U.S. leasing more cars

The number of leased vehicles in the U.S. hit an all time high in the first half of this year.

Edmunds dot com says millennials and seniors are driving a big shift in the value of car ownership.

On average, monthly lease payments are 23 percent lower than monthly financing payments but result in outright ownership of the car.

People are buying air conditioners at record levels, according to a University of California Berkley economist. And that could be a problem.

More air conditioners means more electricity. The report believes nearly every person in Mexico will have a-c by 2050 and other developing nations are adding more air conditioning as well.

Stocks ended the month of July mixed but had gains for the entire month.

In fact last month, the blue-chip index rose 2.8% after closing at a record seven times, the most for a month since December 2014.

The Starwood hotel chain lets you set your own check-in and checkout times.

It uses technology that lets guests use their smartphones to open their hotel doors, rolling it out to 130 hotels and resorts in 30 countries.

Execs say creating a time frame that works around guests is made easier by computerized schedules.

Starwood owns Sheraton, Aloft and Westin hotels among others.

Disney has applied for a patent on a machine that can take images of theme park guests’ shoes to gather data and help customize visits.

The patent describes a machine that takes photos of visitors’ feet as they enter a theme park and pairs the photos with demographic information given voluntarily, such as name, age or hometown.

But Disney representatives say there are no current plans to use it in a theme park.

For more business headlines from Jane King at the Nasdaq, watch Daybreak Monday through Friday.