GOVERNMENT
IRS says that tax refunds will go out even if shutdown extends into filing season
The Internal Revenue Service will issue refunds to taxpayers even if the government shutdown extends into the filing season, a decision that may reduce political pressure on Congress and President Trump to reach a deal to reopen the federal government. ‘‘Tax refunds will go out,’’ the acting director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, told reporters at a briefing on Monday. In previous shutdown contingency plans, the IRS would accept tax returns during the filing season, but refunds would be delayed until the government was funded. Vought said the administration is fixing what he called a problem faced by past administrations. The decision will come as a relief to many taxpayers who file their taxes as soon as the filing season begins to claim their refund checks, which averaged $2,899 last year. Within the first week of the 2018 filing season, more than 18.3 million people claimed about $12.6 billion in refunds. The IRS hasn’t yet announced the start date to file tax returns this year, but says it’s on track to begin in late January or early February. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
TECHNOLOGY
Apple takes a swipe at Google with billboard
Apple’s presence is hanging over CES 2019, the annual consumer technology confab — even though the tech giant isn’t attending. In a not-so-subtle shot at Google, Apple touted its commitment to privacy on a giant billboard in Las Vegas as tech companies and tech enthusiasts gathered there. ‘‘What happens on your iPhone stays on your iPhone,’’ the massive letters read, spanning the height of an entire building. The ad plays off the Sin City slogan ‘‘What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’’ and works as an apparent jab against Apple’s Silicon Valley competitor. Google, which makes the world’s most widely deployed mobile operating system, Android, has a large footprint at the show. Another of Apple’s main rivals, Samsung, kicked off its presence at CES by announcing a deal with Apple to offer Apple’s iTunes and Airplay 2 streaming support on Samsung’s 2019 smart televisions, in a first-time partnership. This spring, Samsung owners will get access to an iTunes app on their TV sets, and will be able to stream music, movies and shows from their iPhone or other Apple devices onto their TV. — WASHINGTON POST
AUTOMOTIVE
Ford pursuing talking-car technology
Ford Motor Co. is pursuing another path with talking-car technology that could reduce road deaths, break up gridlock, and even ease ordering at the McDonald’s drive-through. The automaker announced Monday that it’s outfitting all its new US models starting in 2022 with cellular vehicle-to-everything technology. Known as C-V2X, the system will enable Ford’s cars to communicate with one another about road hazards, talk to stop lights to smooth traffic flow, and pay the bill automatically while picking up fast food. The move is controversial because US regulators have yet to greenlight C-V2X, which will run on 5G, the fifth generation of cellular mobile communications. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
CREDIT CARDS
Mastercard drops names from logo
What’s in a name? For MasterCard, not enough to keep it in the logo. The company is removing the word Mastercard from the pair of interlocking red and yellow circles where it has resided for more than 50 years. Mastercard Inc. joins a small stable of brands like Nike, Apple, and Target that rely on an image and not a name in most marketing materials. It also points to the changing nature of exchanging currency. One of the original major credit card companies, formerly known as Master Charge, Mastercard has attempted to rebrand itself in recent years as a ‘‘technology company in the global payments industry.’’ The Purchase, N.Y., company said Monday that 80 percent of people recognize the Mastercard logo even when its name isn’t present. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHARMACEUTICALS
Eli Lilly to buy Loxo Oncology for about $8 billion
Eli Lilly is spending about $8 billion in cash to buy Loxo Oncology, as the drugmaker bulks up on cancer treatments that target certain gene abnormalities. Loxo Oncology could launch a drug next year and targets an abnormality that occurs in several tumor types, including some lung and thyroid cancers, Lilly said in a prepared statement announcing the deal Monday. Lilly, known for insulins like Humalog, has emphasized oncology growth over the past several years, and one of its top-selling products is the cancer treatment Alimta. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHARMACEUTICALS
AstraZeneca hires doctor forced out of Sloan Kettering because of ties to pharma industry
AstraZeneca Plc moved to cement its position in cancer treatment by hiring a scientist who recently left a top US research center after news reports that he had received payments from the pharma industry. Jose Baselga, who was Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s physician-in-chief until he resigned in September, will head the UK drugmaker’s oncology research-and-development arm, the company said Monday. Current research head Mene Pangalos, who oversaw the testing of cancer treatments such as Imfinzi and Lynparza, will manage the cardiovascular and respiratory programs, which have been combined into one R&D unit. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
GASOLINE
Price at the pump continues to drop in Massachusetts
The price of a gallon of gasoline in Massachusetts continues to fall, but remains higher than the national average. AAA Northeast reports Monday self-serve regular has dropped 4 cents in the past week to an average of $2.49 per gallon. That price is 26 cents higher than the current national average and a penny higher than the Bay State price a year ago. AAA says low demand and high supplies on the global crude oil market have driven prices down. AAA found self-serve, regular selling for as high $2.19 per gallon and as high as $2.89 per gallon. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
TRADEMARKS
Toymaker sues Louis Vuitton so it can keep making poop-shaped purses
Toymaker MGA Entertainment has dragged French fashion house Louis Vuitton into a lawsuit that shows how cutting cultural commentary sometimes comes in surprising packages. Poop-shaped packages, to be exact. MGA is pre-emptively suing Louis Vuitton’s parent company, luxury stable LVMH, to ensure it can keep making ‘‘Poopsie Pooey Puitton,’’ its slime-filled plastic purse. According to documents filed last week in Los Angeles federal court, Louis Vuitton has claimed the toy’s design is a trademark infringement because its design marks and name are similar to those of Louis Vuitton handbags. MGA argues not only is the toy obviously not a Louis Vuitton knockoff, but it was meant to slime the lifestyle of the ultrawealthy consumers who ascribe to the brand and thus should be protected as parody. — WASHINGTON POST
AUTOMOTIVE
Station wagons stage a comeback
Stately, plump SUVs are running roughshod over the auto industry, crushing sedans, compacts, and anything else that doesn’t approximate a 5,000-pound turtle. And yet amid the carnage, the earnest, doughty station wagon has emerged unscathed. In fact, it’s picking up speed thanks to a crowd of new models. US customers drove off in 212,000 brand spanking new station wagons last year, 29 percent more than they did five years earlier, according to new data from Edmunds.com. — BLOOMBERG NEWS