Friday,
October 18, 2024
Market recap
Dow Jones
43,239.05
+161.35 (+0.37%)
S&P 500
5,841.47
-1.00 (-0.02%)
Nasdaq
18,373.61
+6.53 (+0.04%)
Top Story
Hereâs another sign that the US economy remains strong
Americans keep spending their hard-earned cash, further dampening recession concerns.
US stocks finished mixed on Thursday
• The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed to a fresh record close. Chip maker NVIDIA also hit a closing milestone.
• Last week, nearly 20,000 fewer Americans filed for first-time unemployment claims than expected, adding to the positive economic news of the day.
What to be on the lookout for today
• U.S. housing starts and building permits.
• In earnings, American Express and Procter & Gamble will report.
Is this the most important form of self-care?
Financial self-care is as important (if not more important) than other forms of self-care, such as heading to the spa or taking a personal day off of work.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans say money is their number-one stressor in life. Spending time on some financial self-care may help you minimize money worries and reduce stress over the long term.
One way to reduce your financial stress is by knowing you have a safety net to fall back on in emergencies.
A healthy emergency fund can provide peace of mind that no matter what happens, youâll have it covered. If you donât have an emergency fund yet, prioritize saving one month's worth of expenses as your initial safety net before moving onto the bigger goal of an emergency fund with more savings.
Here are 6 steps for starting (and keeping) a rainy day fund.
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Todayâs top stories
Boomers are more likely than Gen Z to need multiple jobsSide hustles arenât just for young people as Americans close to retirement find themselves struggling.
Read more >> Looking for a place to put your cash?The best spot will depend on how soon youâll need the money and your tolerance for risk.
Read more >>Other news that caught our eye
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The Biden administration announced federal student loan forgiveness for 60,000 more borrowers in the public service sector, amounting to an additional $4.5 billion in relief.
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Netflix is set to stream several NFL games on Christmas, which the streaming giant hopes will boost its nascent advertising business as subscriber growth plateaus.
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Disney+ just got pricier. Disney officially hiked the prices of most of its streaming plans, including ESPN+ and Hulu. This follows similar moves from fellow streamers Max and Peacock.
Financial planner tip of the day
"One place to begin when striving to nurture good financial habits is to write out individual money goals. Financial goals can serve as âexternalâ guideposts for kickstarting (and then sticking with) new habits."
Brian Walsh, CFPÂŽ at SoFi