Mortgage rates rose to the highest level in more than a year, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday.

Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, released Thursday, showed the average rate on the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 6.71% from last week’s reading of 6.66%. It was the highest reading since July 31, 2025, when the average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage was 6.72%.

The average rate on a 30-year loan was 6.5% a year ago.

The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 6.71% on Thursday, according to Freddie Mac. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

SLOWING LABOR MARKET CREATES NEW HURDLE FOR FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYERS FACING AFFORDABILITY SQUEEZE

“Purchase demand has remained relatively stable indicating steady interest from buyers adapting to evolving market conditions,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist.

The average rate on a 15-year fixed mortgage rose to 6.04% from last week’s reading of 5.98%.

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Mortgage rates are affected by several factors, including the Federal Reserve and geopolitics. Though mortgage rates are not directly affected by the Fed’s interest rate decisions, they closely track the 10-year Treasury yield. The 10-year yield hovered around 4.74% as of Thursday afternoon.

Mortgage rates are affected by several factors, including the Federal Reserve and geopolitics. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Mortgage rates have risen since the start of the conflict between the U.S. and Iran earlier this year.

“The Middle East conflict has put upward pressure on oil prices, fueling inflation and pushing it further from the Fed’s 2% target,” said Realtor.com senior economist Jiayi Xu. “When the conflict appeared to be nearing resolution, bond yields declined and mortgage rates followed suit. But the latest escalation in Middle East tensions has driven oil prices higher, reviving inflation concerns and pushing yields and mortgage rates back up.”

Zoox announced Thursday that its driverless robotaxis will begin transporting passengers to and from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, marking the company’s first airport service.

The Amazon-owned company told FOX Business that, beginning Thursday, riders can book trips between Harry Reid International Airport and the Las Vegas Strip.

“Bringing autonomous transportation to one of the country’s busiest airports requires true partnership, and we are grateful to the Clark County Department of Aviation and the state of Nevada for their continued support as we help shape the future of mobility,” said Ron Thaniel, Zoox’s senior director of policy and regulatory affairs.

A Zoox robotaxi driving down the Las Vegas Strip in front of the Luxor Hotel & Casino. (Zoox Inc.)

WAYMO EXPANDS DRIVERLESS ROBOTAXI SERVICE TO 3 MAJOR US CITIES

Zoox will pick up and drop off passengers at designated curbside locations at the airport, with pickup and drop-off points varying by each of the two passenger terminals.

The robotaxis use lights and audio cues to help riders locate them in busy pickup areas, and passengers can pair their devices via Bluetooth to listen to their own music during the ride.

The vehicles seat four passengers and feature carriage-style seating, with two rows facing each other. The company said there is enough room for roughly one piece of luggage per person if the vehicle is full.

Zoox robotaxi drives down Las Vegas Boulevard. (Zoox Inc.)

ZOOX ROBOTAXI REDESIGN BRINGS BIG RIDER UPGRADES

On July 31, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration granted Zoox a temporary exemption from certain federal motor vehicle safety standards, clearing a key regulatory hurdle for the company to begin charging for rides.

The exemption was necessary because the vehicles lack traditional driver controls, including a steering wheel and pedals, that are required under federal safety standards.

After receiving the federal government’s blessing, Zoox launched paid robotaxi rides in Las Vegas on Aug. 10. The company also operates in San Francisco, where its service remains in the testing phase.

Interior of a Zoox robotaxi, which has four seats.

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Destinations within the app include the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Sphere, the T-Mobile Arena and many major resorts on the Strip.

According to Zoox’s website, the company is looking to begin offering paid rides in 10 other cities, including Seattle, Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Diego and Los Angeles.

CAMDEN, NJ. — The Campbell’s Co. is adding electrolytes to its V8 Energy line. The V8 Energy with Electrolytes line is offered in drink mix sticks and ready-to-drink (RTD) canned formats.

The drink mixes are made with magnesium and vitamins A, C, E and B.

The RTD cans are formulated with potassium, electrolytes and B vitamins.

Both formats are available in lemon lime, strawberry passionfruit and white peach flavors, and each flavor contains 80 milligrams of caffeine.

