Fewer U-Hauls: Sales of new U.S. homes fell 5.3% in June, despite a tight housing market where buyers far outnumber sellers. The Commerce Department says newly built homes sold at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 631,000 last month, less than May’s revised figure of 666,000. New-home sales have risen 6.9% so far this year. Regionally, the Northeast saw a 36.8% gain in the number of new houses sold, while the South, Midwest and West all experienced declines. See the report.
Self-driving grocery orders: Google spinoff Waymo is launching a pilot program with Walmart later this week that will allow customers to use its self-driving car service to pick up groceries at Walmart stores. Waymo said in a blog post on Wednesday that the program, which will be tested in Phoenix starting later this week, will help make shopping more convenient. Customers will also receive savings on their groceries when they are ordered on Walmart.com, although specifics weren’t provided. Read the full story.
Miss U: The owner of the company behind chalky, colorful confections such as Necco Wafers and the iconic Sweethearts popular around Valentine’s Day has unexpectedly shut down operations at its Massachusetts plant. The company hasn’t indicated whether candy production will resume. Round Hill Investments LLC announced it is selling Necco brands, one of the country’s oldest candy companies, to another manufacturer and closing down its plant. The closure came as a shock to its 230 employees. Read the full story.
