For: March 19, 2026
>>Ahead On Wall Street
(New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed sharply lower on Wall Street yesterday. It comes after the Federal Reserve announced that it was leaving interest rates unchanged. It's the second time in a row the Fed has kept rates steady. In remarks after the announcement, Fed Chair Jerome Powell warned there won't be another rate cut until the Board sees "progress" on inflation. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 768 points to 46-225. The S&P 500 fell 91 points to 66-24. The Nasdaq dropped 327 points to 22-152.
>>PPI Rose More Than Expected In February
(Washington, DC) -- A new report says prices rose sharply in February. The Producer Price Index measures pipeline costs that producers receive for their products, and data shows a seasonally adjusted increase of point-seven percent while the core PPI was up point-five percent. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' report, food prices rose two-point-four percent, with the index for fresh and dry vegetables soaring nearly 49 percent. When looking on a 12-month basis, PPI inflation was the most since February 2025, at three-point-four percent while core was at three-point-nine percent.
>>Gas Prices Up Again
(Heathrow, FL) -- Gas prices continue climbing. The national average for a gallon of regular jumped overnight to three dollars and 88 cents, according to Triple-A. That's up four cents from Wednesday. In California, where prices are the highest in the country, drivers are paying five-61 a gallon on average.
>>USPS Low Cash Supply Warning
(Washington, DC) -- The U.S. Postal Service is warning that it may be unable to pay its workers and vendors by February 2027. Postmaster General David Steiner appeared before a House Oversight subcommittee and shared that at its current run rate, the postal service "will be out of cash in less than 12 months." Steiner is pushing for Congress to act quickly to lift borrowing limits and reform outdated regulations. However, lawmakers at the hearing signaled a mix of urgency and caution.
>>WNBA, Union Reach Verbal Agreement Including $7M Salary Cap
(New York, NY) -- The WNBA and players union have reached a verbal agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. Reports say the deal includes a major increase in the salary cap to seven-million-dollars. The average salary for players is expected to reach around 600-thousand-dollars, while the league minimum will surpass 300-thousand-dollars. Top players could earn up to one-point-four-million-dollars under the new super-max structure. The CBA will now go to the WNBA board of governors and players for ratification.