The cans are available online through Amazon and Walmart. The drink mixes will launch online later this year. Both products will roll out in retailers in 2027, according to the company.

The launch follows the limited-time launch of V8’s yuzu lemon Energy with Electrolytes beverage in March.

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Big ideas are easy to describe. Making them work across complex products, global teams and large organizations is much harder.

That is where Ned Curic has spent much of his career.

Across nearly three decades, Curic has worked in aerospace, enterprise technology, software, connected vehicles and automotive product development. His career has included roles at Northrop Grumman, Microsoft, Toyota, Amazon and Stellantis.

Today, he is responsible for Product Development & Technology and is a member of the Stellantis Leadership Team.

The common thread across those roles is not simply innovation. It is the work required to turn new technology into systems that can operate reliably, integrate with other technologies and scale across real products.

How Ned Curic Built a Career Around Complex Systems

Curic began his career in 1996 in Engineering Systems at Northrop Grumman.

Aerospace and defense engineering leaves little room for disconnected thinking. Systems must work together. Decisions made in one area can affect performance elsewhere. Reliability, architecture and integration matter as much as individual components.

That systems perspective became useful as Curic moved into other industries.

After a short period in the financial sector, he joined Microsoft in 2000. His work there covered consulting, product, security and advisory roles.

The breadth mattered.

Product development is rarely only a software problem or only an engineering problem. Security, architecture, customer requirements, infrastructure and operating constraints all interact. Curic’s time at Microsoft gave him exposure to those different layers during a period of major change in enterprise technology.

Why Automotive Became a Systems and Software Challenge

Curic entered the automotive industry in 2013 as Group Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Toyota Motor North America.

By then, vehicles were becoming more dependent on software, connectivity and data. That created a different engineering challenge.

A vehicle may contain many technologies, but customers experience one product. Software cannot be treated as an isolated feature. Hardware, software, data, interfaces and services need to work as a system.

For established manufacturers, this also creates an industrial challenge. New ideas have to move beyond demonstrations and prototypes. They have to meet requirements for reliability, safety, cost, manufacturing and long-term support.

That shift from individual technologies to integrated platforms became an important part of Curic’s automotive career.

Building Toyota Connected and New Product Capabilities

In 2015, Curic became Co-founder, Executive Vice President, Technical Director and Board Member of Toyota Connected.

The move reflected a broader change taking place across the automotive industry. Connected services were becoming part of the product itself, rather than an optional layer added after vehicle development.

Building that capability required more than developing individual applications.

Data systems, software platforms, customer experiences and vehicle technologies had to be connected. Teams with different disciplines also had to work across organizational boundaries.

The challenge was therefore both technical and operational: create new capabilities while making sure they could function inside the requirements of a global automotive business.

That experience placed Curic directly in the transition from traditional vehicle engineering towards more software-intensive product development.

Bringing Consumer Technology Into the Vehicle

Curic joined Amazon in June 2017 as Vice President of Alexa Automotive.

Voice technology had already gained traction in homes. Bringing it into vehicles created a different set of constraints.

Automotive systems need to operate in changing environments. They interact with existing vehicle functions. Interfaces have to reduce friction rather than create more of it. New services also need to integrate with technology that may have been designed years earlier.

Curic’s work at Amazon placed him at the intersection of consumer software and automotive engineering.

It was another example of a recurring challenge in his career: taking technology that works in one environment and adapting it for a much more complex product system.

Product Development and Technology at Stellantis

At Stellantis, Curic is responsible for Product Development & Technology and is a member of the Stellantis Leadership Team.

The scale of that responsibility changes the nature of innovation.

A new technology is not successful simply because a prototype works. It has to move through engineering, integration, validation and production. It may need to work across different vehicle programmes, markets, brands and regulatory environments.

That requires end-to-end accountability.

Architecture decisions need to account for how technologies will interact later. Engineering teams need clear ownership across boundaries. Product development must consider how new capabilities can be industrialized rather than developed as isolated experiments.

Artificial intelligence adds another layer. AI can support engineering work, improve development processes and help teams handle growing product complexity. But useful deployment still depends on strong data, clear systems architecture and disciplined engineering judgement.

What Ned Curic’s Career Says About Industrializing Innovation

Curic’s career shows that bringing a major idea to life is rarely about one breakthrough moment.

