Business Briefs – November 23, 2016

Twitter Accidentally Suspends CEO Jack Dorsey’s Account

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Twitter CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey says the social media platform accidentally suspended his account.

Dorsey tweeted Tuesday night, “just setting up my twttr … again (account suspension was an internal mistake).” The post was an echo of his first-ever tweet, which came in 2006.

San Francisco-based Twitter suspended the accounts of several prominent members of the so-called “alt-right” in an apparent crackdown on accounts tied to hate speech or threats of violence. Twitter declined comment, but noted its policies against hate speech and harassment.

Year-End Giving May Depend On How You Voted

NEW YORK (AP) – A divisive election that left half the country deflated and the other half rejuvenated could reverberate through the year-end shopping season in the gifts people give or how they spend.

Some retailers say they have seen a surge in feel-good items such as spa treatments, candles and comfort food, while executives at some major retailers like Wal-Mart, Target and Macy’s have said there’s no discernable shift in consumer behavior since the presidential election won by Donald Trump.

The divide in the outlook may reflect the rift in the election, as Americans split along geographic lines as well as by income.

Mortgage Rates Keep Rising After Trump’s Election Win

WASHINGTON (AP) – Long-term U.S. mortgage rates continued to surge this week in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s election win.

Mortgage giant Freddie Mac said Wednesday that the average rate on a 30-year fixed rate loan shot up to 4.03 percent, the highest since July 2015 and up from 3.94 percent a week earlier. The rate on 15-year home loans climbed to 3.25 percent, up from 3.14 percent last week and highest since January.

Long-term U.S. interest rates have climbed since Trump was elected.

Thanksgiving Travel Expected To be Heaviest Since 2007

CHICAGO (AP) – Americans took to the roads, air and railways Wednesday for what is expected to be the busiest Thanksgiving travel period in almost a decade. Almost 49 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more between Wednesday and Sunday, the most since 2007, because of lower gas prices and an improving economy, according to AAA.

And while they look forward to eating turkey, many are ready to abandon another, more recent, American pastime: rehashing the rancorous election between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Lufthansa Pilot Strike Forces 1,800 Flight Cancellations

BERLIN (AP) – German airline Lufthansa canceled nearly 900 flights on Wednesday and scrapped another 912 scheduled for Thursday after pilots launched a two-day strike in a pay dispute.

The Cockpit union initially called members out on a 24-hour strike Wednesday. Late Tuesday night, after Lufthansa tried and failed to have courts block the walkout, it said that they would also strike on Thursday.

Still more cancellations were expected for Friday, after the union said late Wednesday that all pilots flying short-haul routes would stay off the job that day as well.

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