The latest trend in housing? Roommates

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

The percentage of adults living with someone other than a spouse or partner hit 32% nationwide in 2012, up from 26% in 2000, according to Zillow's analysis of the latest Census Bureau data.

And, judging by the ongoing decline in homeownership rates and tightened supply of rental vacancies, the trend appears to be gaining momentum.

People start pairing up when rents are climbing and incomes aren't keeping up -- and in recent years, rents have really been on a tear. They rose 6.5% over the 12 months ended in September, according to Trulia. Meanwhile, wages have remained more or less flat.

Related: Why I have a roommate at my age

The numbers make the case for sharing space.

In Brooklyn, N.Y., for example, the average one-bedroom apartment rents for more than $2,600 a month, according to Jonathan Miller, president of appraisal firm Miller Samuel. Renters willing to live together, however, pay an average of $3,200 for a two bedroom, each saving $1,000 a month. Those living in three bedrooms, which average $4,200 a month, save even more at $1,200 per person.

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Working adults in doubled up households tend to earn less, according to Zillow. So sharing a place enables them to afford and compete for more attractive housing.

Writer Dina Wilcox and executive coach, Ann Fry, live in Manhattan, one of the nation's most expensive housing markets. Both in their late 60s, most of Wilcox's and Fry's peers live with significant others or by themselves.

But these two have found life more enjoyable and affordable by splitting things like the utility bills and food costs in their Harlem apartment. Fry, for example, pays just $1,500 a month for her share of housing expenses.

"Financially, it's terrific. It meant I could pay what I was paying in my old sublet," said Fry.

There's also the added bonus of companionship: The two often entertain and cook together, she said.

Dina Wilcox and Ann Fry live together in an apartment in Harlem.

Thikshan Arulampalam, 46, said he has had a roommate for almost the entire 18 years he's lived in New York City. He's been thankful for the savings. Money got very tight after he was laid off last year and started his own IT company.

"My friends think I am crazy and should move to a suburb and live on low rent on my own," he said.

Related: Colleges with the highest paid grads

Not surprisingly, the metro areas with the largest percentage of doubled (or tripled or quadrupled) up households are the priciest ones. Among the cities where 42% or more of households include roommates: Honolulu, Los Angeles, Riverside, Calif., Miami, and New York, according to Zillow's analysis of Census data.

Cities where roommates are few and far between are mainly small affordable places in the Midwest, where slow growth means little pressure on housing stocks and rents and home prices are reasonable. These are places like Sheboygan, Oshkosh and Wausau, Wisc. as well as Ithaca, N.Y.

First Published: November 5, 2014: 6:52 PM ET

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Whole Foods shares pop on best-ever sales

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

The company made $128 million in the fourth quarter on top of a record $3.3 billion in sales. Both figures were 9% higher than they were the same time last year. Its earnings beat Wall Street's expectations.

Related: Whole Foods debuts environmental ratings for veggies, fruits and flowers

The grocer also told investors that sales would continue to grow, just 10% slower than they did in 2014. That's good news for the supermarket chain which has been battling brands like Kroger (KR) and Trader Joe's for control of the organic food market.

Its shares were up more than 7% in after-hours trading, though they're still down nearly 31% for the year.

Related: It wasn't too long that Whole Foods stock was rotting away

First Published: November 5, 2014: 6:42 PM ET

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This suit will give you superhuman strength

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Lockheed Martin (LMT) has developed Fortis, an exoskeleton that can shoulder the first 36 pounds of whatever its user is holding. The company is beginning to test the technology in factories around the country, starting with the C-130 plant in Marietta, Ga.

Putting on Fortis looks a bit like attaching robot parts to your own appendages, with metal rods and braces outlining the body of the suit. While wearing it, a large tool feels light enough to swing around.

A 30-plus pound riveter felt "pretty much weightless" to Jim Medley, an assembly line worker at the cargo plane factory.

He was more graceful with his tools than on his feet, however: walking in Fortis is closer to a waddle. Still, Medley found that the equipment substantially lightened his load while drilling and riveting a section of a C-130J wing.

The benefit of this newfound strength (aside from feeling like a superhero) is that it enables workers to go for long periods without needing a break. The suit minimizes muscle fatigue, which increases productivity.

"It's actually holding the weight ... I just have to balance it and maneuver it to where it needs to go, " Medley said.

Fortis works by transferring weight from the arm of the exoskeleton through a series of joints and ultimately to the ground. It has counterweights on the back so users don't fall over.

