Things To Do In SW Florida

The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors.

U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates.

The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger as their stock prices kept growing. But it wasn’t just Apple, Nvidia and the like. Bitcoin, gold and other investments also drove higher.

Here’s a look at some of the numbers that defined the year. All are as of Dec. 20.

1998

Remember when President Bill Clinton got impeached or when baseball’s Mark McGwire hit his 70th home run against the Montreal Expos? That was the last time the U.S. stock market closed out a second straight year with a leap of at least 20%, something the S&P 500 is on track to do again this year. The index has climbed 24.3% so far this year, not including dividends, following last year’s spurt of 24.2%.

57

The number of all-time highs the S&P 500 has set so far this year. The first came early, on Jan. 19, when the index capped a two-year comeback from the swoon caused by high inflation and worries that high interest rates instituted by the Federal Reserve to combat it would create a recession. But the index was methodical through the rest of the year, setting a record in every month outside of April and August, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. The latest came on Dec. 6. read more

Universal Orlando has suspended the use of drones during “Universal CineSational,” its end-of-night show at Universal Studios theme park. The change comes on the heels of the Dec. 21 incident in which a 7-year-old boy was critically injured by a falling drone that was part of a show at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando.

“We have currently paused the drone component of CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular,” reads a Universal statement distributed to media.

Drone shows scheduled for this week at Orlando World Center Marriott have been canceled.

Universal’s “CineSational” show featured 600 drones when it debuted in June. During a segment of the production, the flying units formed film-related shapes such as a “Jaws” shark, the “Ghostbusters” symbol and King Kong scaling a building.

“CineSational,” staged over the park’s lagoon and backstage, also features fireworks, projections, choreographed fountains and a cinematic soundtrack.

The show remains on Universal Studios’ schedule through Dec. 31, and it will be presented without the drone units. Show times vary between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. nightly. read more

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO and HALELUYA HADERO, AP Business Writers

Sales rose this year during the holiday shopping season even as Americans wrestled with elevated prices for many groceries and other necessities, according to new data.

Holiday sales from the beginning of November through Christmas Eve climbed 3.8%, outpacing the 3.1% increase from a year earlier, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards. The last five days of the season accounted for 10% of the spending.

This year, retailers were even more under the gun to get shoppers in to buy early and in bulk since there were five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Michelle Meyer, chief economist at Mastercard Economics Institute, said the holiday shopping season “revealed a consumer who is willing and able to spend but driven by a search for value” as seen by concentrated online spending during the biggest promotional periods.

Sales growth was higher than the 3.2% increase Mastercard SpendingPulse had projected this fall. The data released Thursday excludes the automotive industry and is not adjusted for inflation. read more

By MATT OTT, AP Business Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits held steady last week, though continuing claims rose to the highest level in three years.

Jobless claim applications ticked down by 1,000 to 219,000 for the week of Dec. 21, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s fewer than the 223,000 analysts forecast.

Continuing claims, the total number of Americans collecting jobless benefits, climbed by 46,000 to 1.91 million for the week of Dec. 14. That’s more than analysts projected and the most since the week of Nov. 13, 2021 when the labor market was still recovering from the COVID-19 jobs wipeout in the spring of 2020.

The rising level of continuing claims suggests that some who are receiving benefits are finding it harder to land new jobs. That could mean that demand for workers is waning, even though the economy remains strong.

The four-week average of weekly claims, which quiets some of the week-to-week volatility, inched up by 1,000 to 226,500. read more

Chapter 7

Central Florida individuals and businesses that have filed for liquidation under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code include:

TNT of Central Florida Inc., 2540 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, #2217, Melbourne. Filed: Dec. 12. Assets: $0. Liabilities: $97,527. Major creditors: Eastern Metal, Lake Worth, $17,117; Philip Howe, Melbourne Beach, $8,000; Margo Lozito, Satellite Beach, $7,000. Creditors meeting: Jan. 7.

Chapter 11

Central Florida individuals and businesses that have filed for reorganization and protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code include:

Cornerstone Home Care Services LLC, 2903 New Haven Ave., #404, Melbourne. Filed: Dec. 10. Assets: $90,038. Liabilities: $307,643. Major creditors: RLJ Enterprises Inc., Titusville. $106,141; Internal Revenue Service, Philadelphia, $77,000; South State Bank, Melbourne, $48,898. Creditors meeting: Jan. 13.

Knights Hourglass LLC doing business as Double Decker Warehouse, 1230 Hillcrest St., Suite 101, Orlando. Filed: Dec. 11. Assets: $0-$50,000. Liabilities: $500,001-$1 million. Major creditors: U.S. Small Business Administration, Charlotte, N.C., $457,000; Thomas R. Otto, Pompano Beach, $75,000; U.S. Small Business Administration, Birmingham, Ala., $74,444. Creditors meeting: Jan. 8. read more