For: May 8, 2025
>>Ahead Of The Bell
(New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed higher on Wall Street Wednesday. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 284 points to 41-113. The S&P 500 rose by 24 points to 56-31. The Nasdaq gained 48 points to 17-738.
>>Trump Expected To Announce Trade Deal With UK
(Washington, DC) -- President Trump is expected to announce a "major trade deal" today with the UK. In a post on Truth Social Wednesday night, he said he'll hold a news conference in the Oval Office -- and that the deal is with a big and highly respected country. He closed the post by saying the deal is the first of many. Just over a month ago, Trump announced global tariffs on U.S. imports in an effort to boost American manufacturing and protect jobs.
>>U.S. Recession Survey
(Undated) -- About four-in-ten Americans are saying the U.S. is currently in a recession. The latest poll from The Economist/YouGov found an uptick from 30-percent which was previously reported in early February. Despite the increase, the figure is still lower than the 50 percent who had the same view in late 2022 and the early days of 2023. The poll also found 35-percent of respondents disagreed with recession claims while 25-percent of respondents were not sure when asked about the topic.
>>Fed Leaves Rates Unchanged
(Washington, DC) -- The Federal Reserve is leaving interests rates unchanged. It comes as recent economic reports have sent mixed signals on the state of the economy. Inflation still remains above the central bank's target of two-percent. It's also as tariffs implemented by the White House remain in place, including a 145-percent tariff against China. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said yesterday that if "large increases in tariffs" remain in place they could lead to an economic growth slowdown.
>>Weekly Jobless Claims Due
(Washington, DC) -- The weekly jobless claims report is set for release today. Most analysts expect to see a decline in the number of Americans filing first-time requests for unemployment benefits. The forecast is for around 230-thousand new claims, versus 241-thousand the week before.
>>Ford Raising Prices On Three Models Over Tariffs
(Mexico) -- Ford is raising the prices on three models manufactured in Mexico due to tariffs. Ford's Bronco Sport, Maverick pickup and Mustang Mach-E electric SUV will see up to two-thousand-dollar increases for some models. A spokesperson for the company says the tariffs are combining with their usual mid-year pricing actions. They added the amended prices will not impact vehicles in dealership inventories. Ford's price adjustments come after the company projected the tariffs would cost them around over one-billion-dollars this year.
>>Google Searches Fall In Safari
(Cupertino, CA) -- The number of Google searches made in Apple's Safari browser is down for the first time in more than two decades. An Apple senior vice president testified Wednesday in Google's antitrust trial that last month's decline is linked to the growth of AI searches. Google pays Apple 20-billion-dollars to make its search engine the default in Safari.
>>Netflix Redesigning Home Page
(Los Gatos, CA) -- Netflix is rolling out a redesign for its home page on TV screens, the first big makeover since 2013. Starting next week, the page will feature fewer titles but more video. Company officials say the goal is a sleeker design that will get more people to "press play and stay."
>>Disney Announces Abu Dhabi Theme Park
(Abu Dhabi) -- Disney fans have a new theme park to look forward to. The company announced plans for a resort in Abu Dhabi Wednesday but did not give an exact opening date. It'll mark Disney's seventh theme park resort destination and its first entry into the Middle East. The Abu Dhabi resort will be the first new theme park by Disney since Shanghai Disneyland opened in 2016.
