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WASHINGTON (AP) — From Wall Street traders to car dealers to home buyers, Americans are eager for the Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates and lightening the heavy burden on borrowers.

Whether you want your side gigs to replace your day job or simply provide some extra cash, treating them like businesses can keep your finances better organized and help you work smarter.

TOKYO (AP) — Nissan's profit sank in October-December to about half of what it earned the year before, the automaker said Thursday, though it stuck to its earlier earnings forecasts. Nissan Motor Co.

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese automaker Honda's profit rose 3.5% in the October-December quarter from a year earlier on the back of solid demand in the U.S. and Europe and a recovery in its home market, the company said Thursday. Tokyo-based Honda Motor Co.

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today...

TORONTO — Carmakers say they're caught in a game of cat-and-mouse with criminals as auto thefts surge. Though they're taking steps to improve security features, the companies say every update is eventually countered by new efforts from bad actors.

OTTAWA — The federal government is earmarking $28 million in new money to help fight the export of stolen vehicles.

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — As officers tried to get a would-be bank robber in Florida to surrender, the man decided instead to take two hostages.

DETROIT (AP) — A couple of blocks from the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, Electrify America is about to open an indoor charging station that lets drivers relax in a lounge while their electric vehicle batteries are being filled up.

VANCOUVER — Finning International Inc. reported its fourth-quarter profit fell compared with a year ago as it was hit by a foreign exchange loss in Argentina due to government currency restrictions and a devaluation of the Argentine peso.