By CNN
Kate Pietrelli, marketing director of hi5, shows off a browser during a Microsoft Explorer event. (Chip Chipman/Bloomberg)
After a decade-long hiatus, the browser wars are officially back. With this week’s release of Internet Explorer 9, last week’s Google Chrome 10 release, and this month’s expected release of Firefox 4, the three most-used browsers are all trying to outduel one another with the most impressive specs. Safari 5, which was released in June, also features many of the same modern features. Get the full story »
March 17 at 7:50 a.m.
Filed under:
Consumer news,
Economy
By CNN
Food and energy prices are surging. Still, underlying inflation remains low, the government said Thursday. The U.S. Consumer Price Index, a key measure of inflation, increased 2.1 percent during the past 12 months ending in February, up from 1.6 percent in January, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Thursday. Get the full story »
March 16 at 2:25 p.m.
Filed under:
Consumer news,
Credit Cards
By Dow Jones Newswires-Wall Street Journal
Visa put out a news release Wednesday morning muddled with the usual financial jibberish: “Visa Moves Beyond the Point-of-Sale,” the headline read. But what Visa is proposing is a potential serious rival for PayPal.
Visa said it will soon allow people to send money to each other using Visa credit or debit cards or pre-paid accounts. So next time you need to pay the babysitter, the checkbook can stay in your wallet. Get the full story »
By Dow Jones Newswires-Wall Street Journal
(Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Apple Inc.’s new iPad 2 flew off of the shelves on its first weekend. The company’s stores in major U.S. cities had sold out of the updated tablet device within hours of its introduction at 5 p.m. local time Friday, according to surveys by analysts. On Sunday, Apple’s online store was showing a shipping delay of three to four weeks for all of the versions of the iPad 2.
Analysts put sales of the new iPad in the range of 400,000 to 600,000 units during its first three days on the market, about the same range as the original model sold its first week. Get the full story »
March 11 at 9:39 a.m.
Filed under:
Consumer news
By Reuters
Consumer sentiment fell to its lowest level in five months in early March as gasoline prices rose, a survey released on Friday showed.
Even so, buying plans were largely unchanged and although the rate of real consumer spending will diminish, the report does not indicate a renewed downturn on the horizon, the latest consumer survey from Thomson Reuters and the University of Michigan said. Get the full story »
March 11 at 5:47 a.m.
Filed under:
Consumer news,
Credit Cards
By Dow Jones Newswires-Wall Street Journal
U.S. families — by defaulting on their loans and scrimping on expenses — shouldered a smaller debt burden in 2010 than at any point in the previous six years, putting them in position to start spending more.
Total U.S. household debt, including mortgages and credit cards, fell for the second straight year in 2010 to $13.4 trillion, the Federal Reserve reported Thursday. That came to 116 percent of disposable income, down from a peak debt burden of 130 percent in 2007, and the lowest level since the fourth quarter of 2004. Get the full story »
March 10 at 4:52 p.m.
Filed under:
Consumer news,
Energy
By Julie Wernau
Commonwealth Edison faced a tough room Thursday at a public hearing to discuss the utility’s request for rate hikes that would add $5 a month to the average customer’s electricity bill.
“It couldn’t come at a worse time. When you have the economy as it is and these unemployed people, where’s the money going to come from?” said apartment building owner and Lansing resident James Kimbrough. Get the full story »
March 10 at 10:49 a.m.
Filed under:
Banking,
Consumer news
By CNN
Your debit card may soon be denied for purchases greater than $100 — or even as little as $50.
JPMorgan Chase, one of the nation’s largest banks, is considering capping debit card transactions at $50 or $100, according to a source with knowledge of the proposal.
Why? Because of interchange fees. Get the full story »
March 7 at 4:02 p.m.
Filed under:
Consumer news
By Reuters
U.S. consumer credit rose for a fourth straight month in January as households splurged on motor vehicles, further evidence the economy was gaining traction.
The Federal Reserve said on Monday total outstanding credit, which covers everything from car loans to credit cards, increased by $5.01 billion after rising $4.09 billion in December. That was above economists’ expectations for a $3.90 billion increase. Get the full story »
March 7 at 5:38 a.m.
Filed under:
Consumer news,
Energy,
Government
By Reuters
The U.S. government reiterated that it could tap its strategic oil reserves in order to safeguard economic growth as surging gasoline prices increase pressure for action. Get the full story »
March 3 at 5:48 a.m.
Filed under:
Cell phones,
Consumer news,
Technology
By CNN
Gadget analysis group AnandTech, which was the first to diagnose the iPhone 4 antenna issue, ran a thorough test of the new Verizon iPhone 4 and found that the “death grip“ problem has been mitigated.
“Apple fixed the problem,“ said Brian Klug, author of AnandTech’s report. “You can use the Verizon Wireless iPhone with no case without any concern for losing signal because of how it’s held.“ Get the full story »
Feb. 25 at 9:42 a.m.
Filed under:
Consumer news
By Reuters
Consumer sentiment rose to its highest level in three years in February, helped by an improving view of the labor market recovery, a survey released on Friday showed. Get the full story »
Feb. 17 at 11:35 a.m.
Filed under:
Consumer news
By Becky Yerak
Renters who need to build their credit histories are getting a leg up from a major consumer credit reporting agency.
Experian is now incorporating rental-payment history data from its recently acquired RentBureau unit into its traditional credit file, which it says will make it easier for college students, recent graduates and immigrants to boost their credit scores — if they pay their rent on time. Typically, credit reports include payment history on credit cards, mortgages, retail accounts, installment loans and finance company accounts.
Experian’s move comes at a good time, with the U.S. homeowner rate falling to its lowest level since 1998. It was 66.5 percent in the fourth quarter, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s 0.7 percentage points lower than the fourth quarter of 2009 and 0.4 percentage points lower than the rate in the third quarter of 2010. The last time it was below the current level was in the fourth quarter of 1998, census data shows. Get the full story »
Feb. 17 at 7:45 a.m.
Filed under:
Consumer news
By Reuters
Prices are still going up on food and gas, but underlying inflation remains low, the government said Thursday. The U.S. Consumer Price Index, a key measure of inflation, increased 1.6 percent over the past 12 months ending in January, up from 1.5 percent in December, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said. Get the full story »
Feb. 15 at 9:46 a.m.
Filed under:
Consumer news,
Credit Cards,
Mortgages
By Wailin Wong
Consumer credit default rates dropped in Chicago in January on a monthly and year-over-year basis, according to data released Tuesday by Standard & Poor’s and Experian.
The two firms track default rates across lines of consumer credit such as first and second mortgages, bank cards and auto loans. Chicago is one of five major cities that the S&P/Experian index breaks out separately. In Chicago, the January default rate was 2.74 percent, a decline of 42 percent from January 2010 and down 12 percent from December 2010. Get the full story »
