>>Ahead Of The Bell
(New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning after stocks at new all-time highs yesterday on Wall Street. The Nasdaq, Dow and S&P 500 all notched records following tech surges and the recent comments by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell that the U.S. economy is in "remarkably good shape." At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 308 points to 45-014. The S&P 500 added 36 points to 60-86. The Nasdaq rose 254 points to 19-735.
>>Powell: Interest Rate Decision Won't Account For Planned Tariffs
(New York, NY) -- Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says any decision on interest rates this month won't take into account President-elect Trump's plans to raise tariffs and restrict immigration. While some experts say those plans will raise inflation, Powell said Wednesday that he doesn't know the details of those plans and can't make policy based on limited info. Most economists expect the Fed to lower interest rates by a quarter-percent this month now that inflation has eased.
>>Bitcoin Hits $100K
(Undated) -- The price of one bitcoin officially hit 100-thousand dollars on Wednesday for the first time ever. Demand for the crypto currency has gone up following the election, with the price up over 45-percent since election night. Prices have more than doubled since the beginning of the year.
>>DC AG Accuses Amazon Of Prime Delivery Exclusion In Certain Neighborhoods
(Washington, DC) -- Washington, DC's attorney general is suing Amazon for allegedly hiding the fact that it does not provide its fastest delivery service in some city neighborhoods. Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued the company Wednesday, claiming Amazon has excluded residents of two lower income zip codes from receiving Prime delivery service. Schwalb says the heart of the case is that Amazon continued to charge those customers for Prime service without disclosing that it wasn't actually available to them. Amazon says it doesn't deliver in those neighborhoods over concerns for driver safety, but calls Schwalb's claims against the company "categorically false."
>>Companies Pull Ads From Twitch Over Alleged Antisemitism
(San Francisco, CA) -- Three big companies have pulled advertising from Amazon-owned Twitch amid allegations the company is promoting antisemitic content. AT&T, JPMorgan Chase and Dunkin' have all pulled ads from the service that's aimed at gamers, according to Bloomberg. It's because of a campaign associated with Steven "Destiny" Bonnell, a Twitch streamer banned in 2022 for hateful conduct for his comments about trans women and his defense of using racial slurs. In several YouTube videos, Bonnell has targeted popular streamer Hasan Piker with claims of antisemitism. Bonnell's fans have picked up the torch and have highlighted Piker's support for Palestine. Piker himself says he supports Palestinian liberation but also fervently opposes antisemitism. The campaign is sending emails to dozens of advertisers accusing the site of "sponsoring Jew-hating content."
>>Frontier To Begin Offering "First-Class Style" Seating
(Denver, CO) -- Frontier Airlines plans to begin offering new seating choices to passengers. The low-cost airline says it will have "first-class style" seating in the first two rows. Planes will be reconfigured to accommodate the new seats, with flights beginning late next year. Frontier has not said how much passengers will pay for the new seats.
>>Chipotle Raising Prices In Response To Inflation
(Undated) -- Chipotle is raising its prices to combat inflation. A Chipotle spokesperson said the company raised the price of menu items by about two-percent. They added it was "the first time in over a year" that Chipotle has taken a price increase. While the chain has enjoyed strong earnings and consistent traffic in recent quarters, some analysts say overall demand is decreasing.
