US job market faces hurdles even with 5.5 pct. unemployment

WASHINGTON — Unemployment in the U.S. has dropped to a seven-year low of 5.5 percent — a level normally considered the mark of a healthy job market. Yet that number isn't as encouraging as it might sound. While U.S. employers added a solid 295,000 jobs...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Stately living at Beacon Hill brownstone

A pristine renovation of an 1890 single-family brownstone at 14 Charles River Square on the flat of Beacon Hill awaits a buyer with deep pockets and a taste for Old World charm and modern amenities. Nestled in a cul-de-sac off Storrow Drive, this $3.85...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Charger’s performance matches racy look

With menacing looks and an intimidating front grille, the 2015 Dodge Charger SXT Rallye AWD is an exhilarating vehicle to drive. Scalloped body sides and a chiseled front end with LED fog lights and high-intensity discharge wrap-around headlamps, coupled...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

3 reasons Apple's watch will _ or won't _ change the game

SAN FRANCISCO — No one can argue that Apple has changed the way people live their lives. The company's iPod, iTunes, iPhone and iPad have shaken up music, phone and computer markets worldwide. Is the Apple Watch going to be able to do the same? The...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

The Ticker

Largest banks pass 'stress test' All of the nation's 31 largest banks are adequately fortified to withstand a severe U.S. and global recession and keep lending, the Federal Reserve said yesterday. Results of the Fed's annual "stress tests" show that...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Small businesses seek help to dig out

Small businesses that took a big hit to their bottom lines from a string of recent snowstorms are hoping for government help to recover as they struggle to make ends meet. A survey released yesterday revealed an average 24 percent sales slump during...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

AG hits defunct parenting biz with $260G penalty

Isis Parenting, the Needham-based prenatal and parenting retailer that abruptly shut down last year — leaving many parents and expectant parents in the lurch — will pay a $260,000 penalty for failing to provide services and refunds to its customers after...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Off-street parking 
drives sales

The blizzard of 2015 — and the storms that followed — were enough to make most Bostonians rethink their parking situations, and Hub home buyers have plenty of options when it comes to properties with off-street spots for cars. Those more desirable properties...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Charlie Baker prescribes cuts to MassHealth

Gov. Charlie Baker's $38 billion budget plan would slash the budget-busting Medicaid program and cut spending throughout state government, setting up months of wrangling with Democratic lawmakers over who will feel the most pain — and who won't. "This...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jerry Remy’s locations thrive...outside Fenway ’hood

The namesake Boston restaurant of Red Sox Nation president and NESN color analyst Jerry Remy abruptly closed Tuesday — a month before baseball season opens — but other­ locations appear to be thriving. Jerry Remy's Sports Bar & Grill debuted in...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Credit card agreements may stall Boston taxi app

Boston's options for a unified taxi dispatch and payment smartphone app could be limited because of exclusive contracts cab companies have signed with two credit card processing companies, according to industry insiders. Boston cab companies have signed...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Apps drive gaming growth

Tens of thousands of video game developers and fans decked out as their favorite characters will descend on the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center tomorrow for the start of a sold-out, three-day convention to celebrate an industry that has seen...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Australia clamps down on illegal foreign housing investment

CANBERRA, Australia — Australian authorities are clamping down on wealthy foreigners illegally buying real estate, ordering a Chinese billionaire to sell a Sydney mansion he recently bought for $30 million, a minister said on Wednesday. The billionaire,...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Europe stocks gain, Asia mixed as data, China target awaited

BEIJING — European stocks gained while Asian markets faltered Wednesday as investors looked ahead to U.S. economic data and China's announcement of its annual growth target. KEEPING SCORE: In early trading, France's CAC-40 added 0.5 percent to 4,893.52...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sony PlayStation 4 surpasses 20 million sales milestone

Sony has sold 20.2 million PlayStation 4 videogame consoles, the company said Tuesday, making the device the fastest-selling PlayStation system in the company's history. The March 1 figure is the latest sales update of the PS4 after Sony announced 18.5...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Can Guy Fieri sell greek yogurt? Scripps Networks taps data to boost 'upfront' sales

Scripps Networks wants to push TV advertisers get beyond the traditional ad-sales process, helping instead to identify which audiences of which specific programs are more likely to buy particular products. As part of its pitch for TV's coming "upfront"...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Body-camera maker has financial ties to police chiefs

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Taser International, the stun-gun maker emerging as a leading supplier of body cameras for police, has cultivated financial ties to police chiefs whose departments have bought the recording devices, raising a host of conflict-of-interest...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gasoline prices creep up

Massachusetts gas prices climbed 10 cents in the past week and are likely to keep going up before leveling off this spring or summer — but they are likely to stay below the $3 mark, analysts say. The average price for a gallon of regular gas yesterday...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Shake Shack escalates burger battle

Opening a restaurant in a city still dealing with lingering snow piles may not be great timing, but yesterday's Boston debut of Shake Shack on Newbury Street, while devoid of its famous long lines, fired 
another shot across the bow in the battle against...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Venture capitalist to take stand in Silicon Valley lawsuit

SAN FRANCISCO — A prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalist who helped direct early investments in Google and Amazon.com is set to take the stand Tuesday in a high-profile sex discrimination lawsuit that has sparked debate over the treatment of women...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Inspector Gadget: Dance with our robot overlords

WowWee MiP ($89.99 & up, various retailers) What do you get for the person who has everything? Fun dancing robots! As opposed to actually helpful robots like Roomba or the upcoming Jibo family assistant, just-for-fun robots can be a good way to...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chucks to get All-Star treatment

Converse is celebrating its Chuck Taylor All Stars and the people who've helped build their iconic status in its biggest marketing campaign ever for the sneakers. Boston figures prominently in the North Andover company's global "Made by you" campaign...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Booting Up: Restaurant app has promise

The global restaurant industry hasn't seen innovation since the Diners Club charge card was born in 1950. Now, a kid from Worcester is among those trying to change that. Bentley College grad Nick Belsito founded BeeLine (beelinenow.com), a dining concierge...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

World stock markets mostly higher following China rate cut

TOKYO — World stock markets were mostly higher Monday as a weekend interest rate cut by the Chinese central bank lifted sentiment following a lower estimate of U.S. economic growth last quarter. KEEPING SCORE: Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.3 percent to...

18.38 | 0 komentar | Read More