The U.S. economy added only 50,000 jobs in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate edged down slightly to 4.4% from a revised 4.5%. Overall, 2025 recorded the weakest annual job growth since 2003, with just 584,000 jobs added during the year. The slowdown prompted the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates three times in 2025 to support the labor market, … Continue reading The US economy added just 50,000 jobs last month, but the unemployment rate fell

Stellantis will stop making plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models for Jeep and Chrysler starting with the 2026 model year, shifting focus to mild hybrids and range-extended hybrid vehicles. The decision comes as PHEV sales fell, the vehicles faced recalls, and eased U.S. emissions standards reduced the need for plug-ins. Stellantis plans to introduce mild hybrids like the refreshed Jeep Cherokee and range-extended hybrids for the Grand … Continue reading Jeep and Chrysler kill plug-in hybrid models for 2026

Mortgage rates fell sharply after President Donald Trump announced plans for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities, aiming to make homeownership more affordable. The 30-year mortgage rate dropped to 5.99%, matching its lowest level since February 2023. Analysts say the MBS purchases could reduce rates by 10–25 basis points, slightly lowering monthly payments for buyers and potentially boosting demand. … Continue reading Mortgage rates drop to lowest level in nearly 3 years

Elon Musk’s xAI raised $20 billion in funding, surpassing its original $15 billion target, with investors including Nvidia, Cisco, Fidelity, and sovereign wealth funds. The startup, now valued around $230 billion, owns Musk’s social network X after merging with Twitter in March. xAI has faced regulatory scrutiny in Europe, India, and Malaysia over its Grok chatbot, which produced inappropriate and non-consensual content. Its Memphis data … Continue reading Musk’s xAI raises $20 billion from investors

Ford’s U.S. vehicle sales rose 6% in 2025 to 2.2 million units, marking its best annual performance since 2019. The automaker finished as the third-largest U.S. seller behind Toyota and General Motors, with fourth-quarter sales up 2.7% to over 545,200 units. Strong F-Series pickup sales helped offset production disruptions caused by supplier plant fires, though fourth-quarter F-Series sales dipped 3.1%. Ford’s all-electric vehicle sales fell … Continue reading Ford reports best annual U.S. vehicle sales since 2019

Wall Street hit new records on Tuesday, led by technology stocks, with the S&P 500, Dow, and Nasdaq all posting gains. Broader market strength was supported by health care, retail, and industrial sectors, while small-cap stocks outpaced larger ones. AI-focused tech companies, including Amazon, Microsoft, and Micron, drove much of the market’s momentum, though Nvidia slipped slightly. Oil prices fell after recent gains, Treasury yields … Continue reading Wall Street reaches more records on gains by Big Tech

Experts predict that 2026 will see the cheapest gas prices in the U.S. since 2020, averaging $2.97 per gallon nationally, according to GasBuddy. This would mark the fourth consecutive year of declining prices and the first time the annual average falls below $3 since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Americans are expected to spend roughly $11 billion less on gasoline than in 2025, with households averaging … Continue reading Gas prices expected to be the cheapest since covid

AT&T is relocating its global headquarters from downtown Dallas to a 54-acre campus in Plano’s Legacy district, consolidating over 10,000 North Texas employees. The move, expected to begin partial occupancy by late 2028, favors a sprawling suburban-style campus over Dallas’ vertical cityscape. AT&T’s downtown buildings will remain, with the company yet to disclose plans to sell or retain them; the current headquarters was transformed into … Continue reading AT&T moving headquarters to Plano

Chick-fil-A launched new frosted sodas and floats on Monday, featuring Icedream blended with popular fountain beverages like Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, and Sprite, alongside options such as Fanta, Powerade, Hi-C, and Barq’s Root Beer. The chain also introduced “retro-inspired” cups as part of its Golden Fan Cup sweepstakes, with 3,000 Gold Fan Cups offering a chance to win free Chick-fil-A for a year. The rollout celebrates … Continue reading Chick-fil-A’s new frosted sodas, retro cups spark buzz

The U.S. manufacturing sector continued to contract in December, with the ISM manufacturing index falling to 47.9%, the lowest reading of the year and marking the 10th straight month below 50%. Economists had expected a slight improvement, but weak demand and uncertainty from tariffs kept activity low. New orders declined for the fourth consecutive month, production slipped slightly, and only two of 19 industries reported … Continue reading U.S. manufacturing slump shows little sign of ending

Japan’s Kiyomura Corp paid a record 510 million yen ($3.25 million) for a 243-kilogram bluefin tuna at Tokyo’s annual New Year auction, the highest price ever at the Toyosu fish market. The tuna, caught off Oma in northern Japan, is prized for its quality, and Kiyoshi Kimura, Kiyomura’s president and “Tuna King,” outbid his own previous record of 333.6 million yen from 2019. The fish … Continue reading Massive bluefin tuna nets over $3 million at Tokyo auction

Warren Buffett has stepped down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, passing leadership to his chosen successor, Greg Abel. Abel, 63, takes over after Buffett spent six decades building the company into a global powerhouse. As CEO, Abel will maintain Berkshire’s decentralized structure while navigating slower growth due to the firm’s massive size. Although the transition surprised some investors, Buffett had announced in May that he … Continue reading Greg Abel takes over as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway

