NEW YORK >> Priceline is changing its name to Booking Holdings Inc., citing its expansion into numerous international brands over the past 20 years.

The change at the former Priceline Group Inc. is effective immediately. The parent company will begin trading under the ticker symbol “BKNG” on Tuesday. Priceline will survive as a brand.

The travel website company operates in more than 220 countries. It said Booking.com, its largest brand, has more than 1.5 million properties and averages a million bookings per day.

The company’s websites include Booking.com, priceline.com, KAYAK, agoda.com, Rentalcars.com and OpenTable. The company will still be based in Norwalk, Conn.

Strong economy boosts chance of rate hikes

WASHINGTON >> Federal Reserve officials at their January meeting saw a brightening global economic picture and the effects of recently passed tax cuts raising the prospect for solid growth and continued interest rate increases.

The minutes of the Fed’s Jan. 30-31 discussions showed that the officials were more optimistic about the economy than they had been in December. They noted a stronger U.S. and global economy as well as expectations that the Republican tax cuts enacted in December would boost growth.

The minutes released Wednesday said “a majority of participants noted that a stronger outlook for economic growth raised the likelihood that further gradual policy firming would be appropriate.”

The Fed held rates steady at the January meeting, which was the last to be led by Janet Yellen before her term as chairwoman ended this month and she was succeeded by Jerome Powell. Last month’s meeting preceded the stock market plunge in early February and the budget deal in Congress that will boost spending on military and domestic programs by an additional $300 billion over two years.

Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics, said he is forecasting four Fed rate hikes this year on the basis of his expectations that inflation will finally rebound this year and the decisions by Congress to cut taxes and boost spending will increase economic growth.

ON THE MOVE

Janet Andres, program quality director of District 49 Toastmasters, was recognized by Toastmasters International at the midyear leadership training last month in Las Vegas. Andres launched the new educational program “Pathways” and was invited to speak on its success in Hawaii as well as on best practices that she could offer to the other districts, which include more than 342,000 Toastmasters members.

The Hawaii Solar Energy Association elected the following new board officers at its general membership meeting early this month: Brian Gold, chairman; Robert Harris, vice president; Jon Yoshimura, secretary; and Rolf Christ, treasurer.