The technology was under development for six years. Lockheed has developed four units so far, with more on the way. Two were sent to the Navy in mid-October for testing and evaluation at their shipyards.

Related: Shopping? The robot will help you now

"Workers there were experiencing fatigue from holding grinders up on the sides of ships for long periods of time," Lockheed's exoskeleton technology manager Patricia Aelker said.

The other two are traveling to Lockheed facilities around the country as the company tests different applications. At the C-130 plant, Fortis was put to work for riveting, grinding and overhead drilling.

"Iron Man is a fictional character that breaks the laws of physics, but Fortis is a real product for real people," Aelker said.

First Published: November 5, 2014: 11:53 PM ET

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New Jawbone tracker takes your heart rate

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Unfortunately, it can't do it all those things right now.

Jawbone is adding two new fitness trackers to its lineup, including the new $179 Jawbone UP 3 wristband. But instead of waiting until all the features are ready to go, Jawbone is pushing the UP out in time for the holiday season (specific release date TBD). That means some of the more intriguing capabilities won't be added until a software update sometime next year.

The device's key new ingredient is something called a bioimpedance sensor. Most wearable fitness trackers use an optical heart rate sensor that flashes a light onto the skin to see blood flow and capillaries. The hardware can be bulky, which is why many entry-level fitness trackers don't do heart rates.

Related: Movie theaters ban Google Glass and other wearables

According to Jawbone, its bioimpedance sensor detects the physical resistance of body tissue to get more accurate readings for a wider range of metrics. For example, if you have more salt or liquid in your body, that slows down the resistance.

Out of the box, the $179 UP 3 will automatically read your resting heart rate. It will track sleep cycles and know when you're working out, in addition to the usual step and activity tracking.

Jawbone's other new product is the UP Move, a small $50 modular fitness and sleep tracker aimed at wooing the many first timers who aren't counting their steps yet.

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After years of success with audio devices, the company branched into consumer wearables in 2011 with the first Jawbone UP. Unfortunately, there were massive product failures, most notably bricking (when a device shuts down and can't be restarted). The CEO issued a public apology and offered full refunds to unhappy customers.

A year later, Jawbone released the far more stable UP 2, going up against competitors Nike and Fitbit. Now every company seems to be working on a wearable of some sort, whether it's a hardcore fitness gadget or high-end smart watch. Jawbone is focusing on lifestyle devices that people wear 24 hours a day. That means they can't be too big, too power hungry, or too unfashionable.

To stay competitive, Jawbone needed to bring something fresh to the wearables party. In 2013, Jawbone acquired wearable fitness company BodyMedia for more than $100 million. Some of that technology is in the new UP 3.

The power that technology adds to the UP could be a huge hit for Jawbone. When it actually makes it to consumers' wrists.

First Published: November 5, 2014: 12:10 AM ET

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Strong cable, box office performance helps 21st Century Fox

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

The media conglomerate reported quarterly revenues of $7.89 billion, an increase of 12% from the year prior.

In a letter to investors, CEO Rupert Murdoch said that momentum from cable programming and the company's slate of films helped to build strong earnings and revenue growth for the quarter.

Even though the summer movie season was a rough one overall, Fox's lineup of films posted record operating income of $458 million, a 40% increase from the same period last year.

This was thanks to films like the teen romance "The Fault in Our Stars," which stood out at the box office with $178 million globally, and "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," which brought in a surprising $499 million worldwide.

While the quarter was full of bright spots, one negative for 21st Century Fox was low ratings at the Fox broadcasting network.

Last week the network canceled its $50 million reality experiment "Utopia" after a mere two months.

"We know we have work to do," 21st Century Fox COO Chase Carey said during the company's quarterly conference call with investors.

Carey said it was a "difficult start" to the season, but also mentioned some of the network's successes, like the solid start of the Batman prequel,"Gotham."

While the ratings are bleaker than expected at the company's broadcast network, cable programming was strong in the third quarter, showing an operating income increase of 5% to $1.04 billion.

Carey credited the long-term strength of Fox News, the new sports channel Fox Sports 1 being "on track," and the landmark deal for FXX to carry all past episodes of "The Simpsons." Carey said the "Simpsons" deal had "already paid dividends" for the company.

He also went on to say that pervasive concerns about the changing landscape of TV were "overblown," especially in the short term.

"The traditional bundle still has legs," Carey said.

