Several Fed officials felt that the cost of taking too little action to bring down inflation likely outweighed the cost of taking too much action, according to the minutes of discussions among Fed officials at their policy meeting three weeks ago, echoing recent public statements. “While the minutes provided some hints that Fed officials are beginning to lay the ground for a slower pace of rate hikes eventually, the overall tone was still hawkish, suggesting that the Fed will push ahead with… Source link
Read More »Google’s Pixel 7 and 7 Pro will include a VPN at no extra cost • TechCrunch
Among the security features Google announced with the launch of its new Pixel 7 smartphones, Google today also noted it will make its Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro devices its first-ever phones to include a VPN at no extra cost to users. This VPN won’t associate users’ app and browsing data with users’ accounts, the company noted during its live hardware event on Thursday. Initially, Google had included an optional always-on VPN service as part of its Project Fi, now Google Fi, wireless… Source link
Read More »Google is getting new sustainability features, including a fuel cost calculator • TechCrunch
Google is adding several new sustainability features for Search, the company announced today at its Search On event. The search giant will start showing the annual fuel cost for cars in search results to help people who are in the market for a new car. Google will also show emissions estimates for cars, so you can get a better understanding of how a particular car model you’re interested in compares to similar ones. These new features are going to roll out over… Source link
Read More »The cost of taming inflation could be 3 million lost jobs
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has warned that getting inflation under control will involve “some pain to households and businesses.” What kind of pain is he talking about? So far, the pain has been plunging stock values and higher borrowing costs for homes, cars, credit-card purchases and business investments. But the toll could also include a surge in unemployment, and all the strains that go along with it—which typically harms lower-income workers most of all. Powell won’t… Source link
Read More »Google CEO Pichai fields questions on cost cuts at all-hands meeting
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai gestures during a session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, on January 22, 2020. Fabrice COFFRINI | AFP | Getty Images As Google tries to navigate an unfamiliar environment of slowing growth, cost cutting and employee dissent over cultural changes, CEO Sundar Pichai is finding himself on the defensive. At a companywide all-hands meeting this week, Pichai was faced with tough questions from employees related to cuts to travel and entertainment… Source link
Read More »Google’s Pixel Watch Will Reportedly Cost $350
Google’s… Source link
Read More »2008 all over again? BofA just launched a test of zero-down-payment, zero-closing cost mortgages for minority communities
2008 all over again? BofA just launched a test of zero-down-payment, zero-closing cost mortgages for minority communities A major American bank has launched a new program to help first-time minority buyers finance a home purchase with no down payment or closing costs. It’s a boon to buyers at a time when rising interest rates and low home inventory have stacked the deck against them. It’s also the latest response to longstanding criticism that banks favored white borrowers. Bank of… Source link
Read More »PayPal’s sudden $900 million cost cutting creates a huge new challenge
PayPal has only known a growth, growth, growth mindset under long-time CEO Dan Schulman. That mindset officially ended as of August 2 as PayPal switches tactics to appease activist investor Elliott Management, which has disclosed a $2 billion stake in the payments giant. Late Tuesday, the company outlined $900 million in cost cuts — mostly through layoffs, real estate consolidation, and project cutbacks. PayPal also uncorked a new $15 billion stock buyback plan. Investors cheered the about… Source link
Read More »There’s a nearly 75% chance the Fed triggers a US recession within 2 years, which could cost Biden re-election, new study says
President Joe Biden.MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images There’s a 72% chance the Federal Reserve could cause a recession by 2024, Bloomberg Economics says. In February, the same models forecasted nearly zero chance of a downturn by that time. The latest forecast came after the central bank made its largest interest rate hike since 1994 to combat inflation. The odds that the US economy will fall into a recession by early 2024 have soared to nearly three-in-four in just a few months as the Federal… Source link
Read More »Electric vehicle prices and range, not cost of gas, top concerns for prospective buyers
As gas prices top $5.00 a gallon nationwide and economists ponder when demand destruction will really kick in, many wonder whether the electric vehicle (EV) industry is benefitting. Data shows that new EV purchases jumped in Q1, and many industry watchers speculate high gas prices are driving this behavior. But a new study from Autolist — an online car shopping platform— shows gas prices actually are not driving more EV consumer sentiment. “This was a little bit of a surprise for us,”… Source link
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