Bitcoin has surpassed $41,000 for the first time since April 2022

December 5, 2023

NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin is once again having a moment. On Monday, the world’s largest cryptocurrency soared past $41,000 for the first time in over a year and a half — and marking a 150% rise so far this year. Volatile bitcoin rocketed from just over $5,000 at the start of the pandemic to nearly $68,000 in November 2021, according to FactSet, a period marked by a surge in demand for technology products. Prices fell back to earth during an aggressive series of Federal Reserve rate hikes aimed at taming inflation and then the collapse of FTX, one of the biggest companies in ...

Retailers offer bigger Black Friday discounts to lure hesitant shoppers hunting for the best deals

November 25, 2023

NEW YORK (AP) — Shoppers hunting for big deals packed malls and stores on Black Friday as retailers stepped up discounts to entice customers who are sticking to stricter budgets this year and resisting impulse buying. Consumers are under pressure as their savings dwindle and their credit ...

Wall Street ends mixed in half-day session, marks fourth straight winning week

November 25, 2023

Stocks drifted to a mixed finish Friday after a half-day trading session capped a holiday shortened week that left the major indexes with their fourth straight winning week. The S&P 500 inched up 0.1% after wavering between small gains and losses much of the day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.3% and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.1%. All told, the S&P 500 added 2.72 points to 4,559.34. The Dow rose 117.12 points to 35,390.15, and the Nasdaq fell 15 points to 14,250.85. Trading was muted as markets reopened following the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday. Gains in health ...

U.S. electric vehicle sales to hit record this year, but still lag behind China and Germany

November 24, 2023

Electric vehicle sales are expected to hit a record 9% of all passenger vehicles in the U.S. this year, according to Atlas Public Policy. That will be up from 7.3% of new car sales in 2022. It will be the first time more than 1 million EVs are sold in the U.S. in one calendar year, probably ...

To save the climate, the oil and gas sector must slash planet-warming operations

November 24, 2023

The oil and gas sector, one of the major emitters of planet-warming gases, will need a rapid and substantial overhaul for the world to avoid even worse extreme weather events fueled by human-caused climate change, according to a report released Thursday. The current investment of $800 billion a year in the oil and gas sector will need to be cut in half and greenhouse emissions, which result from the burning of fossil fuels like oil, will need to fall by 60% to give the world a fighting chance to meet its climate goals, the International Energy Agency said. Greenhouse gases go up into ...

New obesity medications change how users think of holiday meals

November 21, 2023

For most of her life, Claudia Stearns dreaded Thanksgiving. As a person who struggled with obesity since childhood, Stearns hated the annual turmoil of obsessing about what she ate — and the guilt of overindulging on a holiday built around food. Now, after losing nearly 100 pounds using ...