However, he was quick to mention that new digital offerings are an exciting way to reach consumers, and that the traditional bundle is "fraying at the edge" with millennials.

First Published: November 5, 2014: 1:14 AM ET

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Red-leaning states say yes to a higher minimum wage

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Based on the results tallied by 1:15 a.m. EST, voters in Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota -- all red-leaning states -- had approved proposals to raise their state-level minimum wages over the next few years.

Arkansas: The minimum wage will rise from $6.25 an hour now to $8.50 by 2017.

Nebraska: From $7.25 today to $9.00 by 2016.

South Dakota: From $7.25 currently to $8.50 next year; it will be adjusted for inflation thereafter.

They join 12 other states and Washington, D.C., all of which have moved in the past two years to raise their state minimums.

Alaska, too, had a ballot measure calling for a higher minimum wage, but votes there are still being tallied.

2014 minimum wage, state by state

Voters in Illinois also approved a measure Tuesday night to raise that state's minimum wage from $8.25 today to $10. But the vote was nonbinding, operating as more of an opinion poll, and the results won't change Illinois law.

Meanwhile, the Democratic push in Congress to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 from $7.25 has gone nowhere.

Banks to pay everyone at least a 'living wage'

At a more local level, voters in the California cities of San Francisco, Oakland and Eureka also were asked to weigh in on a higher minimum wage.

Votes there are still being tallied, but preliminary numbers suggest the measure was approved in San Francisco, where the minimum wage would be gradually raised to $15 by 2018, up from $10.74 currently.

L.A. mayor calls for $13.25 minimum wage

San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee declared victory on the issue, saying "San Francisco voters sent a message loudly and clearly to the nation that we can take on the growing gap between rich and poor, we can give a well-deserved raise to our lowest-wage workers, and we can do it in a way that protects jobs and small business."

If the final tally does confirm majority approval of the wage hike in San Francisco, that city will be at the front of the pack with Seattle, which recently approved a $15 minimum by 2017.

Many low-wage workers not protected by minimum wage

First Published: November 5, 2014: 1:20 AM ET

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AMC warns about a 'Walking Dead' blackout

AMC says a possible "Walking Dead" blackout looms.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Yes, it's yet another fight over subscriber fees, but this one is threatening a show that 15 million people love to watch every week, and the channel is being pretty explicit about the behind-the-scenes tension.

AMC is using the "Dead" as leverage: on Sunday night it ran an ad during the show warning about a possible blackout later in the season.

DirecTV ran a rebuttal ad of sorts, disputing what AMC said and suggesting that if there is a blackout, it'll be AMC's fault. The satellite company provides a bundle of channels to 20 million households, making it the country's second-biggest provider, behind Comcast.

With the ad and a statement to the media, AMC seemed to be trying to rally viewers to its side. Subscriber fees are the critical source of revenue for companies like AMC's parent, AMC Networks.

(These sorts of skirmishes happen from time to time. Turner, the parent of CNN, which owns this web site, is currently in a carriage dispute with another satellite provider, Dish Network (DISH).)

AMC said in a statement Sunday night that "DirecTV's agreement to carry AMC expires mid-way through the current season of 'The Walking Dead.'"

Related: "Walking Dead" rises again with record-high ratings

DirecTV (DTV), on the other hand, said that the agreement is in effect for "several more months."

What can be deduced from that? Well, that the carriage deal expires sometime between the end of the first half of the zombie drama's season, at the end of this month, and the beginning of the second half of the season, in early February.

DirecTV said "we intend to renew our AMC partnership at a price that's fair to our customers" -- trying to rally viewers to its side instead of AMC's.

Related: The weapons of the "Walking Dead"

AMC's statement asserted that "DirecTV has not engaged in meaningful negotiations with us, which leaves us to doubt whether a timely renewal is possible."

Perhaps the public comment and commercial was a way to get "meaningful negotiations" started.

These public tiffs usually don't result in outright blackouts -- but they do from time to time. CNN and several other Turner channels are currently unavailable on Dish.

First Published: November 3, 2014: 5:00 PM ET

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Highwire Nik Wallenda's act falls in ratings

Nik Wallenda's skywalk went off without a hitch for Discovery, even though the ratings weren't as good as 2013's original.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

The network's special "Skyscraper Live" had to compete with zombies and the NFL for ratings.

