WASHINGTON — Hopes for interest rate cuts this year by the Federal Reserve are steadily fading, with a stream of recent remarks by Fed officials underscoring their intention to keep borrowing costs high as long as needed to curb persistently elevated inflation. A key reason for the delay in rate cuts is that the inflation […]Read More

The Internal Revenue Service announced Thursday that its experimental Direct File free tax-filing option for simplified tax returns would become a permanent option starting next year. In a release, the IRS, along with the U.S. Treasury Department, said its Direct File pilot program, which rolled out on a limited basis earlier this year, saw 140,000 […]Read More

Orange juice prices have climbed to fresh all-time highs amid persistent supply constraints, pushing the industry into crisis mode and forcing some makers to consider alternative fruits. Prices of the breakfast staple have been climbing rapidly in recent years, partly driven by declining output in Florida — the main producer of orange juice in the U.S. — and climate-fueled extreme […]Read More

A top McDonald’s executive is weighing in on claims that the company has jacked up its prices. Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s USA, said in an open letter Wednesday that the average price of McDonald’s menu items is up around 40% since 2019. The breakdown comes in response to claims on social media from House Republicans, among others, that the […]Read More

Nissan has issued a ‘do not drive’ warning for about 84,000 older-model vehicles because they carry recalled Takata-made airbags. The warning affects certain model year 2002-2006 Nissan Sentra, 2002-2004 Nissan Pathfinder and 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4 vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration instructed drivers in a release not to drive an affected vehicle until a […]Read More

U.S. consumers and businesses alike have turned cautious about spending this year because of elevated inflation and interest rates, according to Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan. Whether it’s households or small- to medium-sized businesses, Bank of America clients are slowing down the rate of purchases made for everything from hard goods to software, Moynihan said Thursday at […]Read More