>>Trading Resumes After Christmas Holiday
(New York, NY) -- Trading resumes this morning after Wall Street was dark Wednesday in observation of the Christmas Day holiday. This comes after an early close on Christmas Eve as the markets kicked off what's known as the Santa Claus rally. That happens during the last five trading days of the year and the first two days of January. At Tuesday's closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 390 points to 43-297. The S&P 500 rose by 65 points to 60-40. The Nasdaq gained 266 points to 20-031. Meanwhile, coming up today, we'll get a look at weekly jobless claims. Most analysts are predicting a slight jump from 220-thousand to around 225-thousand. That will mark the final report on initial jobless claims for 2024.
>>Returns Add Up To Almost $900B Problem For Retailers
(Undated) -- With holiday shopping expected to have hit a historic high this year, the same is to be said for purchase returns. A recent report by the National Retail Federation and return management company Happy Returns expects this years returns to reach 17-percent of all merchandise sales, making for 890-billion-dollars in returned products. The return rate in 2023 was at 15-percent, totaling 743-billion-dollars.
>>Biden To Make Decision On Sale Of U.S. Steel Without Input From Foreign Investment Committee
(Pittsburgh, PA) -- President Biden is expected to make a decision on the sale of U.S. Steel without input from the Committee on Foreign Investment. The president had been waiting on the panel to weigh in on whether the acquisition of the company by Japan's Nippon Steel would pose a risk to national security. The Washington Post was the first to break the news that the committee sent word to the White House that they cannot come to a consensus on the nearly 15-billion-dollar deal. Biden previously said he intended to block the sale. United Steelworkers President David McCall still stands in opposition to the proposal, saying Nippon will end up transferring production to the non-union U.S. Steel facility in Arkansas.
>>Report: Pete Carroll Interested In Bears Head Coaching Job
(Undated) -- A longtime NFL coach is reportedly hoping to get back into the profession. According to ESPN, former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is interested in coaching the Chicago Bears. Carroll coached Seattle from 2010-to-2023, posting a 170-120-and-1 record. He led them to a victory in Super Bowl 48. The 73-year-old is currently a senior advisor with the team. The Bears let Matt Eberflus go on November 29th. Thomas Jones is currently their interim head coach.
