GOOGLE FACES LAWSUIT OVER TRACKING TECH

Australia’s consumer watchdog sued Google on Tuesday, alleging that the technology giant broke consumer law by misleading Android users about how their location data was collected and used.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission accused Google of collecting information on users’ whereabouts even after they had switched off the location setting.

China accuses U.S. of “economic bullying” over equipment ban.

BEIJING» China on Tuesday accused the U.S. of “economic bullying behavior” after U.S. regulators cited security threats in proposing to cut off funding for Chinese equipment in U.S. telecommunications networks.

China would “resolutely oppose the U.S. abusing state power to suppress specific Chinese enterprises with unwarranted charges in the absence of any evidence,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a daily briefing.

“The economic bullying behavior of the U.S. is a denial of the market economy principle that the U.S. has always advertised,” Geng said, adding that the U.S. actions would “undermine the interests” of U.S. businesses and consumers, especially in rural areas.

Home prices rise at slow pace for second consecutive month.

U.S. home prices increased modestly in August, a trend that could make homebuying affordable for more Americans.

The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index, released Tuesday, rose 2% in August from a year earlier. That matched

July’s annual increase as the slowest in seven years. Wages have been increasing more quickly than home prices since February, reversing a years-long trend.

Slower price gains combined with low mortgage rates have helped revive the housing market this year after a slump in 2018.

Consumer confidence continues to fall.

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ON» U.S. consumer ING T confidence has fallen for a third consecutive month as optimism about job prospects and business conditions down the road grow weaker.

The Conference Board announced Tuesday that its consumer confidence index edged down to 125.9 in October, compared with 126.3 in September. Perceptions about the present situation improved, but future expectations frayed.

Conference Board economist Lynn Franco said Tuesday that even with the recent declines, confidence remains high.

Pending home sales reached a 21-month high in September.

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Americans signed contracts to buy homes in September, a sign that the housing market is still benefiting from lower mortgage rates.

The National Association of Realtors announced Tuesday that its pending home sales index rose 1.5% from August to September to 108.7, its highest level since December 2017. Measured year over year, pending home sales have surged 3.9%.

The average interest rate on a 30-year, fixedrate mortgage is 3.75%, according to Freddie Mac. — Denver Post