>>Stocks Close Mixed As Fed Decision Looms
(New York, NY) -- Wall Street closed mixed Tuesday as investors weigh the latest corporate earnings reports. Tech shares struggled with Nvidia losing more than five-percent. Trading remained volatile as the Federal Reserve began a two-day policy meeting ahead of Wednesday's decision on interest rates. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 203 points to 40-743. The S&P 500 lost 27 points to 54-36. The Nasdaq fell 222 points to 17-147.
>>No Rate Cut Expected At July Fed Meeting
(Washington, DC) -- The Federal Reserve is expected to leave interest rates at a 23-year high. The July Fed meeting will be held today in Washington, DC, and Chair Jerome Powell will discuss the bank's rate decision at about 2:30pm Eastern. Economists say it's unlikely the Fed will announce a rate cut, but that Powell is likely to suggest that a cut might be possible by the next Fed meeting in September.
>>Job Openings Edge Higher In June
(Washington, DC) -- The number of job openings edged higher in June. The Labor Department says eight-point-two million jobs were available at the end of the month. Analysts say the slight increase points to resilience in the labor market. The number of job vacancies increased in accommodation and food services along with state and local government. On a yearly basis, the number of job openings was down by about 940-thousand.
>>Home Prices Break Previous All-Time High On Case-Shiller Index (Washington, DC) -- Home prices broke an all-time high in May but the upward trend is slowing. According to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price Index, prices rose nearly six percent on a year-over-year basis in May. However, that's down a half-percent from the annual gain in the previous month. New York, San Diego and Las Vegas posted the biggest increases on the 20-city composite index with annual gains of nearly nine percent or more.
>>Job Openings Edge Higher In June
(Washington, DC) -- The number of job openings edged higher in June. The Labor Department says eight-point-two million jobs were available at the end of the month. Analysts say the slight increase points to resilience in the labor market. The number of job vacancies increased in accommodation and food services along with state and local government. On a yearly basis, the number of job openings was down by about 940-thousand.
>>Younger Workers More Interested in Supporting Unions
(San Diego, CA) -- Younger workers are far more likely to support unions, but they're also uncertain about them. A new report is out from UC San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy. The report is published by the Economics Policy Institute. It identifies three major shifts among U.S. workers: There's a recent, marked decline in opposition to labor unions; There is a rise of workers who are interested in, but unsure about -- unions; There's an emerging generation gap in attitudes toward unionization. However, the authors say while unions are more active and interest is rising, membership in unions continues its 45-year decline.
>>Consumer Confidence Edges Higher In July
(New York, NY) -- Consumer confidence rose slightly in July. The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index edged higher from a downwardly revised June reading. The board's chief economist said worries about elevated prices and interest rates along with uncertainty about the future are still weighing on overall confidence. The survey noted purchasing plans for homes during the next six months fell to a 12-year low in July. Consumers also said they plan to spend less on many discretionary items including amusement parks and personal travel.
>>Disneyland Employees Ratify New Contract
(Anaheim, CA) -- The threat of a major work stoppage at Disneyland is over. On Monday, members of three unions representing about 14-thousand total employees voted to ratify a new contract with Disney. The unions say their members have secured "historic" raises, policies and protections following about four months of negotiations.
