Connect with us

Finance

Pony.ai wins permit for fully driverless taxi in Shenzhen business district

Published

on

A Pony.ai robotaxi drives on a public road in a suburb in southern Beijing on July 11, 2024.

China News Service | China News Service | Getty Images

EMBARGOED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

BEIJING — In the latest step toward building a revenue-generating robotaxi business, Chinese start-up Pony.ai said it has obtained China’s first permit to charge fares for fully driverless taxis in core parts of a business district of Shenzhen.

The city is a coastal tech hub in southern China, sometimes dubbed the country’s Silicon Valley.

The license allows Pony.ai to charge fares for rides — without any human staff inside — in key parts of the district of Nanshan, home to tech giants Tencent and DJI. The permit does not cover trips across the entire space, limiting it to areas such as the financial sub-district.

Pony.ai has already operated robotaxis in parts of a neighboring Shenzhen district and can run taxis with human staff inside on routes that connect to the Shenzhen international airport and Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint on the border with Hong Kong.

While Pony.ai did not disclose how many robotaxis it could operate in the Shenzhen region, the company said the driverless cars could run daily from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time.

Residents can book the robotaxi rides through Pony.ai’s app or a mini-program inside the WeChat messaging app, according to a press release.

'It is coming': Pony.ai CEO says autonomous vehicles are becoming a de facto mode of transportation

Pony.ai also operates robotaxis in parts of the major Chinese cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, for a total of more than 250 cars across the country as of late November.

In late 2021, local authorities in Beijing started allowing Baidu’s Apollo Go and Pony.ai to charge fares for robotaxis in a southern suburb of the city.

In mid-March, Pony.ai also said it was the first company to launch a paid robotaxi route from the suburb to Beijing South Railway Station. Users must reserve the ride a day in advance, and a human staff worker must sit in the driver’s seat, according to current regulations.

Pony.ai this week reported “a significant increase” in passenger fares in the fourth quarter from a year ago, without disclosing exact figures. But the company said its overall revenue from robotaxi services fell by nearly 61.9% year-on-year to $2.6 million in the fourth quarter due to reduced service fees for autonomous vehicle engineering solutions. It also noted its revenue from robotruck services rose by 72.7% year-on-year to $12.9 million due to the expansion of its robotruck fleet.

Continue Reading

Finance

What the Trump tax bill means for your wallet

Published

on

President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” cleared the House and is making its way through the Senate. 

Still, critics point out the bill, which is over 1,000 pages, will add trillions to what is already ballooning government debt hovering at $36 trillion and deficits. However, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent believes this can be managed. 

“We think that we can both grow the economy and control the debt. What’s important, Bill, is that we grow the economy faster than the debt. What I would tell your viewers to focus on, what I am focused on, what Secretary Yellen was focused on is what is the total debt to GDP because we can grow our way out of this,” Bessent said during an appearance Friday on Fox’s “America’s Newsroom” with Bill Hemmer. 

NATIONAL DEBT TRACKER: AMERICAN TAXPAYERS (YOU) ARE NOW ON THE HOOK FOR $36,214,475,432,210

Still, the bill contains several provisions that will benefit American workers and everyday households. FOX Business explains how your money may be affected. 

NO TAX ON TIPS

Hardworking Americans won’t have to pay taxes on the tips they make. While this is good for service employees, it may mean lost revenue for the government…continue reading here

No tax on tips

A tip jar on the counter at a coffee shop. (iStock / iStock)

401(k) FOR BABIES & CHILD TAX CREDITS

Typically, you start a 401(k) when you begin working, getting matched contributions from your employer. The bill may expand similar investment vehicles to newborns and other child tax credits…continue reading here.

trump tax bill, child tax credit

Little girl sleeping (iStock / iStock)

SALT

High-tax blue states, such as New York, likely secured a win with a big bump for SALT, a deduction for state and local taxes, previously capped at $10,000…continue reading here

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

SALT deduction to rise

The Midtown Manhattan skyline in New York City April 8, 2024. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

AUTO LOANS INTEREST FREE  

If you own or buy a car made in the U.S. using an auto loan, the interest is on track to be eligible for a deduction…continue reading here.

no tax on auto loan interest

Vehicles for sale at an AutoNation Honda dealership in Fremont, Calif., June 24, 2024. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

MEDICAID SAFE? 

Trump made it clear the Medicaid program, which provides basically free health insurance to Americans who meet income requirements, won’t be gutted. Not everyone is convinced…continue reading here

Medicaid changes, Trump tax bill

FOOD STAMPS

Changes to food stamps and nutrition assistance, formerly known as SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, are part of the tax bill. Here’s what may change…continue reading here

"SNAP/EBT Food Stamp Benefits Accepted" is displayed on a screen

A SNAP sign is displayed on a screen inside a Family Dollar store in Chicago March 3, 2020. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Continue Reading

Finance

Stocks making the biggest moves midday: AAPL, ROST, INTU, BAH

Published

on

Continue Reading

Finance

Goolsbee says Fed now has to wait longer before moving rates because of trade policy uncertainty

Published

on

Chicago Fed President Goolsbee: Bar is higher for Fed action as we await clarity on trade policy

Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee said Friday that President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats have complicated policy and likely put off changes to interest rates.

In a CNBC interview, the central bank official indicated that while he still sees the direction of rates being lower, the Fed likely will be on hold as it evaluates the ever-changing trade policy and how it impacts inflation and employment.

“Everything’s always on the table. But I feel like the bar for me is a little higher for action in any direction while we’re waiting to get some clarity,” Goolsbee said on “Squawk Box” when asked about Trump’s new actions Friday morning. “Over the longer run, if they’re putting in place tariffs that have a stagflationary impact … then that’s the central bank’s worst situation.”

“So I think we’ll have to see how big the impacts on prices are,” he added. “I know people hate inflation.”

Goolsbee spoke as Trump jolted markets again with a call for 50% tariffs on products from the European Union starting June 1 while indicating Apple will have to pay a 25% tariff on iPhones not made in the U.S. Apple mostly makes its coveted smartphones in China, though there is some production in India as well.

While the impact of a costlier iPhone likely wouldn’t mean much from a larger economic perspective, the saber-ratting underscores the volatility of trade policy and provides another flash point for a market already unnerved by worries about fiscal policy that have sent bond yields sharply higher.

Central bankers are generally careful not to wade into issues of fiscal and trade policy, but are left to analyze their repercussions.

Goolsbee said he is still optimistic that the longer-run trajectory is towards solid economic growth before Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement that rattled markets.

“I’m still underneath hopeful that we can get back to that environment, and 10 to 16 months from now, rates could be a fair bit below where they are today,” he said.

Goolsbee is a voting member this year on the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee, which next meets June 17-18. At the meeting, officials will get a chance to update their economic and interest rate projections. The last update, in March, saw the committee indicating two rate cuts this year.

Markets expect the Fed will cut twice this year, with the next move not happening until September. Goolsbee did not commit to a course of action from here amid the uncertainty.

“I don’t like even mildly tying our hands at the next meeting, much less over six, eight, 10 meetings from now,” he said. “That said, as we went into April 2, I believe that we’re at pretty stable full employment, that inflation was on a path back to 2% and if we could do those I thought that over the next 12 to 18 months, rates could come down a fair amount.”

The Fed’s benchmark overnight borrowing rate is targeted between 4.25%-4.5%, where it has been since December. The actual rate most recently traded at 4.33%.

Continue Reading

Trending