‘Miserable’ tax season could be worst in years

CNNMoney: The upcoming tax season is likely to be the worst in years — for the IRS and potentially for taxpayers. The reason: The IRS budget keeps getting smaller, and the tax code keeps getting more complicated. This tax season could rank as the worst since 1985, which was regarded as a disaster due to a computer failure, lost returns and delayed refunds.

Automakers end 2014 strongly, pushing some brands to records

ABC News:  Holiday sales, cheap gasoline prices and low interest rates pushed U.S. auto sales to big gains in December, helping the industry close out a strong year with several brands setting sales records. Fiat Chrysler led the way, selling just over 2 million cars and trucks for a 16 percent increase over 2013. It was the company’s best year since 2006.

Oil prices slide to new 5 1/2-year lows

Business Insider: U.S. crude and Brent futures dropped to fresh 5 1/2-year lows on Monday as worries about a surplus of global supplies amid weak demand continued to drag on oil markets. At 8 a.m. CST, West Texas Intermediate crude was below $51 to as low as $50.76 a barrel a decline of more than 3 percent from Friday’s close to the lowest level since April 2009. Brent crude, the international benchmark, was also down more than 3 percent to below $55 a barrel, the lowest price since May 2009.