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mortgage lender, which went public via a blank-check company merger just as mortgage rates have hit two-decade highs. Backed by SoftBank, Better completed its combination with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Aurora Acquisition Corp, capping a rocky deal that was first announced in 2021 but delayed amid regulatory scrutiny and layoffs at Better. The company hit the headlines in December 2021 after it laid off 900 employees via Zoom, and has since seen its profits dented as high mortgage rates have dampened demand for home loans. Aurora went public in March 2021. Shares in Better Home & Finance Holding Co, the newly merged entity, finished the session down 93.4% at $1.15. SPACs are shell companies that raise funds through a public listing with the goal of acquiring a private company and taking it public.

Oil prices fell slightly in early Asian trade on Friday, on track for a weekly decline as weak manufacturing activity hurt the global demand outlook and the dollar remained buoyant. Brent crude fell 16 cents, or 0.2%, to $83.20 a barrel by 0013 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 18 cents, or 0.2%, to $78.91 a barrel. Crude prices are set to fall between 2%-3% for the week, a second consecutive week of decline. Oil settled modestly higher in the previous session after Dutch consultancy Insights Global posted data showing gasoil stocks held in independent storage in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) refining and storage hub declined by 3% in the latest week. Investor caution ahead of remarks from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell at the Jackson Hole Symposium lifted the safe-haven dollar to a 10-week high, its biggest rise in a month, as markets waited for word on how long rates would stay high.

FOX Business correspondent Madison Alworth shares why for many first-time homebuyers, the American dream is delayed as a result of high mortgage rates and home prices on Varney and Co.

Potomac Wealth Advisors President Mark Avallone discusses whether the stock market rally will last after CPI data showed inflation slowed again in June on 'Varney & Co.' 

FOX Business' Ashley Webster speaks to Winton Machine Company CEO and owner Lisa Winton about why she moved operations from the northeast to Georgia.

FOX Business correspondent Madison Alworth shares why for many first-time homebuyers, the American dream is delayed as a result of high mortgage rates and home prices on 'Varney and Co.'

Serhant Associate Broker Nile Lundgren weighs in on the middle-class getting priced out of home ownership.

Nike will start selling replicas of England goalkeeper Mary Earps’ jersey after facing a public outcry for not making them available to fans during the Women’s World Cup

Trump's mug shot was released on Thursday evening after he was booked at an Atlanta jail on more than a dozen felony charges as part of a wide-ranging criminal case stemming from the former U.S. president's attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat in Georgia. An unsmiling Trump — inmate no.

inflation stoked by vegetable prices, but steps to reduce liquidity overhang in the banking system are likely to help contain price pressures, minutes of its August 8-10 meeting showed. «Given the likely short-term nature of the vegetable price shocks, monetary policy can look through the first-round impact of fleeting shocks on headline inflation,» Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das said in the minutes. «At the same time, we need to be ready to pre-empt any second-round impact of food price shocks on the broader inflationary pressures and risks to anchoring of inflation expectations.»'Similar Prognosis Earlier Proved Right' India's Consumer Price Index inflation surged to a 15-month high of 7.44% in July, shooting past the MPC's tolerance band of 2-6%.

HDFC Bank on Thursday launched a new credit card in partnership with international hotel chain Marriott to capitalise on the soaring domestic and global travel by Indians and gain market share in the most profitable segment of retail lending. The card is a co-branded product with Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott's customer loyalty programme.

Average salary increases have plunged to 35-40% from 50-100%, across categories of “hot skills” such as full-stack engineers, data engineers, front-end engineers, SRE/DevOps, data scientists and back-end engineers, according to data put together for ET by specialist staffing firm Xpheno. This marks a sharp slowdown from a year ago, when candidates were sitting on multiple job offers and offer shopping had become rampant while employers were in a hiring frenzy. For instance, the average salary range for a full-stack engineer with experience of four to seven years has reduced to Rs 10-26 lakh per annum from Rs 15-32 lakh per annum at the end of 2021-22. The negotiating range offered by employers has fallen to 20-35% from 50-100% during this period. For data engineers and data analytics, salary hikes on offer range between 25-35%, down from 40-90% a year ago, for front-end engineers the hikes have fallen to 15-35% from 50-90%, while for SRE/DevOps hikes range from 20-35%, down from 40-80% earlier, and for data scientists, salary hikes on offer have come down to 20-35% down from 40-100%. “We are witnessing the quintessential ‘calm after the storm’ in recruitment conversations now,” said Anil Ethanur, co-founder, Xpheno.

