HOUSING: New home sales rise for second straight month
Sales of new single-family homes rose last month despite expert predictions they wouldn’t. “Sales increased 7.3 percent,” MSNBC reports. “Economists polled by Reuters had forecast new home sales unchanged.”
ECONOMY: USA comes up a bit short in global Better Life Index
An international agency called The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has devised something called the “Better Life Index” – and we’re not No. 1. “The USA ranks high in many categories, but in overall ranking it trails Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, and Denmark,” USA Today reports.
OIL: Oil speculators charged with price manipulation
For those of you who believe oil prices are manipulated by speculators, here’s more evidence in your favor. “Federal regulators charged five oil speculators Tuesday with manipulating the price of crude and making a $50 million profit from the scheme,” CNN reports.
COFFEE: Folgers, Dunkin’ Donuts brand coffees to cost more
Depending on your brand, your morning cup of coffee will cost more, and not just a little more. “J.M. Smucker said Tuesday the list price for most of its U.S. coffee products will go up 11 percent on average,” USA Today reports. That includes Folgers and Dunkin’ Donuts brands.
CARS: Automotive black boxes, minus the gray area
Airplanes have them, and soon all cars will too. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is considering requiring that all vehicles must contain an event data recorder, known more commonly as a ‘black box,’” Wired magazine reports. Devices that collect data have been installed in most cars sold in North America for many years, but the new rules will make it mandatory. .
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