For: January 16, 2026
>>Trading Week Winding Down
(New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning after a higher close on Wall Street Thursday with bank stocks seeing a boost following the release of quarterly earnings. Elsewhere, new data pointed to a solid jobs market, with the Labor Department reporting Thursday that just 198-thousand Americans filed initial claims for unemployment benefits for the week ending January 10th. That's a drop of nine-thousand from the previous week. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 292 points to 49-442. The S&P 500 rose 17 points to 69-44. The Nasdaq gained 58 points to 23-530.
>>Mortgage Rates Hit 3-Year Low
(Undated) -- Mortgage rates are at their lowest level since 2022. According to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the benchmark rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage dropped this week by a tenth of a percent to six-point-oh-six percent. The agency's chief economist said weekly purchase applications and refinancing activity has jumped.
>>Verizon To Issue Customers $20 Credit For Outage
(New York, NY) -- Verizon customers will receive a 20-dollar credit after Wednesday's nearly day-long outage. In a statement posted on social media Thursday, Verizon said it did not meet the standard of excellence customers expect. Wednesday's outage caused issues with voice and data services for customers from about noon Eastern until well into the night. Verizon said the credit is not mean to make up for what happened, but to acknowledge customer's time. Customers will receive a text message when the credit is available to be redeemed.
>>North American Car, Truck, Utility Vehicles Of The Year Named
(Detroit, MI) -- The 2026 North American car, truck, and utility vehicles of the year have been announced at the Detroit Auto Show. Dodge won Car of the Year for its Charger, while Ford won Truck of the Year for its Maverick Lobo. It's the sixth year in a row that Ford has come out on top. The Utility Vehicle of the Year is the Hyundai Palisade. The winners are decided each year by a panel of 50 independent automotive journalists who base their votes on things like innovation, design, safety, performance, technology, driver satisfaction and value. The Detroit Auto Show opens to the public on Saturday and runs through Sunday, January 25th.
>>Negotiations Continue As NYC Nurse Strike Reaches Fifth Day
(New York, NY) -- The nurses' strike in New York City is now in its fifth day, but some are hopeful it could be coming to an end. Negotiations between three private hospitals and the nurses union ramped back up Thursday night, but the day ended without any kind of new agreement. Two of the hospitals plan to continue negotiations today. Nearly 15-thousand nurses walked off the job Monday, demanding better pay, improved health care benefits and safer working conditions. The nurses have been without a contract since January 1st. The hospitals have brought in replacement nurses and all three facilities claim it's business as usual for patients in the hospitals.
>>Spotify Raising Premium Prices Next Month
(New York, NY) -- Spotify is increasing the prices of its premium streaming plans in the U.S. next month. This comes after the streaming service raised prices in the U.K. and Switzerland last fall. Individual premium plans will increase to 12-dollars and 99-cents per month, with Student plans increasing to six-dollars and 99-cents per month. Duo plans will go up to 18-dollars and 99-cents per month and Family plans increasing to 21-dollars and 99-cents per month, and Student plans increasing to six-dollars and 99-cents per month. Spotify says Premium subscribers will receive an email with details about the price increases.
