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Eurozone inflation rises to 2.9% after increase in energy costs

Inflation across the eurozone rose in December after an increase in energy costs, reversing six months of consecutive falls and easing the pressure on the European Central Bank (ECB) to cut interest rates. Figures from the EU statistical agency Eurostat showed consumer prices across the 20-country bloc rose at an annual rate of 2.9% last month, up from 2.4% in November. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast a slightly higher reading of 3% for December. The increase in the headline rate comes after the end of government support for utility costs, alongside a smaller annual decline in energy prices in December than in November…

Remote options brought moms back to work. Return-to-office could push them out…

For most of her career, Felicia Krick worked from the office every day, sometimes logging 80 hours a week as a public accountant. Then the pandemic hit, the world shut down, and she caught a glimpse of a different life. "Remote work, for me, really became a saving grace where I could continue to go after my career goals, but I could also be a little bit more present with my family," the 36-year-old mother of four said. "And so just the rumblings of, 'Hey, we're going back to the office, and it's going to be on average three days a week,' that was very anxiety-provoking because I'd really gotten used to this kind of new normal."…

Average UK house price ended last year £4,800 higher than at end of 2022 – index

Business | Money The housing market “beat expectations” in 2023, with the average UK property value ending the year £4,800 higher than it had been at the end of 2022, according to an index. Property values increased by 1.7% on average across 2023, Halifax said. Average house prices rose by 1.1% month-on-month in December, the third monthly rise in a row. The typical UK house price in December 2023 was £287,105, up from £282,305 in the same month a year earlier. The housing market beat expectations in 2023 Kim Kinnaird, Halifax Mortgages Kim Kinnaird, director, Halifax Mortgages, said: “In December, the cost of an average UK home…

US Economy Adds 216,000 in December to Finish 2023 With Strong Labor Market

The U.S. economy added 216,000 new jobs in December, topping economists’ expectations of 170,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The latest employment figures signal that the labor market remains robust heading into 2024. Last month’s boost was up from the November gain of 173,000, which was revised down from the initially reported 199,000. The October jobs data were also adjusted down by 45,000 to 105,000. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7 percent and came in below the consensus estimate of 3.8 percent. The labor force participation rate declined to 62.5 percent, down from 62.8 percent. Average hourly…

Once laughed off by Elon Musk, China's BYD has taken Tesla's EV crown

Elon Musk dismissed BYD in 2011 by laughing at their products during a Bloomberg interview. “Have you seen their car?” Musk quipped. “I don’t think it’s particularly attractive, the technology is not very strong. And BYD as a company has pretty severe problems in their home turf in China. I think their focus is, and rightly should be, on making sure they don’t die in China.” BYD did not get wiped out. Instead, it dethroned Tesla in the fourth quarter as the top EV maker, selling more battery-powered vehicles than its U.S. rival. “Their goal was to be China’s largest auto manufacturer and put China manufacturing on the map,” Taylor…