It is usually a systems problem.

The work happens between concept and production. It involves deciding how technologies fit together, who owns each decision, how teams collaborate and whether a solution can perform reliably at scale.

Curic studied Informatics and Computer Science and earned his MBA from Pepperdine University’s George L. Graziadio School of Business and Management in 2012. That combination of technical and business training fits the type of problems he has worked on throughout his career.

From engineering systems to connected platforms and global automotive product development, his work has increasingly centered on one question: how do you take promising technology and make it work across the full product lifecycle?

That is a more demanding task than generating ideas. It is also where many of the most important technology decisions are made.

Amy Ingham

Amy Ingham is a reporter at Business Matters, covering UK business news with a focus on breaking news, business policy, late payments and insolvency. She joined the magazine in 2026 after completing the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism at Harlow College’s journalism school. Her recent reporting includes British Steel’s nationalisation and its impact on SME suppliers, the decline in late payments by large firms, and Insolvency Service director disqualifications. Reach her at aingham@cbmeg.co.uk.

OpenAI on Thursday unveiled GPT-6 Astra, a new artificial intelligence (AI) model the tech company says features major improvements in computer use, coding, scientific research and professional work.

The San Francisco-based company said Astra is rolling out starting Thursday to enterprise customers with Daybreak access. In the coming days, it will also roll out to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise users, as well as through the OpenAI API and Amazon Web Services.

“GPT-6 Astra is built on advances across pre-training, reinforcement learning, and alignment, bringing together years of research and big bets,” OpenAI said. “Astra is state-of-the-art on computer use, browser use, software engineering, cybersecurity, science, and professional work.”

OPENAI, 100+ COMPANIES WARN OF COMING SURGE IN AI-POWERED CYBERATTACKS, CALL FOR GLOBAL DEFENSE PUSH

OpenAI’s headquarters in San Francisco Aug. 14, 2025. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

The new model can carry out “tedious” computer-based tasks, such as filling out online forms, updating customer records, organizing calendars and conducting research.

OpenAI also said Astra can create documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

“GPT-6 Astra is the best model for software engineering to date,” the company added.

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OpenAI also said Astra can create documents, spreadsheets and presentations. (Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The tech company also said that Astra represents a significant jump in cybersecurity capabilities.

“As we discussed in our safety update, Astra is a significant jump in cyber capabilities and meets the Critical threshold in cybersecurity under our Preparedness Framework,” OpenAI said.

The company also touted Astra’s performance in math and science, calling Astra a “major advance for scientific discovery, mathematics, and health.”

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The company also touted Astra’s performance in math and science, calling Astra a “major advance for scientific discovery, mathematics and health.” (Serene Lee/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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“Astra is our most aligned model. Astra excels at exercising care, respecting task boundaries, and communicating transparently,” the company said. “This work is the latest product of our long-running research program focused on training models that remain aligned with human intent from start to finish.”

The company has faced heightened scrutiny over AI safety after OpenAI-built agents breached their testing environment and accessed open-source platform Hugging Face.

OpenAI said Astra was not involved in that incident.

Reuters contributed to this report.

When Does a Clear Product Window Improve Consumer Buying Decisions? is a practical packaging question, not just a design theme.

For food, supplement, pet treat, beauty, household, and specialty-product brands, the package must protect the product, support efficient operations, communicate clearly, and remain consistent from one order to the next. The central issue in this topic is using clear windows only when product visibility meaningfully reduces uncertainty and supports the buying decision. A visually attractive result can still fail if the structure is hard to fill, the material is poorly specified, or the final pack behaves differently from the approved proof.

A dependable process begins with measurable product information and ends with testing under realistic conditions. This guide explains how U.S. brands can move from a commercial goal to a production-ready specification. It also separates reasonable packaging benefits from claims that require product-specific evidence. That distinction matters for food contact, shelf life, environmental statements, and any promise about protection.

Define the Product Before the Package

Document the complete sale unit before choosing size, material, or graphics. Record maximum and minimum dimensions, weight, shape, surface sensitivity, temperature, moisture or oil exposure, sharp edges, and normal manufacturing tolerances. Use the largest and heaviest realistic samples rather than one ideal item. The relevant product set may include dry foods, supplements, pet products, beauty items, household goods, or other products suited to flexible packaging.

