>>Buying A Home More Expensive Than Ever

(Undated)  --  Buying a home is now more expensive than ever.  A new report from Redfin found the median home price in the United States is now over 383-thousand-dollars, a record high.  The economic research lead with Redfin says prices may drop slightly in the coming months, but buyers should accept that "housing costs are likely to remain elevated for the foreseeable future."  The median down payment is also up 24-percent compared to last year, at around 56-thousand-dollars.  

 

>>FCC Votes To Restore Net Neutrality

(Washington, DC)  --  The Federal Communications Commission is voting to restore net neutrality rules. The rules block broadband providers from stopping internet traffic to some websites and speeding up access to sites that pay extra fees. The FCC Chair said the pandemic "changed life as we know it," making net neutrality more important than ever. Net neutrality rules were passed in 2015 and rolled back under former President Trump in 2017.

 

>>Colombia Restricts U.S. Beef Imports Over Bird Flu

(Washington, DC)  --  Colombia has become the first country to restrict the import of U.S. beef due to cows testing positive for bird flu.  The USDA announced on its website this week that the South American country is banning beef products from cattle slaughtered in eight U.S. states where dairy cows have tested positive for the avian influenza.  Earlier in the week, the USDA said starting Monday it will require all dairy cattle being moved between states to be tested for bird flu, which has been found in 33 dairy herds across the U.S. since late March.  No U.S. beef cattle, so far, have tested positive for bird flu.

 

>>Airlines Required To Issue Cash Refunds For Significant Delays

(New York, NY)  --  President Biden's crack down on corporate junk fees is a centerpiece of his economic program and now airlines are being held to account.  The Biden administration has announced new rules for airlines, requiring them to be more transparent about extra fees, and issue cash refunds automatically in certain cases.  The rules make clear that airlines must automatically give passengers a full refund when flights are canceled or significantly changed, when baggage return is delayed significantly, or when customers do not receive in-flight amenities that they paid for like Wi-Fi.  It'll also require that airlines list all extra fees "clearly and accurately" on their websites when providing fare prices.  The provisions will be implemented on individual timelines ranging from six months to two years.

 

>>Above Average Auto Loan Delinquencies In The US

(New York, NY)  --  Auto loan delinquency is increasing in all fifty states.  That's according to Wallethub data, which reveals where delinquencies are increasing the most.  The top five states where auto delinquencies have increased the most are Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Georgia, and Rhode Island.  In each of these states the average number of loan delinquencies in the fourth quarter of 2023 were above 11-percent. For Washington, the increase was almost 13-percent from Q-3 to Q-4 of last year.  To determine the states most delinquent on auto loans WalletHub analyzed data on consumer delinquency rates between Q-3 and Q4 of 2023.

 

>>Alphabet Announces Its First-Ever Dividend

(New York, NY)  --  The company that owns Google is announcing its first-ever dividend.  Alphabet on Thursday announced a dividend of 20 cents per share and a stock buyback of 70-billion dollars.  Stock in the company surged nearly 16 percent after the bell, increasing its stock market value by about 300-billion dollars to over two trillion.  

 

>>"The Onion" Sold To New Company

(Chicago, Il)  --  "The Onion" has been sold.  G-O Media announced on Thursday that the satirical news outlet has been purchased by a new firm called Global Tetrahedron, who got their name from The Onion.  The CEO of G-O Media says the new firm is made up of digital media veterans who have"a profound love" for The Onion, and they have agreed to keep the entire staff intact in Chicago, where the publication has been based since 2012.  The price of the deal has not been disclosed.