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One more reason things cost more today: cybercrime.

A survey by the Identity Theft Resource Center, a San Diego-based education and victim resource nonprofit, found that 38% of small businesses hit by a cyberscam or breach in the previous 12 months passed those losses to customers by raising prices.

Another key finding: Cybercrime against small businesses is increasingly fueled by artificial intelligence.

“The era of predictable, human-scale threats has been superseded by a new reality of automated, intelligent and massively scalable attacks powered by AI,” said the report, which discusses trends in threats, prevention and attacks. It also gives detailed recommendations about network and application security, data protection and employee and contractor practices. (The survey reached out to more than 650 companies across more than 12 industries in August.)

Eva Velasquez, the CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center, said the results offer a stark reminder that hackers aren’t picky. They will grab data and money from anyone, including large and small businesses, and individuals. read more

By MATT OTT, Associated Press Business Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits inched up last week but U.S. layoffs remain historically low despite signs of a softening labor market.

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U.S. filings for jobless aid for the week ending Jan. 17 rose by 1,000 to 200,000, up from 199,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s fewer than the 207,000 new applications that analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet were expecting. read more

By PAUL WISEMAN, Associated Press Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Powered by strong consumer spending, the U.S. economy grew at the fastest pace in two years from July through September, the government said Thursday in a slight upgrade of its first estimate.

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America’s gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — rose at a 4.4% annual pace in the third quarter, the Commerce Department reported Thursday, up from 3.8% in the April-June quarter and from the 4.3% growth the department initially estimated. The economy hasn’t grown faster since third-quarter 2023. read more

By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market is rising again Thursday and regaining more of its losses for the week following the latest walkback by President Donald Trump from tariffs he had earlier threatened.

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The S&P 500 climbed 0.7% and added to its big gain from Wednesday, when Trump said he had reached “the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland” and called off 10% tariffs on European countries that he said opposed his having the Arctic island. The index has recovered most of the losses it took after Trump shook financial markets with his initial tariff threat. read more

It isn’t often that someone buys a relatively new home, guts it, and then puts it up for sale. But that’s exactly what happened with a home in Lake Nona.

“Everything is customized in the house, everything personalized, the landscaping, the pool, the entire floorplan was changed,” said listing agent Humberto Cuevas with La Rosa Realty. “The only thing that stayed the same in the layout was the master bedroom.”

The 5,718-square-foot home was built in 2019 by Taylor Morrison, and someone lived in it for about a year. The current owner bought it in 2021 for $1.45 million and basically rebuilt it.

“She basically gutted the entire house and was doing construction for almost two years,” Cuevas told GrowthSpotter, adding the customizations are classy, making it more than just a white and grey box.

The kitchen moved from its original location and now has Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances, a large prep island, and frameless contemporary cabinets.

“When you open them, they light up inside as soon as you open them,” he said. read more