Category: United States

Interest rates may decline in coming months. However, they may also rise. I offer these earth-shattering insights as a counter to the myriad analysts and commentators who confidently predict what interest rates will do in 2024. About them it can truly be said that “they are often wrong, but never in doubt.” Humility is a […]

U.S. stocks pushed higher on Friday, putting the S&P 500 index within the range of what would be its first record closing high in two years, FactSet data show. How are stocks trading? The S&P 500 SPX rose 22 points, or 0.5%, to 4,803. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA gained 152 points, or 0.4%, […]

Spirit Airlines Inc.’s stock was rallying in premarket trading on Friday as the carrier said its bookings over the holidays were strong and that it’ll likely match or slightly beat Wall Street’s fourth-quarter revenue estimate. Addressing doubts about its balance sheet due to the loss of its merger deal with JetBlue Airways Corp. JBLU, +7.79%, […]

Pros Roomy cabin Great engine Two sizes Cons Larger than necessary for some What’s new? V8 discontinued The 2024 Jeep Wagoneer and its longer brother, the Wagoneer L, are spacious full-size SUVs with some off-road talents. Pricing starts at $ 62,545. Offering comfortable accommodation for up to eight, as well as the ability to take […]

Department-store chain Macy’s Inc. plans to cut 2,350 jobs and close five stores, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, as the company tries to curb expenses, embrace more technology and meet the demands of what it said was “an everchanging consumer and marketplace.” The cuts, which amount to around 13% of Macy’s M, +0.39% […]

Is the freeloading era finally coming to a close? That’s what some are asking in light of the news that Costco COST, +0.46% is implementing policies that will make it harder for nonmembers to shop using someone else’s membership card. That follows efforts by streaming platforms such as Netflix NFLX, +1.04% to clamp down on […]

Shares of Birkenstock Holding PLC slid nearly 8% on Thursday after the sandal maker reported a surprise fourth-quarter loss amid “subdued customer sentiment” and said it expected a slight hit to margins due to costs related to ramping up a new factory in Germany. On its first earnings call since its IPO in early October, […]

U.S. lawmakers on Thursday approved a measure funding the federal government through early March, avoiding a partial shutdown that would have begun Saturday morning and buying themselves more time to hash out a bigger funding package. After passing through both the Senate and the House of Representatives, the bill now goes to President Joe Biden […]

With more observers bracing for a future where JetBlue Airways Corp. and Spirit Airlines Inc. each have to go it alone, Fitch analysts became the latest to cast doubt on Spirit’s prospects as a standalone airline, saying the ultralow-cost carrier faces “serious headwinds” to improving its profits. The credit-rating firm made that assessment after a […]

Oil futures climbed on Thursday as traders weighed the outlook for demand, as well as the threat to supply from strife in the Middle East. Prices continued to trade higher after the Energy Information Administration reported an unexpected weekly decline in U.S. commercial crude supplies, along with increases in petroleum product inventories. Price moves West […]

Humana Inc. shares HUM, +2.04% dropped 14% premarket on Thursday after the giant health insurer slashed its full-year 2023 earnings guidance and flagged rising medical costs and slower than expected 2024 Medicare Advantage enrollment growth. The company now expects to report full-year 2023 earnings per share of $ 20.00, down from its November guidance of […]

Pros Powerful engine lineup User-friendly infotainment Class-leading towing Cons Aged and thirsty What’s new? No major changes Rugged and brimming with performance, the 2024 Dodge Durango is a midsize 3-row SUV with superlative towing, distinctive looks, and an armory of powerful V8 engines. Pricing starts at $ 40,420. Where most midsize SUV rivals — and […]

Taiwan-based chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. on Thursday reported a 19.3% fall in net profit, but still managed to beat expectations amid hopes a global chip slowdown is easing. TSMC 2330, +1.20% TSM, +1.26% reported net income of new Taiwan dollars $ 238.71 billion ($ 7.6 billion) in the fourth quarter from NT$ […]

The iconoclastic online music publication Pitchfork, best known for its daily music criticism and its multiday festivals in Chicago and Paris, is being folded into the glossy monthly GQ, parent company Condé Nast announced Wednesday. Founded by a Minneapolis-area record-shop employee and based in Chicago for most of its 28-year history prior to its acquisition […]

A journalist and author who specializes in books about Montana has been charged with stealing priceless documents from the Montana Historical Society and then trying to sell them on eBay. Federal prosecutors say Brian Anthony D’Ambrosio, 49, of Santa Fe, N.M., had visited the museum on several occasions in 2022 and 2023, purportedly to do […]

Shares of Discover Financial Services slid after hours on Wednesday after the credit-card giant reported fourth-quarter profit that missed expectations and said it has set aside more money to cover potentially tougher conditions for consumers. The results are the latest in a bumpy ride over the past several months for Discover DFS, -0.84%, which has […]

Ads are adding up for Netflix Inc. in a lucrative way. When the video-streaming giant NFLX, -0.43% reports quarterly results on Jan. 23, advertising will dominate the narrative. The rip-roaring success of Netflix’s new advertising-supported service has already led Oppenheimer analysts to jack up their price target for the stock to $ 600, the highest […]

As Donald Trump made his victory speech after Iowa’s caucuses, the front-runner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary couldn’t resist taking a shot at electric vehicles while praising a supporter from Missouri. That supporter “comes all the way from Missouri, which isn’t that far. You can’t drive an electric car that far though,” the former […]

UBS chief Sergio Ermotti has warned against over-enthusiastic predictions about the pace at which the world is likely to be changed by developments in artificial intelligence, despite acknowledging the technology will likely change the world faster than any rival innovation in history.  Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Swiss CEO cautioned that […]

Government bond yields were trading near their highest of the year after U.K. inflation picked up speed and central bank officials continued to try and damp optimism about interest rate cuts. What’s happening The yield on the 2-year Treasury BX:TMUBMUSD02Y rose by 5.5 basis points to 4.279%. The yield on the 10-year Treasury BX:TMUBMUSD10Y eased […]