For: July 22, 2025
>>Ahead Of The Bell
(New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning after Wall Street saw stocks close mostly higher to start the week. Stocks rose as optimism around earnings largely offset fears over the latest trade developments. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit record highs bolstered by big tech names including Amazon and Meta Platforms which advanced more than one percent. Verizon shares jumped four percent on strong second quarter results. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 19 points to 44-323. The S&P 500 rose 8 points to 63-05. The Nasdaq gained 78 points to 20-974.
>>Fed Chair Powell Speaking Today
(Undated) -- Fed Chair Jerome Powell delivers remarks at a DC banking conference later today. Powell has come under fire repeatedly from President Trump over not lowering interest rates. Markets have been keeping a particularly close eye on the situation, reacting to rumors - when they come up - of Trump potentially being on the verge of firing Powell. The central bank is set to announce its latest decision on rates on the 30th. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says he'd like to take a fine-tooth comb to the entire Federal Reserve Institution and determine "whether they have been successful."
>>xAI To Develop Kid-Friendly Grok
(Palo Alto, CA) -- Elon Musk says his artificial intelligence start-up xAI is considering a kid-friendly version of its chatbot Grok. It will be called Baby Grok. A fourth version of Grok was recently released just months after a previous update and following some antisemitic comments by the chatbot shared on X.
>>Stellantis Reveals $2.68 Billion Loss As Tariffs Take Effect
(Hoofddorp, Netherlands) -- Stellantis says it has already lost hundreds of millions of dollars due to U.S. tariffs. The automaker on Monday revealed it lost two-point-seven-billion dollars in the first half of the year with just over 349-million of that due to U.S. tariffs that have been in place since April. Stellantis owns Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep as well as European brands like Fiat and Maserati. The company said shipments to North America fell by 25-percent from April to June compared to last year. Sales were down ten-percent in that time frame.
>>Southwest Announces When Assigned Seating Begins
(Dallas, TX) -- Southwest Airlines says it will begin assigned seating on January 27th. The Dallas-based carrier announced last summer it was ending its decades-long open seating policy. The airline also revealed Monday new seating options that include extra legroom and preferred seats. Southwest will also introduce a new group-based boarding process. There will be eight boarding groups instead of the current "A" through "C" system.
>>Starbucks Announces Pumpkin Spice Latte Release Date
(Seattle, WA) -- Starbucks fans will be able to get their hands on a Pumpkin Spice Latte in just over a month. The coffee chain announced Monday that the drink will be available this year starting August 26th. That's the latest the popular fall drink has gone on sale since 2022. Other fall drinks hitting the Starbucks menu next month include the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai and Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte. Meanwhile, fall flavors of Starbucks ready-to-drink products are set to hit store shelves as early as this week.
