America’s Most and Least Dependable Cars
J.D. Power has issued its latest dependability ranking for cars, SUVs, and pickups sold in the U.S. For the eighth year running, the Lexus brand tops the list, but there are some surprises among…
All Work
Paul Ausick
Top 10 Vehicles to Buy Used, Not New
On average, a one-year-old used vehicle can save buyers 23% compared to the cost of the same model of a new vehicle. Passenger cars and high-priced cars offer the biggest savings.
Gas Prices Continue Marching Higher
Gasoline pump prices rose last week for the third consecutive week, but remain about a dime lower than at the same time last year.
Volvo to Throttle Speed in Coming Cars
Volvo has announced it will begin restricting the top speed of its new cars beginning in model year 2021. The move is part of an effort to avoid all accidents leading to serious injury…
Newmont Rejects Barrick Acquisition, Proposes Joint Venture Instead
As expected, Newmont Mining this morning rejected last week's offer of an $18 billion all-stock merger with rival Barrick.
2018’s Top Consumer Frauds
The number of fraud reports reported to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission rose by 37% year over year in 2018. Imposter scams and identity theft were primary drivers of the increase.
Tariff Impact Reduces US Consumer Income by $1.4 Billion a Month
The U.S.-China trade war is costing Americans about $1.4 billion a month in real income due to higher prices for goods that have been almost completely passed through by manufacturers and importers to consumers.
Mercedes-Benz Shows Off Limited Edition AMG GT R Roadster
Mercedes-Benz on Sunday announced its 2020 model year version of the AMG GT R Roadster, a convertible version of the hardtop the company introduced earlier this year. Only 750 of the soft-tops will be…
Is Amazon Finally Getting Serious About Counterfeit Goods?
Amazon has announced a new program to fight the sale of counterfeit products at its websites. Can it actually work to eliminate the sale of fakes?
February Consumer Sentiment Index Falls Short of Consensus
The University of Michigan consumer sentiment index fell short of economists' expectations. The overall index dropped by nearly two points compared with the midmonth preliminary index.
Natural Gas Price Trades Sideways After Expected Withdrawal
The U.S. natural gas inventory dropped as expected last week. The effect on prices was modest, dropping somewhat before recovering most of that dip.
Hyundai, Kia Hit With 4 Recalls on Over 600,000 Vehicles
Kia and Hyundai are recalling more than 600,000 vehicles to fix issues that may start engine fires or fail to stop a front-passenger side airbag from inflating in a crash if a small child…
Moochers Mean Lost Revenue for Netflix, Other Streaming Services
Using someone else's streaming video service is costing Netflix and other major services serious money. Can they stop it? Do they even want to?
Auto Loan Delinquencies Up on Record-High Monthly Payments
Borrowing to purchase or lease a new or used vehicle reached a record-high average monthly payment level in the fourth quarter of 2018. Rising vehicle prices and interest rates combined to push the payments…
Boeing 777X, 787, 737 Filling Order Book
In a busy week for the company, Boeing announced Thursday morning an order from British Airways for up to 42 new 777-9s valued at more than $18 billion.
Short Sellers Lose Interest in Solar, Alternative Fuels Stocks
In the two-week short interest reporting period that ended February 15, short sellers parted company with solar energy stocks and made a couple of big changes in short positions on several alternative energy companies.
28 Dangerous Things Experts Link to Heart Disease
Someone in the United States dies from cardiovascular disease every 38 seconds, according to experts at The American Heart Association Report. Heart disease is the top killer, leading to 610,000 deaths a year, or…
What Lit a Fire Under Chesapeake Energy?
Oil and gas producer Chesapeake Energy absolutely clobbered fourth-quarter expectations and also beat full-year estimates when it reported results Wednesday morning. And the company expects more improvement in 2019.
Driving: It’s How Americans Spend 70 Billion Hours a Year
U.S. drivers spend 70 billion hours a year behind the wheel according to a new report from AAA.
8 Cities Where Home Prices Have Stopped Rising
Housing price increases continue to moderate according to the latest data from the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller house price index. In eight of the 20 largest U.S. cities, year-over-year price increases fell below 4%.