BRIEFLY

PROBE LOOKS AT BOEING PILOT: Federal prosecutors investigating Boeing are examining whether the company knowingly misled the Federal Aviation Administration while it was seeking the regulator’s approval for its 737 Max plane, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an active inquiry. In recent months, prosecutors have questioned several Boeing employees in front of a federal grand jury, with some of their queries focusing on whether Mark Forkner, a top pilot at the company, intentionally lied to the regulator about the nature of new flight control software on the jet. That software, known as MCAS, automatically pushes the nose of the plane down.

U.S. HOME SALES FELL IN JANUARY: U.S. home sales retreated 1.3 percent in January from the prior month, but low mortgage rates helped enable an increase in purchases from a year ago. The National Association of Realtors said Friday that sales of existing homes slipped last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.46 million. Sales have climbed 9.6 percent over the past 12 months as borrowing costs have fallen. But sales could be squeezed in the coming months because of a shortage of homes listed for sale. Just 1.42 million homes were on the market at the end of January, a 10.7 percent decline from a year ago.

VIRUS TO CUT INTO COKE SALES: Coca-cola said Friday it expects the coronavirus outbreak to cut into short-term sales and profits, and that fallout from the virus continues to limit its beverage production in China. But the drink giant added it still expects to meet its financial projections for the full year. Coke reported it expects the outbreak to have a 2 to 3 percentage point impact on how many unit cases it sells globally in the first three months of the year.

UNITED RAISES BAG FEE: United will increase the charge for passengers’ first and second checked bags by $5, to $35 and $45, respectively. The fee changes apply to United tickets purchased as of Friday for domestic and short-haul international travel to Latin American and the Caribbean starting March 6. United is facing the impact of suspending its 12 daily flights to China due to steep traffic declines from the coronavirus outbreak.

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