January 8, 2021 - Biz in 60

US economy loses 140,000 jobs in December The recovery in the US jobs market collapsed in December as businesses struggled under renewed curbs amid a coronavirus resurgence. Nonfarm payrolls decreased by 140-thousand last month, down from a gain of 245-thousands in November. The unemployment rate remained steady at 6-point-7 percent, nearly double the 3-point-5 percent rate a year ago. Boeing to pay $2.5B to settle charges over 737 Max Boeing has agreed to pay 2-and-a-half billion dollars to settle a criminal probe with the US Justice Department. The plane-maker was accused of hiding information from safety officials about the design of its troubled 737 MAX aircraft that was involved in two deadly crashes. The settlement includes a 500-million- dollar payment to the families of the victims Hyundai in talks with Apple to develop electric cars Shares in Hyundai Motors surged as much as 25-percent on reports the South Korean car-maker was in talks with Apple about developing self-driving electric cars. But the stock pared some of those gains after Hyundai clarified it was talking with a number of potential partners without naming the US tech giant.