Enterprise Rent-A-Car announced it plans to rent Harley-Davidson motorcycles, making it the first big car rental agency in the U.S. to do so. The two-wheelers will be available only from a facility in Las Vegas, where Enterprise hopes to woo enthusiasts who want to see local sites, from the Strip to the Hoover Dam, by motorcycle. The bikes will go for $120 to $160 a day.
Facebook lets teens post widelyTeenagers using Facebook will now be able to post items that can be seen by the public, making it easier for the social network to turn a teenager’s post into an ad that can be shown widely. With the change to its rules on teenagers’ use of Facebook, the company reversed its longstanding policy that users between 13 and 17 years old could not share comments and photos more broadly than to friends of friends. Facebook said it made the change to let socially active teenagers such as musicians and humanitarian activists, people the service has often called its “savviest users,” reach a wider audience the way they can on blogs and rival services like Twitter.
Pickup prices pick upGeneral Motors is adding a twist to the fight for supremacy in the red-hot U.S. pickup truck market: It’s raising prices. GM is adding almost $2,100 to the sticker price of the base 2014 Chevrolet Silverado. That’s 8.5 percent above the price when the truck hit showrooms in the spring. The car companies, however, often boost incentives along with prices to give buyers the feeling of getting a better deal.
Mortgage applications riseMortgage applications in the U.S. rose for a second straight week, reflecting a pickup in refinancing. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s index increased 0.3 percent in the period ending Oct. 11 after a 1.3 percent gain, the trade group said. The group’s refinancing gauge climbed 3.3 percent to its highest point since early August.
New candy barNestle announced plans for a 2014 rollout of the Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cup. The candy bar presents fresh competition to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, the nation’s top-selling candy bar. Nestle has already bought a Super Bowl commercial to tout the new product.
Top investor threatsThe North American Securities Administrators Association has expanded its top 10 investor threats to 15 this year to accommodate new small-business scams. Many of the threats have been longstanding scams, such as risky or fake oil and gas drilling schemes. But among the new threats are crowdfunding scams that play off regulations that have made it easier for small businesses to raise capital from investors.
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