block deal on Friday, documents reviewed by ET showed. Jack Ma-founded Antfin will be selling the shares at ₹880 apiece, a discount of nearly 3% to Thursday's closing price of ₹904.4. Citibank is the broker for the deal. Antfin, which owned 23.79% stake in Patym at the end of the June quarter, sold 10.3% stake in the fintech company earlier this month.

Rick and Morty" is set to return for its seventh season on Sunday, October 15 at 11 p.m. ET/PT on Adult Swim. The show revolves around a brilliant but antisocial scientist who takes his timid grandson on risky escapades across the universe. Season 7 will feature new episodes and will also be accessible for streaming in 2024. Michael Ouweleen, the president of Adult Swim, confirmed the upcoming season, praising the show's team for delivering 10 fresh episodes that raise the bar in comedy and animation. The statement emphasized the continued creative brilliance behind «Rick and Morty.» Notably, Season 7 marks a change as co-creator and star Justin Roiland, who voiced key characters like Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith, will no longer be part of the series. This decision follows allegations of domestic abuse against Roiland, which were dropped in January due to insufficient evidence. Consequently, his roles will be recast, but the replacements are yet to be revealed. During this year's Comic-Con, Steven Levy, an executive producer, disclosed that they were in the final stages of selecting new voice actors, who would resemble the original characters. A press release for the upcoming season offers a glimpse into the content, stating that «Rick and Morty» will continue to explore its signature humor. The release teases potential storylines, such as developments involving Jerry, the introduction of an «EVIL Summer,» and the question of whether the characters will revisit high school. The note humorously references the reduced amount of controversial content from the previous season.

Star Trek to broadcast TV. The show «Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,» a hit on Paramount+, will be shown on CBS in early fall during a special event called "Star Trek Day." On September 8, CBS will broadcast the series premiere of «Strange New Worlds» along with its second episode, «Children of the Comet.» This gives viewers who don't use streaming services a chance to see part of the show. The series «Strange New Worlds» just finished its second season, which critics and viewers both liked. It breathed new life into the TV franchise. «Star Trek Day» is on September 8 because the Original Series first aired on that day in 1996. Jerry O’Connell will host a special program on Paramount+ for Star Trek Day. The program will look back at moments from the past 57 years of the franchise. It will also celebrate 50 years of Star Trek animation, give tribute to «Star Trek: Discovery» before its final season, show a sneak peek of the upcoming fourth season of «Star Trek Lower Decks,» and remember other highlights of Star Trek’s legacy. In 11 cities, there will be special screenings of «Lower Decks» for fans. Those interested can sign up to attend. «Strange New Worlds» is a spinoff of «Star Trek: Discovery,» which started last year. It follows the voyages of characters like Pike, Number One, Science Officer Spock, Nurse Christine Chapel, La’an Noonien-Singh, Cadet Nyota Uhura, Lt. Erica Ortegas, and Dr. M’Benga.

ATLANTA : Donald Trump left his New Jersey estate on Thursday to get his mug shot taken at an Atlanta jail as part of a wide-ranging criminal case stemming from the former US president's attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat in Georgia. Trump's motorcade departed his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, as he began the hours-long trip to the Fulton County Jail, where several dozen supporters awaited his arrival. He said on social media that he would surrender around 7:30 p.m.

Amidst ongoing discussions about the trajectory of Bitcoin's value, the cryptocurrency market is abuzz with speculation. 

Plain Facts publishes a compilation of data-based insights, complete with easy-to-read charts, to help you delve deeper into the stories reported by Mint in the week gone by. Incessant rainfall once again is wreaking havoc in the northern part of the country, while imposition of export duty on onions has caused an uproar. Meanwhile, the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is far from fading even after nine years.

By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed

By Rich McKay and Andy Sullivan

Wall Street is really suffering through the dog days of August.