>>Coming Up Today
(New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning after stocks pulled off a slightly higher close on Wall Street Wednesday. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 15 points to 39-127. The S&P 500 rose by eight points to 54-77. The Nasdaq gained 87 points to 17-805. Coming up today we'll get word on weekly jobless claims with most analysts expecting only a slight decrease of a few thousand requests. Traders meanwhile are looking ahead to the release of May's personal consumption expenditure report on Friday. The Federal Reserve uses the index to gauge inflation when making interest rate decisions.
>>Today's Housing Market Unlike Any Other In Recent History
(New York, NY) -- Home prices set another record last month. According to the Case-Shiller National Home Price Index, home prices rose six-point-three-percent in April year over year. Home prices are now 47-percent higher than they were in early 2020, with the median sale price five times the median household income. For renters, prices are 26-percent higher than they were in 2020. Half of all renting households spent more than 30-percent of their income on housing, 12-million of those households spend more than half their income on rent. An imbalance of supply and demand continues to be at the core of what's driving prices.
>>Another Boeing Whistleblower Comes Forward
(Wichita, KS) -- Another whistleblower has come forward alleging safety issues at Boeing. Richard Cuevas is a mechanic at Strom, a contractor with Spirit Aerosystems, a company that makes parts for the aircraft manufacturer. He says he saw holes improperly drilled into the bulkheads of 787 planes at a Kansas facility last year. He says he raised his concerns in October and was fired a few months later. Boeing said it investigated Cuevas' claims and determined it wasn't a safety concern. More than a dozen whistleblowers have come forward with concerns about Boeing in recent years and the company is under FAA investigation.
>>Mistake IRS Notices Being Sent Out
(Washington, DC) -- The IRS says some taxpayers are receiving a notice of non-payment, even though they paid their 2023 federal income tax. Chief Tax Information Officer for Jackson Hewitt Mark Steber says CP14 notices are getting mailed to taxpayers right now. If you think the notice is incorrect, Steber advises not sending a check right away, and instead immediately contact the IRS or a tax pro about the issue. He also warns to be on the lookout for scammers sending out fake notices. He says sure tell-tale signs would involve email message to wire money, or the wrong IRS national phone number. He adds the IRS initially always sends traditional letters, so scammers might try that route as well.
>>Air Force Fires Official In Charge Of Sentinel Nuclear Missile Program
(Washington, DC) -- The Air Force has fired the top official overseeing the Sentinel nuclear missile program. An Air Force spokesperson said Colonel Charles Clegg was fired this week because he "did not follow organizational procedures." The move comes after congressional Democrats called for an "unbiased assessment" of the program, which has ballooned in costs over the years from 60-billion dollars to about 130 billion. The spokesperson said Clegg's removal will not impact the operation of the 400 Minuteman Three intercontinental ballistic missiles that the Sentinel program was supposed to replace.
>>Consumers Paying More For Everyday Expenses
(New York, NY) -- "Vibecession" is the term being used to characterize the disconnect between the economy's overall strength and its perceived weakness among consumers. According to TransUnion, concerns about inflation and interest rates are now at a two-year high. The consumer price index increased three-point-three-percent in May, relative to a year earlier. Prices are still rising. They're just growing at a slower pace than they had been. Higher inflation, coupled with the Federal Reserve's eleven rate hikes since 2022, have hit working-class Americans particularly hard.
>>Early Tech Deals Revealed Ahead Of Amazon Prime Day
(San Francisco, CA) -- Amazon's Prime Day sale this year will run on July 16th through 17th. Engadget reported several tech deals ahead of the event, which involve multiple Apple products. Early sales include a four-pack of AirTags for 20-dollars off, as well as deals on the MacBook Pro, Apple Watch Series 9, and Apple Pencil Pro. Amazon is also offering five-months of Amazon Music Unlimited for free, which is usually 50-dollars.
>>Alaska Airlines Making Changes To Loyalty Programs
(Undated) -- Alaska Airlines is making changes to its loyalty programs. New Alaska Airlines credit card holders will now have to pay six-thousand-dollars a year in order to qualify for the companion fare benefit. The airline is also completely eliminating the Miles and Money program. The program allowed travelers to trade frequent flyer miles for a discount and earn miles that would count towards a flyer's "elite status."