Warren Buffett, the “Oracle of Omaha,” has stepped down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at age 95, handing the reins to his longtime deputy Greg Abel. Buffett spent 60 years transforming the struggling textile company into a global conglomerate with holdings ranging from insurance and railroads to Apple and Coca-Cola. Despite retiring as CEO, he will remain chairman and continue sharing insights in annual shareholder … Continue reading Warren Buffett officially retires as Berkshire Hathaway’s CEO

BYD’s deliveries fell sharply in December, closing a volatile year for China’s electric vehicle market amid weak domestic demand and an aggressive price war. The company delivered 414,784 vehicles in December, down from 474,921 in November. Despite this, BYD met its revised 2025 sales target of 4.6 million vehicles, lowered by 16% due to slowing demand. Overall, it remained China’s EV market leader with more … Continue reading BYD’s China EV deliveries sharply decline in December

Britain’s FTSE 100 briefly surpassed the 10,000-point mark on Friday, marking a strong start to the year after a stellar 2025. The index traded at 9,981 by midday London time, with analysts cautioning that such round-number milestones are psychologically significant but require solid foundations to sustain. The broader European Stoxx 600 also rose 0.5%, building on nearly 16% gains in 2025 driven by banking and … Continue reading Britain’s FTSE 100 hits 10,000 points for first time

A $400,000 shipment of lobster bound for Costco stores in Illinois and Minnesota was stolen, according to Dylan Rexing, president of Rexing Companies. The driver reportedly impersonated a legitimate carrier, using tactics such as spoofed emails and burner phones, a method Rexing says is increasingly common in high-value freight thefts. The lobsters were not alive at the time of the theft. Rexing noted that such … Continue reading $400,000 worth of lobster stolen en route to Costco stores

Mountain West Food Group, LLC is recalling over 2,800 pounds of “Forward Farms Grass-Fed Ground Beef” from six states due to potential E. coli contamination. The raw 90/10 ground beef, produced on December 16 and packed in 16-ounce packages, was distributed to California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Pennsylvania, and Washington. No illnesses have been reported, but E. coli O26, a shiga toxin-producing strain, was detected during … Continue reading Ground beef recalled in 6 states over E. coli concerns

Japan’s SoftBank announced it will acquire data center investment firm DigitalBridge for $4 billion as part of its push into artificial intelligence. The deal, approved unanimously by DigitalBridge’s board, values the company at $16 per share in cash, a 15% premium over its Dec. 26 closing price, and is expected to close in the second half of next year. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son said the … Continue reading Softbank to buy data center firm DigitalBridge for $4 billion in AI push

Precious metals pulled back Tuesday after hitting record highs, with gold retreating to around $4,360 and silver to $74.50 as investors took profits. Equities fluctuated in quiet trading ahead of the New Year, following a strong 2025 driven by tech gains and central bank monetary easing. Asian markets saw mixed results, with Seoul and Tokyo slightly lower while Hong Kong, Singapore, and other cities rose, … Continue reading Precious metals fall again, stocks mixed as traders wind down

Elon Musk has expressed concern over China’s upcoming restrictions on silver exports, set to begin January 1, 2026, which will require government licenses for companies to trade the metal. He warned that this move could disrupt industries reliant on silver, including electronics, medicine, and renewable energy, due to its critical electrical, thermal, and chemical properties. Musk highlighted that the restrictions could trigger a global supply … Continue reading Silver Prices Soar as China’s New Export Rules Take Effect

Corporate bankruptcies hit a 15-year high in 2025, with at least 717 companies filing for Chapter 7 or 11 through November, a 14% increase from 2024, according to S&P data cited by The Washington Post. Companies blamed inflation, high interest rates, and President Donald Trump’s trade wars, which raised costs and disrupted supply chains, especially for import-dependent firms. The hardest-hit sectors were industrials such as … Continue reading Bankruptcies soared to a 15-year high in 2025 as companies struggled with trade wars

Food and drink prices continued to rise in November, with restaurant menu items like coffee, burritos, and burgers increasing faster than the overall inflation rate, according to Toast. Cold brew prices rose 4.5% year over year, while regular coffee, burritos, and burgers each climbed about 3%. Despite high costs, interest in beef surged in 2025 as the high-protein trend boosted home cooking, though shoppers favored … Continue reading Three in four say groceries so expensive they’ve cut down on other spending

Holiday travelers in the U.S. are seeing lower gas prices this December, with the national average below $3 a gallon for most of the month — the lowest since 2021, according to AAA. Fuel costs are down about 7% from last month and nearly 43% from mid-2022 highs of around $5 per gallon. AAA expects a record 122 million Americans to travel at least 50 … Continue reading Gas prices fall to four-year lows as millions embark on holiday road trips

The FDA has approved the first daily oral version of the blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy, giving Novo Nordisk an edge over rival Eli Lilly, whose oral obesity drug orforglipron is still under review. Both pills are GLP-1 drugs that mimic a hormone controlling appetite, similar to popular injectables like Wegovy and Lilly’s Zepbound, which have transformed obesity treatment for millions of Americans. Clinical trials showed … Continue reading U.S. regulators approve Wegovy pill for weight loss

The U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 4.3% in the third quarter, exceeding expectations of 3.2%, according to a delayed Commerce Department report. Strong consumer spending, which rose 3.5%, along with increased exports and government spending, drove the growth, while private fixed investment dipped only slightly. Inflation remained elevated, with the Fed’s preferred personal consumption expenditures index up 2.8% and core PCE at … Continue reading U.S. economy grows by 4.3% in third quarter, much more than expected