Business

Rohit Chopra, Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), testified before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs in late November 2023, addressing ongoing consumer financial protection issues. A few weeks later, the CFPB stepped up its efforts by filing a lawsuit against Zelle, a major peer-to-peer payments network, and its three largest operators – JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo – for failing to fight fraud. and adequately compensate victims. The lawsuit marks a significant step in the CFPB's broader campaign to hold financial institutions accountable for fraud-related customer losses. Customers of the…

November brought an unexpected rise in wholesale prices, casting doubt on the pace of inflation's decline, according to data released Thursday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The producer price index (PPI), a key measure of what manufacturers charge for goods and services, rose 0.4% on the month, beating the Dow Jones estimate of 0.2%. On a year-over-year basis, PPI rose 3%, the biggest annual gain since February 2023. Excluding food and energy price volatility, core PPI increased 0.2%, in line with market expectations. Furthermore, excluding commercial services, the monthly PPI increase fell to just 0.1%. However, the core…

William O'Dowd IV, CEO of Dolphin Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ:DLPN), increased his personal investment in the company by acquiring an additional 13,000 shares of common stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of $1.09 each, bringing the total value of the transaction to approximately $14,170. This move highlights O'Dowd's confidence in the company's future and its recent performance metrics, including an impressive 94% gross profit margin and a 22% revenue growth rate over the past year. The purchase, completed on December 17, 2024, increases O'Dowd's direct ownership in Dolphin Entertainment to 147,493 shares. In addition to this, O'Dowd also…

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will announce their latest monetary policy decision on Wednesday, and market participants are preparing for a surprising move. Despite inflation remaining above the Fed's 2% target, robust economic growth of around 3% and a strong labor market, the central bank is expected to lower its benchmark interest rate by 25 points basis, bringing the target range to 4.25%-4.5. %. This potential cut comes as a surprise to many, as conventional wisdom would suggest that the Fed might maintain or even raise rates under such economic conditions. Futures market…

Japanese automakers Nissan Motor and Honda Motor are reportedly in discussions regarding a potential merger The Nikkei newspaper. The move, which could reshape the global automotive landscape, aims to improve their ability to compete in an industry that is rapidly shifting towards electric vehicles, autonomous technology and intensifying competition from Chinese automakers and Tesla . The report suggests that the two companies are considering operating under a holding company, with plans to formalize their intentions through a memorandum of understanding in the near future. Additionally, the potential merger could bring Mitsubishi Motors, in which Nissan holds a 24% stake, under…

The U.S. auto market is poised for its strongest performance in years, with new vehicle sales expected to rise to levels not seen since 2019. Industry analysts expect a recovery in 2025, driven by improved affordability, lower interest rates and a gradual normalization of the vehicle market. stocks after years of supply chain disruptions and inflated prices. Cox Automotive expects new light-duty vehicle sales to reach 16.3 million units in 2025, slightly ahead of forecasts from S&P Global Mobility and Edmunds, which call for sales of about 16.2 million. These estimates represent a modest increase from this year's expected range…

A judge has ruled against President-elect Donald Trump's attempts to throw out his guilty plea in a case involving allegations of falsifying business records, a case linked to a controversial payout during his 2016 presidential campaign. The ruling comes in context of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity, raising questions about the case's broader implications. Judge Juan M. Merchan of Manhattan rejected Trump's bid to overturn his guilty plea, delaying any potential resolution until he takes over the presidency next month. Trump's legal team has argued that the charges should be reconsidered, citing his imminent return to…

In an effort to address expected challenges to U.S.-China relations under President-elect Donald Trump, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng recently met with several top U.S. financial executives. These meetings come as Beijing prepares for the possible imposition of tariffs on Chinese goods, a key part of Trump's campaign rhetoric. He Lifeng, one of China's four vice premiers and a leading figure in the country's economic and financial policy, has actively sought to establish connections with influential players in American financial circles. In the past month, he had talks with Larry Fink, chief executive of BlackRock, on December 5, and John…

Hershey shares surged as much as 15% in Monday trading following a Bloomberg report suggesting that Mondelez may attempt another takeover of the iconic chocolate company. This marks a notable development in ongoing speculation about Hershey's future as an independent entity, with its shares now on track for their best day since mid-2016. Prior to this rally, Hershey's stock had faced a turbulent year, with its value falling about 6% due to concerns over rising cocoa prices and the growing use of GLP-1 drugs, which according to some analysts they could suppress the demand for confectionery products. With Monday's boost,…

Alaska Airlines is targeting significant growth, with a goal of increasing profits by $1 billion by 2027. The airline is banking on growing demand for premium travel and its recent acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines to achieve this ambitious goal. The $1.9 billion purchase of Hawaiian Airlines, finalized in September, opened up new opportunities for Alaska Airlines, granting it access to cross-Pacific routes and wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A330. Although both Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines continue to operate as separate brands, the acquisition positioned Alaska for a major expansion of its international network. Starting in…