Things To Do In SW Florida

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Gold futures have soared above $4,000 per troy ounce for the first time, as many investors seek a safe place to park their money as the U.S. government shutdown continues.

Gold futures in New York jumped above the $4,000 mark Tuesday morning, reaching a record high. The going price for New York spot gold had previously closed at $3,960.60 per troy ounce — the standard for measuring precious metals — on Monday.

Gold sales can rise sharply when anxious investors seek secure investments for their money. Even before the shutdown, the asset — and other metals, like silver — had seen wide gains over the last year, as President Donald Trump ’s barrage of tariffs cause uncertainty around the outlook for the global economy. More recently, the prospect of lower interest rates has also made gold a more attractive investment than interest-bearing investments.

How much have gold prices climbed this year?

Gold futures are up about 50% since the start of 2025 — trading at around $4,013 per troy ounce as of around 11:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday. That’s up from around $2,670 seen at the beginning of January. read more

The Prime Big Deal Days event is Oct. 7-8 this year. It’s like the little brother of Amazon’s actual Prime Day sale (in July), with pages of Prime member-exclusive deals to sift through.

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Amazon bills this as a holiday shopping event, but, for deal-conscious consumers, it’s simply a good time to get a price break on popular products.

“I like to say it’s a buyer’s market around this time of year,” says Trae Bodge, the shopping expert at TrueTrae.com.

That’s because it’s not just Amazon rolling out deals. Target’s Circle Week sale is Oct. 5-11, and the Walmart Deals event is Oct. 7-12. Best Buy’s members-only event runs now through Oct. 5. read more

By Seth Fiegerman, Carmen Reinicke, Bloomberg News

For almost as long as the artificial intelligence boom has been in full swing, there have been warnings of a speculative bubble that could rival the dot-com craze of the late 1990s that ended in a spectacular crash and a wave of bankruptcies.

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Tech firms are spending hundreds of billions of dollars on advanced chips and data centers, not just to keep pace with a surge in the use of chatbots such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude, but to make sure they’re ready to handle a more fundamental and disruptive shift of economic activity from humans to machines. The final bill may run into the trillions. The financing is coming from venture capital, debt and, lately, some more unconventional arrangements that have raised eyebrows on Wall Street. read more

By JOSH FUNK

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday that the government shutdown is putting more stress on air traffic controllers who already have an extremely stressful job, as well as threatening a program that small communities rely on to help subsidize airline service.

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Controllers are expected to continue working without a paycheck, Duffy said, so they are now worried about how to pay their bills in addition to worrying about keeping flights safe.

“Now what they think about as they’re controlling our airspace is, how am I going to pay my mortgage? How do I make my car payment? I have a couple kids at home. How do I put food on the table? I’m working six days a week. Do I have to take a second job and drive Uber when I’m already exhausted from doing a job that’s already stressful to think about how I can make extra money because the government may not provide me a paycheck?” Duffy said. read more

As Royal Caribbean’s newest floating behemoth prepares to enter service next year, the company has unveiled an array of dining experiences plus the main stage show that cruise passengers can enjoy while sailing on Legend of the Seas.

The company’s third Icon-class ship, which arrives in Fort Lauderdale next November, will feature 28 dining options — a tally greater than the number on both Icon and Star, Legend’s sister ships. Highlights include the Hollywoodland Supper Club and an immersive railroad-themed dining experience.

Guests can also enjoy the Broadway hit Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” while sailing on the new megaship.

“With Legend of the Seas, we are bringing to life our most legendary vacation yet as we continue to push the boundaries with more of what guests know and love,” said Michael Bayley, Royal Caribbean’s president and CEO, in a news release.

The Hollywoodland Supper Club is an intimate dining venue that takes its inspiration from the golden age of Hollywood, complete with “sultry jazz,” gourmet bites and cocktails. The multi-course meal takes diners on a cinematic journey from 1910 to the 1950s. Variations of this concept can be found on Icon as The Empire Supper Club and on Star as The Lincoln Park Supper Club. read more