For: August 12, 2026
>>Ahead Of The Bell
(New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning on Wall Street after stocks closed lower yesterday. Oil prices have been on the rise amid uncertainty over the status of the conflict between the U.S. and Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures and international benchmark Brent crude were both up over one-percent. Elsewhere, shares of Alphabet and AppLovin have both seen a dip. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 184 points to 53-791. The S&P 500 fell 24 points to 77-28. The Nasdaq dropped 159 points to 26-445.
>>CPI Out Today
(Undated) -- The Consumer Price Index, one of the Fed's favorite inflation gauges, is set to be released today. That will be followed by equally important Producer Price Index on Thursday along with the weekly look at first-time jobless claims.
>>California's Minimum Wage Set To Go Up
(Sacramento, CA) -- California will raise its minimum wage to 17 dollars and 40 cents per hour starting January 1st next year. This is a 50-cent increase from the current hourly wage. The federal minimum wage is still seven dollars and 25 cents, unchanged since 2009. California's minimum wage goes up each year to keep up with inflation. The amount is based on the Consumer Price Index.
>>TikTok Ban On Government Devices Lifted
(Washington, DC) -- The Office of Management and Budget has lifted the ban on TikTok on federal government devices. The move follows a Justice Department opinion finding that employees can legally download TikTok under the platform's new U.S. joint venture, which is majority-owned by American investors. TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, retains a 19-point-nine-percent stake, while Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX each hold 15-percent. The arrangement was created to address national security and privacy concerns behind a 2024 law requiring ByteDance to divest from TikTok or face a U.S. ban. The decision marks the latest development in the long-running effort to keep TikTok operating in the United States.
>>Powerball Jackpot Hits $1 Billion
(Undated) -- One-billion dollars is up for grabs in Wednesday's Powerball drawing. The jackpot hit the mark after there was no grand prize winner in Monday night's drawing. The cash value of the grand prize is 433-point-one-million dollars. Tickets are two dollars each. Odds of winning are roughly one in 292-million.
