For: October 20, 2025
>>Ahead Of The Bell
(New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed higher on Friday to cap a positive week on Wall Street. Stocks hit session highs after President Trump said he still expects to meet with China's President XI Jinping [[ she jeen-peeng ]] later this month. A rise in financial shares also helped boost sentiment after credit concerns sparked a sell-off in regional banks. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 238 points to 46-190. The S&P 500 added 34 points to 66-64. The Nasdaq rose 117 points to 22-679.
>>Government Shutdown Rolls On
(Washington, DC) -- The partial shutdown of the federal government drags on with no clear path to an end in sight. Democrats say they will not vote for a funding bill unless it includes tax breaks for 24-million Americans who buy health insurance through Obamacare. During the shutdown, which started on October 1st, air traffic controllers are clocking in without being paid and food aid programs like SNAP and WIC are expected to start running out of money by the end of the month.
>>Boeing To Resume Contract Talks With Striking Workers
(St. Louis, MO) -- Boeing is set to resume talks today with the union representing more than three-thousand striking employees. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers says both sides have agreed to another meeting with federal mediators in an effort to work out a deal. Over 32-hundred Boeing employees in the St. Louis area have been on strike since early August demanding a better contract. The aerospace giant said it's pleased to return to the negotiating table and hopes to "find a path forward."
>>Report: Auto Loan Delinquencies Are Rising
(Undated) -- Americans are feeling the burden of increasing auto loan debt. A report from VantageScore shows auto delinquencies are up over 50-percent since 2010 and have moved from the safest to riskiest consumer commercial credit product in that time frame. It cites record-breaking car prices, higher maintenance and insurance costs and higher interest rates as key factors. Longer term loans are also a culprit. VantageScore says delinquencies in other loan categories, like credit cards band first mortgages have declined since the first quarter of 2010 making auto loans an outlier.
>>Broadway Musicians Still Without Contract As Actors Settle
(New York, NY) -- Broadway continues to face a possible strike, as a contract between musicians and Broadway producers remains out of reach. Things were looking brighter on Saturday on word that a tentative settlement had been reached with actors, a deal which still needs to be ratified by union members. But the New York Times reports there is still no agreement with musicians, who've been working since the end of August on an expired contract. The paper says their union hopes to meet again with producers this week. The musicians are seeking improvements in pay and benefits. A strike would be the first major walkout on Broadway since 2007.
>>Paramount Skydance Layoffs Expected Soon
(New York, NY) -- Layoffs are said to be coming to Paramount Skydance. "Variety" is reporting that some two-thousand jobs are on the chopping block as part of a cost-cutting plan devised by new chief executive David Ellison. The layoffs are expected to begin next week and follow August's closure of an eight-point-four billion dollar merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media.
>>Southwest Airlines Overhauling Boarding Process
(Dallas, TX) -- Southwest Airlines says it's going to start assigning its seats. Southwest has used open seating for over 50 years, but says it will move to assigned seating starting on January 27th. The airline's website announced the change along with a completely new boarding system. Travelers including frequent flyers and credit card holders with boarding benefits, and those who purchase extra legroom, will automatically be assigned to early boarding groups.
>>Kering Sells Beauty Line To L'Oreal
(Paris) -- Kering, the company behind Gucci, is selling its beauty business to L'Oreal for more than four-point-six billion dollars. L'Oreal will get Kering's fragrance line Creed and the right to develop products under labels Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga for 50 years. The sale aims to help erase some of Kering's ten-point-five-billion-dollars in debt.
>>Halloween Spending Soars
(Washington, DC) -- Americans are set to spend a record amount on Halloween this year. According to the National Retail Federation, Halloween spending is expected to reach 13-point-one-billion dollars in 2025. That's up from eleven-point-six-billion dollars from last year. This year's total includes three-point-nine-billion dollars on candy and four-point-three-billion dollars on costumes. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the cost of candy has jumped eight-percent compared to last year.
