Visa expects holiday retail sales to rise 4.5% during the final two months of 2026 as income growth and household wealth support spending, even as high prices shape gift choices, experience purchases and airfare bookings.
Lyft is combining ride credits with a DoorDash membership in a $9.99 monthly program designed to compete more directly with Uber One, while restructuring its existing loyalty options for riders, delivery customers, and bike users.
Wendy's rejected Trian Partners' $1.4 billion offer despite seven consecutive quarters of comparable sales declines, trusting Bob Wright's Dave's Way strategy of better ingredients, breakfast changes, and restaurant portfolio moves to revive the struggling chain.
Veteran geologist Robert Quartermain says $4,000 gold remains attractive as Dakota Gold advances Richmond Hill toward a 2029 production target, supported by about $99 million in cash reported at the end of June and plans to limit shareholder dilution.
Bitcoin sank 5% below $76,000 as a stock market retreat crushed post election momentum, erased $370 billion from global crypto value, and renewed concerns about leverage, the Binance hack, and Washington’s stalled Clarity Act.
Gold surged past $4,100 as lower Treasury yields, a softer dollar and declining unit labor costs supported bullion, though resilient employment data and an approximately 80% probability of another Federal Reserve increase in December tempered the rally.
Senate Finance Committee staffers intend to examine how senior JPMorgan executives handled Jeffrey Epstein, with likely chairman Ron Wyden preparing to use subpoena powers after Democrats take control of Congress early next year.
Qualcomm shares sank 9% after weak guidance eclipsed a slight Q4 earnings beat, while a 26% drop in handset chip sales and broader concerns about artificial intelligence regulation, data centers and memory costs pressured semiconductor stocks.
Democrats scored a sweeping political victory, but executive power, persistent inflation, rising debt and dependence on artificial intelligence mean the economy’s largest risks may remain largely unchanged.
The Nasdaq entered correction territory as a brutal artificial intelligence selloff spread across Wall Street, crushing major indexes, lowering expectations for a Federal Reserve rate increase, and helping drive gold and silver futures higher.
Gold reclaimed $4,000 and silver surged after Democratic midterm victories drove Treasury yields and the dollar lower, even as resilient economic data kept expectations for another Federal Reserve rate increase firmly in play.
Gold remained above $4,000 after ADP reported stronger than expected October hiring, leaving bullion caught between continued buying support and pressure from a firmer dollar, rising Treasury yields and expectations of tighter monetary policy.
Private employers added 86,000 jobs in October, beating forecasts while matching September’s revised total. Service sectors drove the gains, job changers secured stronger earnings growth, and economists now await Friday’s federal payroll report.
Democrats secured both chambers of Congress, sending Wall Street racing to reassess small companies, defensive stocks, tariffs and AI. Strategists see greater political certainty, but also potential roadblocks for technology legislation and planned data center construction.
AMD’s rising stock price triggered a $1.1 billion warrant charge as OpenAI and Meta gained pathways to buy up to 320 million shares for pennies, even as record data center sales and a bullish 2027 outlook highlighted rapid growth.
SpaceX, Tesla and other AI linked stocks fell after Democratic election victories raised concerns about data center expansion, particularly in Texas, where around 25% to 30% of planned capacity is expected to emerge.