People with Android phones in the United States will now be able to opt into the new texting service that Google calls Chat. The Android version of iMessage is based on a wireless standard called Rich Communication Services (RCS), and is supposed to replace SMS texts. “Texting is largely based on the SMS standard which…… MORE
Hulu is bumping the price of Hulu + Live TV by nearly 22 percent in its second price hike this year. The new price increase will bring Hulu’s live TV service up to $54.99. This follows a price increase from January that saw the cost rise from $39.99 to the current price point of $44.99.…… MORE
North American cannabis companies are slogging their way through another rough earnings season. On Thursday, it was the industry leaders’ turn to take their licks. Canada’s Canopy Growth and Aurora Cannabis’ stocks were rocked as their financial performances again missed expectations amid ongoing market weakness in Canada and beyond. Those companies and others that tried…… MORE
US stock indexes hit all-time highs again on Friday, with the Dow climbing above 28,000 points for the first time in history. All three major indexes closed at record highs, ending yet another week in the green. The Dow finished up 0.8%, or 223 points, Friday, making it its fourth consecutive week of gains. The…… MORE
The recent euphoria on Wall Street suggests the American economy is roaring. Yet there is a growing risk that growth could grind to a near-halt during the final three months of the year. Two closely-watched GDP models published by regional Federal Reserve banks on Friday paint a starkly different picture than the record-highs in the…… MORE
Marie Yovanovitch, the former United States ambassador to Ukraine, testified before the House on Friday that she was troubled by the misinformation disseminated about her by Fox News and other right-wing media entities. “I was worried,” Yovanovitch said, after having earlier on in her testimony said that she believed she had been the target of…… MORE
Bitcoin, which recently celebrated its eleventh anniversary, has surged this year. Prices have more than doubled to around $8,500 in 2019. Bitcoin has enjoyed a nice rally in recent weeks as well, even as skepticism about Facebook and and its Libra cryptocurrency mounts in Washington and Europe. It appears that bitcoin fans are not worried…… MORE
Union members at Ford easily approved a new four-year labor deal with the automaker, avoiding the strike that idled rival General Motors for nearly six weeks. The United Auto Workers union announced that 56.3% of members at Ford voted to approve the deal. Workers at only a handful of factories voted to oppose it. Support…… MORE
Warren Buffett must really like comfy sofas and beds. The Oracle of Omaha’s Berkshire Hathaway bought more than 1.2 million shares of high-end furniture retailer RH — aka Restoration Hardware — in the third quarter. It’s a new position for Berkshire. Shares of RH surged nearly 6% Friday morning on the news, adding to the…… MORE
JCPenney has a long way to go before it’s a turnaround story. But the company had some rare good news Friday: It was able to trim its losses in the third quarter, and it raised its profit forecast, even as its sales continue to fall. The company reported an operating net loss of $97 million…… MORE