Map how the pack will be received, stored, assembled, filled, sealed or closed, labeled, displayed, shipped, opened, and disposed of. Identify who performs each step and how much time is available. Note where reduced barrier, glare, visible product settling, weaker shelf presence, or an unappealing view after transport may occur. A written product-and-journey brief gives the converter a problem to solve and prevents the project from being reduced to a request for “premium quality” without an operational definition.

Turn Marketing Goals Into Measurable Requirements

Translate broad goals such as premium, convenient, protective, or affordable into observable results. A premium pack might require controlled color, clean edges, smooth opening, and consistent fit. Convenience may mean one-handed opening, clear instructions, or fast packing. Protection should refer to specific hazards and acceptance criteria. Affordability should be evaluated through total cost, not only price per unit.

For this topic, the specification should address window size, position, clarity, barrier impact, seal distance, and artwork hierarchy. Rank requirements as essential, preferred, or optional. This prevents decorative additions from displacing a feature that controls performance. It also makes quotations easier to compare. When suppliers propose alternatives, ask which requirement changes, what data supports the recommendation, and whether a new sample or validation step will be required.

Use the Primary Anchor as a Real Buying Decision

When evaluating Custom Mylar Bags with Window, the keyword should represent a defined packaging format rather than a vague product label. Ask the supplier to state construction, dimensions, tolerances, materials, print method, finish, closure or retention features, packing quantity, and quality criteria. If the product is intended for food, supplements, cosmetics, or another regulated use, confirm that every relevant component is suitable for its intended contact and conditions.

Request a dieline and representative physical sample before approving production. Fill it with actual products and repeat the normal packing process. Photograph front, back, sides, opening sequence, shelf view, shipping configuration, and the customer’s first view. This reveals problems that a flat PDF cannot show, including blocked branding, difficult access, excessive movement, or information placed where folds and labels interfere.

Choose Materials by Function, Not Nickname

Packaging names used in the market do not fully describe performance. The starting material decision here is a multilayer film structure selected by measurable moisture, oxygen, light, aroma, chemical, and puncture requirements. Ask for measurable information that relates to the product and route. Depending on the format, that may include thickness or caliper, board grade, flute, barrier data, sealant layer, density, recovery behavior, recycled-content evidence, or surface compatibility.

Do not assume that a thicker material is automatically better. Excess material can increase cost, slow conversion, or transmit force instead of managing it. Conversely, reducing material without testing can create failures. Evaluate the complete construction, because inks, coatings, adhesives, windows, zippers, laminations, and inserts can change performance and end-of-life options. Keep supplier specifications with the approved sample so future reorders can be checked against the same baseline.

Develop Artwork on the Final Dieline

Build artwork only after structure and dimensions are stable. Establish safe areas, bleed, seals or glue zones, scores, cut lines, windows, barcodes, variable-data areas, and any surfaces that become hidden after forming. Use a clear hierarchy for brand, product name, variant, quantity, instructions, and required information. Small type should be reviewed at final printed size, not enlarged on a monitor.

Color targets should be defined with the printer rather than judged from different screens. Check how white ink, transparent areas, metallic effects, matte surfaces, uncoated board, or dark solids influence appearance. For a product range, use controlled positions and typography while allowing variants to differ through planned color or imagery. Version numbers, approval dates, and named approvers reduce the chance of an outdated file returning to production.

Plan Manufacturing and Conversion

Understand the sequence used to make the package. In flexible packaging, artwork may be separated, printed, laminated, cured, slit, formed, fitted with closures, and sealed into pouches. Each stage introduces tolerances that should be considered in the design.

Ask which setup costs apply and which changes trigger new plates, cylinders, tooling, dies, or proofs. Confirm lead time from final artwork approval rather than from the first inquiry. Discuss how units will be packed for delivery and whether they need time to condition before use. A schedule should include sampling, revisions, compliance review, production, freight, incoming inspection, and a buffer for correction. Launch dates built only around the press date are fragile.

