>>McDonald's: Tension In Middle East Impacting Business
(New York, NY) -- McDonald's says tension in the Middle East is hurting business. The fast food giant reported growing overall sales and earnings in its fourth quarter, but said the issues in the Middle East are still looming over sales in the region. McDonald's mostly licenses its brand to independent companies in the Middle East, which doesn't make up a large part of the company's overall business. It said business grew less than one-percent in the region, compared to more than four-percent growth in the US and other nations.
>>Boeing Reworking 50 Undelivered Planes
(Arlington, VA) -- Boeing is taking a second look at 50 undelivered 737 MAX jets to fix some problems. Some of the planes were found to have misdrilled holes on their fuselages. The company said over the weekend that the delay will affect its production schedule, but will improve overall quality and stability.
>>Gen-Z Is Turning To Social Media For Investment Advise
(New York, NY) -- TikTok has become one of the most popular sources for financial tips and advice, particularly among Generation Z. Gen Zers are nearly five times more likely to get financial advice from social media than adults in their 40s or older, according to a CreditCards.com report. Young investors, those ages 18 to 25, look to so-called "finfluencers" for money-saving, or money-making wisdom. However, only 20-percent of the finfluencer content - that contained investment recommendations - included any form of disclosure, according to the CFA Institute. Like all things on social media, not all expert advice is true, or unbiased.
>>Spotify Renws Deal with Podcaster Joe Rogan
(Austin, TX) -- Podcaster Joe Rogan has renewed his exclusive contract with Spotify. The multi-year deal is reportedly worth as much as 250-million-dollars. The Stockholm, Sweden-based streaming platform says that since "The Joe Rogan Experience" became exclusive in 2020, overall podcast consumption on Spotify has increased by two hundred 32 percent.
>>"Argylle" Tops Weekend Box Office
(Hollywood, CA) -- For the first time in three weeks, a movie in its opening week tops the box office. The spy action comedy "Argylle" took in an estimated 18-million-dollars over the weekend. Another debut came in second as "The Chosen: Season Four -- Episodes One-Through-Three" made just over six-million-dollars. "The Beekeeper," "Wonka" and "Migration" round out the top five.
>>Quaker Oats Issues Additional Granola Recalls
(New York, NY) -- Quaker Oats is expanding its nationwide recall of its granola bars. This week, the company said its Quaker Chewy Dipps Llama Rama bars have been added to a list of previously recalled products due to potential salmonella contamination. The affected products bear "best before" dates of February 10th or 11th, 2024 and were sold in all 50 states. This is the third recall announcement Quaker has made in the last three months.
>>Valentine's Day Spending On Significant Others to Reach New Record
(New York, NY) -- It's shaping up to be a record year for spending this Valentine's Day. That's according to the National Retail Federation. It says consumers plan to spend a total of 25-point-eight billion dollars this Valentines day, on par with last year's spending and the third highest in the survey's history. 62-percent of consumers ages 25-to-34 intend to celebrate this year, more than any other age group. Consumers expect to spend 185-dollar each on average, that's nearly eight dollars more than the average Valentine's Day spending over the last five years.
