AP If Alfred “Skip” Nichols had been a commercial airplane pilot, he probably would have been grounded long ago. Nichols, the pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed over the weekend in Texas, killing 16, was able to keep flying despite having at least four convictions for drunken driving and twice spending time in prison — pointing to ...

  Bloomberg Canada is in the midst of one of its weakest expansions ever, and only the housing boom keeps it from getting worse. That’s one of the key takeaways from Friday’s GDP report. Two years since oil prices started plunging, Canada’s economy is almost completely reliant for growth on bank lending and the hot Vancouver and Toronto housing markets. ...

  Bloomberg When talking about housing, “underwater” usually means you owe more on a mortgage than the home is actually worth. If climate change continues apace, that term could take on a much more literal meaning. Rising sea levels could soak homeowners for $882 billion, according to a new report from real estate website Zillow. The research takes its initial ...

  Bloomberg Robust demand for mortgages. Real estate values rising at a solid clip. Construction employment in decent shape. A fresh cycle high for single-family home sales. With all this working in the housing market’s favor, it’s hard to envision why residential outlays took a step back in the June construction spending report, notes Bespoke Investment Group. Private residential spending ...

  Bloomberg As Manhattan developers grapple with how to sell their luxury condos in a slowing market, Billy Macklowe’s Greenwich Village project is an anomaly: He’s found buyers for both penthouses in less than two months. Macklowe, who with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is planning a 52-unit condo tower at the site of the former Bowlmor Lanes, said the two ...

  Bloomberg You’re a millennial buying your first home. Good work not moving in with your parents or renting a shoebox! But as you make the homeownership leap, you want space: Where can you go, and at what cost? Research released on Wednesday by Trulia looked at the U.S. metro areas with the largest starter homes, measured by median square ...

  Bloomberg After extending its lead over Apple Inc. in the global smartphone market with the Galaxy S7, Samsung Electronics Co. is now trying to keep that spirit alive before a new iPhone arrives. The South Korean company announced the latest iteration of its large-screen smartphone with the 5.7-inch Note 7 that can be unlocked with an iris-scanning camera. Sporting ...

  Bloomberg Google X’s Project Wing drone delivery services will be tested at a US site, the White House announced as part of an initiative to push research and safety measures for unmanned flight. The US National Science Foundation will spend $35 million over the next five years on unmanned flight research and the Department of Interior plans to expand ...

  Bloomberg With the whole world playing Pokemon Go, you need every advantage to stay ahead. Here are some of the hacks to get an edge on the competition when chasing pocket monsters, from easy to way advanced. LEVEL: NEWBIE So you finally cornered a rare Mewtwo Pokemon. It’s time to still your beating heart and capture the critter with ...

  Bloomberg Packing for holidays, road trips or even getting ready to hit the sales is about to get much, much easier. No matter how well you’ve packed or how many pre-vacation lists you’ve made, there is always that moment of horror at the check-in desk or at security when you think you’ve forgotten your passport or ID. However, within ...