Companies Made $11 Billion From Ads Served to Minors in US: Harvard Study

About $2 billion in ad revenue derived from users under the age of 12, according to the recent study.

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Mortgage Rates Decline for 9th Straight Week as 2023 Registers Home Affordability Crisis

Mortgage rates are expected to remain elevated in a range of around 6 to 7 percent in 2024.

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Oil Prices Set to End Year 10 Percent Lower as Demand Concerns Snap Winning Streak

LONDON—Oil prices are set to end 2023 about 10 percent lower after two years of gains as geopolitical concerns, production cuts, and central bank measures to rein in inflation triggered wild fluctuations in prices. On Friday, oil climbed after falling 3 percent the previous day as more shipping firms prepared to transit the Red Sea […]

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Toyota Small Car Maker Daihatsu Shuts Down Japan Factories During Probe of Bogus Safety Tests

TOKYO—Daihatsu, a unit of Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp., has shut down production lines at all its four factories in Japan while transport ministry officials investigate improper tests for safety certifications. The shutdown as of Tuesday comes a week after Daihatsu Motor Co. announced it was suspending all vehicle shipments in and outside Japan after […]

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US Home Prices Again Rise As Tight Supply, Mortgage Rates Evaporate Affordability

Home prices rose in October as lackluster housing supply continues to prop up the U.S. real estate market despite higher mortgage rates.

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Google Strikes Solar Farm Deal to Accelerate Net Zero Transition in Australia

The 25-megawatt solar farm will be constructed in Riverina by Swedish energy company OX2.

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Oil Prices on Track for First Weekly Rise in 2 Months

LONDON—Oil prices rose on Friday, on track to notch their first weekly rise in two months after benefiting from a bullish forecast from the International Energy Agency (IEA) on oil demand for next year and a weaker dollar. Brent futures rose 21 cents to $76.82 a barrel at 0918 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) […]

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Amazon Wins $270 Million Tax Fight in Blow to EU’s Vestager

BRUSSELS—Amazon does not have to pay 250 million euros ($273 million) in back taxes to Luxembourg, Europe’s top court ruled on Thursday, marking a defeat for EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager’s crackdown on sweetheart tax deals for multinationals. “The Court of Justice confirms that the (European) Commission has not established that the tax ruling given […]

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Apple Releases New Stolen Device Protection Feature to Combat iPhone Theft

Apple has released a new update to its iPhone operating system aimed at protecting users from password theft if devices are stolen. The new “Stolen Device Protection” feature was released in the beta version of iOS 17.3 on Dec. 12, meaning it is available for developers to download. The opt-in feature effectively adds a second […]

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US Aims to Cut China Out of Electric Vehicle Supply Chain

The U.S. government is paving a way forward to exclude communist China from the U.S. electric vehicle (EV) supply chain. According to the proposed guidance on clean energy vehicle provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, released on Dec. 1 by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service...

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Oil Prices Rise on Uncertainty Over OPEC+ Cuts and Middle East Tensions

LONDON—Oil prices jumped by nearly 1 percent on Tuesday, lifted by uncertainty over voluntary output cuts by the OPEC+ group of producers, tensions in the Middle East, and some encouraging economic signals in Europe. Brent crude futures rose 63 cents, or 0.8 percent, to $78.66 a barrel by 0946 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude […]

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IRS Warns Taxpayers That Hiring of Tax Enforcers Will ‘Ramp Up’ Soon

Internal Revenue Service is looking to tap into billions of extra federal funding to rebuild its capacities, including the expansion of “enforcement work”.

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Google Will Start Deleting ‘Inactive’ Accounts in December—Here’s What You Need to Know

NEW YORK—Have a Google account you haven’t used in a while? If you want to keep it from disappearing, you should sign in before the end of the week. Under Google’s updated inactive-account policy, which the tech giant announced back in May, accounts that haven’t been used in at least two years could be deleted.