ECONOMY

Fed holds off again on raising interest rates

The Federal Reserve is keeping a key interest rate unchanged in light of global pressures that risk slowing the US economy. As a result, Fed officials expect to raise rates more gradually this year than they had envisioned in December. The officials now foresee two, rather than four, modest increases in their benchmark short-term rate during 2016. The Fed said Wednesday that the US economy has continued to grow moderately, but the global economy and financial markets still pose risks.

TECHNOLOGY

Apple objects to unlocking iPhone in Boston case

Apple Inc. is objecting to a request from federal prosecutors in Boston that it help unlock the iPhone of an alleged member of one of the city’s most notorious gangs, according to court records — a case that echoes the government’s high-profile fight with Apple in the San Bernardino terrorism case. A magistrate judge approved a search warrant in February allowing investigators to search an iPhone and a second cellphone seized from Desmond Crawford, who the FBI says is a member of the Columbia Point Dawgs and the likely triggerman in the shooting of a rival gang leader. Apple declined to comment but filed documents in another case indicating that it has objected to a request to help unlock an iPhone in US District Court in Massachusetts.

DEVELOPMENT

BRA looks for image make-over

The mighty and oft-maligned agency that oversees development in Boston is looking for a new image. The Boston Redevelopment Authority said Tuesday that it plans to hire a strategic adviser to help it craft “an organizational identity and brand strategy’’ that’s more in line with the friendlier image it has been trying to project under Mayor Martin J. Walsh. BRA director Brian Golden (right) said the agency hasn’t decided what kind of adviser it’s looking for — a traditional ad agency, branding firm, or community outreach gurus. The BRA expects to issue a formal request and hire the consultants in the spring.

BIOTECH

Potential $1 billion deal for Blueprint

Blueprint Medicines Corp. is teaming up with Roche AG to develop as many as five cancer drugs, a partnership that could bring the five-year-old Cambridge company more than $1 billion. The deal calls for Roche, a global drug giant based in Switzerland, to make a $45 million upfront cash payment to Blueprint and provide as much as $965 million in option fees and milestone payouts if Roche licenses the drugs and they meet scientific and regulatory goals. The collaboration is a vote of confidence in Blueprint’s approach to developing targeted therapies.

MEDIA

CBS puts radio business on the block

CBS Corp. announced Tuesday that it was putting its radio business on the block, as the media company aims to streamline its business to focus on its broadcast network, the premium channel Showtime, and digital. Leslie Moonves, chief executive of CBS, said the company was looking at a number of strategic options but provided few other details. CBS owns 117 radio stations in 26 markets, including five radio stations in Boston: 1030 WBZ-AM (news); 104.1 WBMX-FM (adult contemporary); 98.5 WBZ-FM, “The Sports Hub’’; 103.3 WODS-FM (top 40) and 100.7 WZLX-FM (classic rock).

INCOME

Study details two Bostons

Boston is a city of haves and have-nots, and a new study by the Boston Redevelopment Authority quantifies the growing divide, portraying the trend in stark numbers that show few benefits from the economic boom going to those near the bottom of the income scale. Despite attention given to high-paying jobs in technology, biotechnology, and finance, nearly half of Boston residents make less than $35,000 a year, the study shows. The report portrayed a local economy sharply divided by race, class, and education, with shrinking opportunities for those trying to climb the economic ladder.

STUDENT LOANS

Employees flock to Fidelity’s repayment program

Nearly 5,000 Fidelity Investments employees have enrolled in the company’s recently launched benefits program that helps workers pay off their student loan debt, the Boston financial services company firm said. Fidelity workers who have been with the company for six months or more can qualify to receive up to $10,000 for student loan repayments. Fidelity launched the student loan debt repayment program several weeks ago, joining other employers that provide such a benefit. Human resources specialists say these benefits are a way for companies to compete for and retain younger workers as the job market tightens.

TECHNOLOGY

IRobot adds new mopping robot

IRobot is betting it can clean the gunkiest corners of your bathroom floor. The Bedford company’s newest product, the $200 Braava Jet, is a stain-busting automaton that will inch its way around sinks and toilets, sponging off any grime or dirt in its path. It’s the latest addition to a squad of robotic mops that includes the pricier Braava ($300) and the deep-cleaning stain scrubber, Scooba ($600). Home robots have been a growing part of the company’s revenue. The star is the Roomba, the disc-shaped vacuum cleaner that’s won fame on YouTube and the undying love of cats everywhere. The top-of-the-line Roomba sells for $900.

BANKING

Chad Gifford leaving Bank of America board

Chad Gifford, one of the leading figures in Boston’s financial community, will end a 50-year career in banking next month when he retires from the board of Bank of America Corp. Gifford, 73, has served on the Bank of America’s board since 2004 after he helped engineer the sale of FleetBoston Financial Corp., where he was chief executive, to the Charlotte-based giant. He served as Bank of America’s chairman from April 2004 to January 2005 and is a longtime ally of the bank’s chief executive, Brian Moynihan. Gifford, who began in banking at the old Bank of Boston, was an old-school banker and powerbroker in Boston.

RESTAURANTS

Dairy Queen expanding in Massachusetts

Dairy Queen, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., said it will add 60 more franchises to its repertoire of 33 in Massachusetts over the next five years, part of a US expansion that will build dozens of new “quick-service restaurants’’ in the state. Dairy Queen has not yet finalized its new sites in Massachusetts, but the chain is targeting properties in Stoughton, Peabody, Burlington, Billerica, Plymouth, Worcester, and Amherst. New locations are also being sought in Vermont, the only state without a Dairy Queen. “We go where the consumers want our products,’’ said Jim Kerr, a vice preside?nt at International Dairy Queen, based in Minneapolis.