Business Briefs – September 26, 2019

U.S. Economy Grew at Modest 2% Rate in Second Quarter

WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. economy grew at a moderate 2% annual rate in the second quarter, a pace sharply lower than the 3%-plus growth rates seen over the past year. Many analysts believe growth will slow further in coming quarters as global weakness and rising trade tensions exert a toll.

Walmart’s Sam’s Club Launches Health Care Pilot to Members

NEW YORK (AP) – Walmart’s Sam’s Club is teaming up with several health care companies to offer discounts on everyday care its customers might delay or skip because of the cost. Starting in early October, Sam’s Club members in Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, will be able to buy one of four bundles of health care services that start from $50.

Amazon Offers a Way to Delete Alexa Recordings Automatically

NEW YORK (AP) – Users of Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant can now request that recordings of their voice commands delete automatically. Previously, users had to go into Alexa’s settings and delete recordings manually. Users can now ask Amazon to automatically delete recordings after three months or 18 months. But users need to specify that in the settings, as recordings are kept indefinitely by default. Tech companies have been reviewing their practices in light of privacy concerns.

Shares of Peloton Skid on First Day of Trading

NEW YORK (AP) – Shares of connected exercise machine company Peloton skidded in their first day of public trading. Peloton offered 40 million shares at an initial public offering price of $29 per share, the high end of an expected range of $26 to $29 apiece. They closed Thursday at $25.76, a loss of more than 11%.

NY Files Suit Against Dunkin’ Donuts Over Security Breaches

NEW YORK (AP) – The New York attorney general says Dunkin’ Donuts violated state law by not notifying almost 20,000 customers, including more than 2,000 in New York, about cyberattacks on their accounts in 2015 and inadequately warning more than 300,000 customers in 2018 about another attack. A lawsuit filed Thursday says the company knew in 2015 that a series of attacks had been made on customers’ online accounts but didn’t inform them. Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. says there’s “absolutely no basis for these claims.”