athima tongloomCalifornia officials proposed a rule on Tuesday that would cut discriminatory pricing practices being used by auto insurance companies in the state. Just because you have a good job or a good education doesn’t mean you should be paying less for your auto insurance. That could equate to several hundred dollars in additional insurance premiums annually, according to Court. “Just because you have a good job or a good education doesn’t mean you should be paying less for your auto insu

We saw that all too clearly during the Democratic presidential debate last week with a number of comments disparaging America’s billionaires. That is, the idea that billionaires don’t deserve respect because they most likely got their wealth through luck. Much of the world will be watching to see if the Kansas City plan succeeds, but here’s a spoiler alert: it’s already a success. Meanwhile, the Kansas City experiment will be philosophically competing with the sentiment that success is just too

GMSEATTLE — Demand from automakers for Amazon’s voice-enabled technology is “through the roof” heading into 2020, according to Ned Curic, vice president of Alexa Auto. Automakers started partnering with Amazon for rudimentary tasks such as starting the vehicle remotely through Alexa in-home devices in 2016. The sides have since expanded those collaborations to embed Alexa into vehicles, allowing Alexa to control some vehicle functions. Arianne Walker, Amazon chief evangelist of Alexa Auto, said

Start with the warehouse space, from the massive 1 million-square-foot fulfillment centers to the “last mile” depots closer to city centers. Last year, Prologis built the country’s first three-story warehouse in Seattle, with ramps so that delivery trucks can access the upper floors. In at least some markets, managers for delivery companies say they have trouble finding and keeping enough drivers, who, with unemployment nationally at a 50-year low, may have other options. The scarcity issue exte

Democratic Presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg addresses the press from his Philadelphia field office on December 21, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg’s campaign hired a contractor that used prison labor to make phone calls for the former New York mayor’s White House bid. The Intercept first reported that ProCom, a New Jersey-based company hired by the Bloomberg campaign through a third-party vendor, operates two call centers out of state

A Boeing 737 Max 9 plane at the Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington on on March 22, 2019. Boeing documents now under review by a U.S. government committee appear to point to a “very disturbing” picture of commentary from the planemaker’s employees over the 737 Max aircraft, a House of Representatives transportation infrastructure committee aide said on Tuesday. The 737 Max has been grounded since March. This latest batch of documents submitted to the FAA contained instant messages from former Bo

The S&P 500 fell 0.02% to 3,223.38. The S&P 500 has risen 2.6% for December and 8.3% for the quarter. Stocks tend to have unusually strong performance during those trading days with the S&P 500 averaging a 1.3% gain since 1950, according to the Stock Trader’s Almanac. The U.S. stock market is closed on Wednesday for Christmas. Thursday and Friday are regular trading days.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren speaks at a town hall with members of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), in Philadelphia, PA, on May 13, 2019. The deal, called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, has earned the support of the country’s largest federation of unions, the AFL-CIO. Like Sanders, Warren is staking her electoral appeal on the populist wing of the Democratic Party and is seeking union support. Sanders has said he would not support USMCA after calling its improvements ove

China’s Bytedance says no plans to sell TikTok appChina’s Bytedance says it has no plans to sell the TikTok app. CNBC’s Julia Boorstin reports on “Closing Bell.”

The earphones themselves are made by Master & Dynamic (whose regular earphones cost between about $80 and $300), have voice-assistant enabled capabilities and work with all Bluetooth devices. Doggy mansionRockstar Puppy’s The Rockstar Dog House; $50,000 Source: Rockstar Puppy For a mere five figures, wealthy dog lovers can get their pampered pooch a custom doghouse from luxe pet accessories brand Rockstar Puppy. The dog mansion has a limestone exterior with hand-sculpted corbels, and there’s eve

‘Tis the season for homes decked out with Christmas lights. But all of that holiday spirit comes at a price: In California and New Hampshire, it can add nearly $30 to your electricity bill to run lights from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. Deal site Simple Thrifty Living determined the average amount it costs to light a Christmas display for 34 days — from Thanksgiving to New Year’s — for six hours a night in each U.S. state. The biggest expense is the lights, as the inflatable decor doesn’t cost mu

Tobias Levkovich gives a lower outlook on markets in 2020Tobias Levkovich, chief U.S. equity strategist at Citi, discusses the outlook on markets in 2020 on “Closing Bell.”

Boeing sends more 737 Max docs to house committeeBoeing supplied more documents on its 737 Max to the House Transportation Committee yesterday. CNBC’s Bill Griffeth reports on “Closing Bell.”

A banner announcing the IPO of Uber Technologies hangs outside the New York Stock Exchange, May 10, 2019. Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading:Uber — Shares of Uber rose less than 1% after the ride-sharing company said Travis Kalanick, its former CEO, will step down from the company’s board of directors effective Dec. 31. Advanced Micro Devices — Shares of AMD rose 2.4% after RBC increased its price target on the semiconductor stock to the highest on Wall Street. Kodiak Sci

Emirates Airline President Tim Clark will retire in June 2020, the company revealed Tuesday in an internal memo. The British aviation executive was part of the UAE government-owned airline’s founding team in 1985 and will retain a role as an advisor, Reuters reported. Under Clark’s tenure, Emirates expanded its international footprint and established itself as one of the world’s largest carriers. The 70-year-old was awarded a knighthood in 2014 for his service to the aviation industry and Britis

Wall Street veteran Byron Wien won’t release his legendary 2020 market surprises until January, but he offered one that didn’t make the cut Tuesday on CNBC. “Watch gold in 2020,” the vice chairman of private wealth solutions at Blackstone said on “Squawk on the Street.” Wien, whose Wall Street career has spanned about 50 years, releases an annual list of 10 market surprises that remains a must-read in the financial industry. Looking at 2020 more broadly, Wien said he didn’t think any of the majo

If the S&P gains more than 29.6% for the year, that would be the biggest gain since 1997’s 31% gain. There’s little to stand in the way of the rising stock market at this point as it drifts, higher, for the most part, into year-end. But come January, analysts say, there should be some tax-related selling, and the broader market may even pull back, after its heady 2019 gains. As investors celebrate the outsized gains they made in the stock market in 2019, they may be getting ready to sell some of

When Microsoft Japan implemented an experimental four-day workweek in the name of better work-life balance in August, the company saw a noteworthy increase in productivity by nearly 40%. But interestingly, Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, has a unique approach to his own work-life balance. Work-life “harmony” is also how Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos likes to look at things. “I prefer the word ‘harmony’ to the word ‘balance’ because balance tends to imply a strict tradeoff,” Bezos said in an April 2018 i

Although the reasons for the shift are varied, lower cost has been a big driver and a boon for investors. Passive investing, when it comes to index funds and ETFs, generally refers to the nature of how these choices work. With actively managed mutual funds, on the other hand, gains or losses depend on the investment choices of the fund’s managers. This makes them more tax-efficient than actively managed mutual funds, which pass along profits to shareholders in the form of capital gains, which ar

Misjudging costsWith a business plan in hand, you’ll have a better sense of your funding needs, which will help you avoid two classic traps: over- and under-spending. Do your best to estimate actual costs of funding your venture through launch and the first year. (The SBA offers a great startup costs tool that helps estimate new business funding needs. In many cases, you can’t launch a venture alone — you’ll need partners or investors for funding and know-how. Get to know your customers and mark