Keep the Secondary Anchor Properly Integrated

The wider decision about custom packaging should be addressed several stages after the primary format is defined. It may describe the broader packaging family, a related structure, or the system that connects multiple SKUs. Use shared rules for logo placement, typography, product information, labels, testing, and supplier records while allowing each pack to meet its own physical requirements.

Create a packaging matrix with SKU, compatible products, dimensions, material, print version, features, storage location, minimum order quantity, lead time, and reorder point. Remove duplicate formats that perform the same job without a clear advantage. Standardization can simplify training and purchasing, but it should not force products with different hazards into one unsuitable pack. The goal is controlled variety, not one-size-fits-all packaging.

Test Under Realistic Conditions

Testing should reflect the actual distribution and customer journey. The most relevant checks here include filled samples under shelf lighting, storage trials, photography, and consumer viewing distance. Define pass-or-fail criteria before testing: acceptable movement, no loss of closure, no product contact with sensitive surfaces, readable barcode, controlled cosmetic damage, and an agreed packing time. Include product and packaging tolerances, not only ideal samples.

For food or other sensitive products, packaging cannot establish shelf life or safety by itself. Product formulation, processing, sanitation, temperature, water activity, oxygen, and storage time can all matter. Vacuum packaging is not a substitute for required refrigeration or other safe handling. Brands should validate claims and storage instructions for the actual product. Keep dated samples, photographs, measurements, and results so approvals are traceable.

Control Cost Without Removing Essential Performance

Compare supplier prices against one written specification. Confirm material, dimensions, print, finish, closures or insert components, tooling, setup, packing quantity, freight, duties if applicable, tolerances, and lead time. A lower quote may reflect a different structure rather than a better price. Calculate total cost using assembly labor, storage, damaged goods, excess inventory, obsolete artwork, rework, and cash tied up in minimum quantities.

Short runs can reduce inventory risk but usually carry a higher unit cost. Larger runs can reduce unit price while increasing commitment. Choose quantity using credible demand, shelf-life or artwork-change risk, storage capacity, and supplier lead time. Before scaling, test a realistic pilot. Removing a necessary barrier layer, support point, or quality check to save a small amount can create a much larger operational cost.

Handle Compliance and Claims Carefully

The FDA treats packaging components that contact food as food-contact substances, and their regulatory status depends on intended use and conditions. Suppliers should be able to identify relevant materials, inks, adhesives, and barriers for the proposed application. Brands remain responsible for product labeling and claims that apply to their category. When the legal position is unclear, obtain qualified advice before production rather than relying on a generic certificate.

Environmental language also needs evidence. The FTC Green Guides address claims such as recyclable, recycled content, degradable, and compostable. Multi-material flexible pouches, windows, adhesives, coatings, foams, and combined inserts may not be accepted in every local system. Avoid broad “eco-friendly” statements. Describe the actual material or verified attribute, qualify limitations where needed, and make disposal instructions understandable.

Create an Incoming Quality-Control Routine

Approve a controlled reference sample for structure, fit, print, color, finish, and function. At receipt, inspect units from multiple cartons or rolls rather than the easiest sample on top. Check dimensions, cutting, seals or glue, registration, odor, surface damage, assembly, fit, and any closure, window, divider, or insert. Load real products periodically because empty packaging can hide failures.

Record supplier batch, inspection date, sample size, defects, photographs, and disposition. Track production measures such as packing speed, sealing rejects, damaged products, returns, complaints, and unused stock. If performance changes, investigate material, conversion, storage, equipment settings, product tolerances, and employee process before assuming one cause. Consistent records turn quality conversations into evidence and help improvements survive staff or supplier changes.

Conclusion

A successful package connects the commercial goal with product data, material performance, manufacturability, artwork, testing, cost, and compliance. For this topic, the central lesson is using clear windows only when product visibility meaningfully reduces uncertainty and supports the buying decision. None of these decisions should be made from an online image or a material nickname alone. Filled prototypes and written acceptance criteria reveal whether the idea works in the real operation.

The practical next step is to create one measurable brief, request a representative sample, and test it through packing, distribution, display, opening, and normal use. Record what passes, what fails, and what must change before volume production. That process helps brands protect products, control spending, present information clearly, and build a packaging system that can be repeated as orders grow.