The live event -- where the daredevil walked between two Chicago skyscrapers on a tightrope (once while blindfolded) -- drew good ratings for the cable network averaging 5.8 million viewers for the whole telecast, and 6.7 million during the blindfolded portion.

These were big enough numbers to be Discovery Channel's most-watched telecast of the year.

However, they were just half of Wallenda's 2013 audience for his Grand Canyon tightrope walk. That broadcast brought in 10.6 million viewers.

Related: Wallenda: 'This is what i was made for'

November is a much more competitive month in terms of programming than June (when the 2013 special was telecast).

The special had to compete with two of TV's biggest rating machines: the NFL and AMC's "The Walking Dead."

NBC's Sunday Night football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens brought in 17 million viewers while the zombie-filled hour of "The Walking Dead" pulled in 14.5 million.

The tightrope walk itself went off without a hitch with Wallenda seamlessly gilding between the Windy City's notable buildings.

The event was promoted by Discovery as a must-see live event in an ever growing world of delayed viewing.

It was also a very social broadcast with many on Twitter (TWTR, Tech30) following #SkyscraperLive.

Related: 'Charlie Brown' still a ratings treat for ABC

First Published: November 3, 2014: 5:35 PM ET

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Chinese courts are selling seized assets on Alibaba's Taobao

HONG KONG (CNNMoney)

Chinese courts are auctioning off some goods seized in the government's anti-corruption campaign on Taobao.com, a popular online shopping site owned by Chinese tech giant Alibaba (BABA, Tech30). More than 500 courts have joined the auction platform, creating new storefronts dedicated to selling off impounded items, according to Alibaba.

And there's no shortage of goods to sell -- China has confiscated plenty of assets over the past two years as its anti-corruption campaign has widened. The crackdown has ensnared tens of thousands of government officials, state-owned company executives and even top employees of foreign companies.

The courts are selling just about everything: BMW cars, glittering jewelry, plots of undeveloped land, entire hotels, consumer electronics, renovated apartments, office buildings, shopping plazas and more.

Related: China targets executive pay at state-owned firms

Prices run the gamut from old cell phones for $7 to a couple hundred thousand dollars for tracts of land. A villa even went on the auction block back in April with a starting price of $3.4 million.

Interested buyers can browse items that are currently up for sale or will hit the auction block over the next few days. Users can sort by location, price, or category to find cars, land plots, homes and more. For those looking for something specific, it's even possible to search for items by court.

Customers looking for assets previously owned by specific individuals are out of luck -- auction listings don't specify product history or past owners.

A court in Henan province has said that moving auctions online ensures greater transparency. Ironically, court auctions of impounded goods have been criticized for corrupt practices -- rigged auctions, under-the-table deals and attempts to win commission fees.

Related: China's anti-corruption drive eats into growth

Although Alibaba declined to comment, the company has said before that online auctions are an area of focus. The priciest item ever put up for auction was a factory in Jiangsu province worth about $74.7 million.

Alibaba posted its $25 billion record-breaking IPO in New York in September, supported by the massive popularity of its Taobao site. The company is slated to report Tuesday its first earnings since the IPO.

Related: Alibaba now worth more than Wal-Mart

First Published: November 3, 2014: 10:24 PM ET

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Faster Internet to the middle of the ocean

This would make for a great Instagram photo.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) unveiled a long-range broadband system Monday designed to jumpstart Internet connections on its 101 ships.

Passengers have had access to spotty satellite-based Internet for years, but Carnival says the new system will offer smoother connections and the ability to engage in bandwidth-intensive activities like streaming video.

Related: The best time to book your holiday flight is...

Ramon Millan, chief information officer for the company, said Carnival faced a technical challenge similar to that of the airline industry, which has been gradually increasing the in-flight Wi-Fi speeds available to passengers.

"It's a ship, and it's moving in the middle of the ocean where there's no infrastructure, so we have to be creative," he said.

The new system works by toggling between port-based Wi-Fi, satellite Internet, and "long-range" Wi-Fi that uses land-based antennas to establish a connection when ships are within 40 miles of shore. The resulting speeds are 10 times faster than what the cruise line could previously offer.

Related: How much should you tip housekeeping? A travel tipping guide

Millan said Carnival developed the system in part to appeal to younger travelers "who have made connectivity and social media an everyday part of their lives."

"Our guests are looking for different experiences when they cruise -- some are interested in disconnecting, and others are interested in staying in touch with their world back home," he said.

First Published: November 3, 2014: 12:06 AM ET

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