>>First Trading Day Of The New Year
(New York, NY) -- Trading picks back up today after Wall Street was dark Wednesday in observance of New Year's Day. Stocks closed slightly lower the previous day to cap what was an otherwise winning year. As the closing bell rang, to put an end to trading for 2024, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 29 points to 42-544. The S&P 500 fell 25 points to 58-81. The Nasdaq dropped 176 points to 19-31.
>>Weekly Jobless Claims Due Today
(Undated) -- Weekly jobless claims are due today. Most analysts are expecting claims to come in at right around 225-thousand, versus the prior week's 219-thousand. And, rather than being released on the first Friday of the month as usual, the next monthly jobs report isn't due until January 10th.
>>Ukraine Shuts Down Russian Gas Pipeline
(Kyiv) -- Ukrainian officials are shutting down a natural gas pipeline from Russia to Europe. The transnational pipeline was shut down after Ukraine refused to renew an agreement that allowed for Russian gas to move through its territory. Ukraine's energy minister called this week's move a historic event, and said Russia is "losing markets" and will suffer financial losses. Russian energy company Gazprom has issued a statement confirming that it was no longer sending gas from Siberia to Europe through the pipeline.
>>Amazon Institutes RTW Policy
(Seattle, WA) -- Amazon's return to work policy goes into effect today. CEO Andy Jassy has been warning since September that employees would be required to be in the office five days a week starting at the beginning of the new year. Amazon's corporate workers had been allowed to work remotely since the onset of the pandemic, like employees at many other companies.
>>EA Expected To Surge In 2025
(Redwood City, CA) -- Electronic Arts is expected to surge in the new year. After a mid-December downgrade from analysts at Stifel, the stock fell to a 52-week low. But as it stands now, the majority of analysts say they expect EA to have a breakout year.
