Things To Do In SW Florida

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes fell sharply in January as higher home prices and possibly harsh winter weather kept many prospective homebuyers on the sidelines despite easing mortgage rates.

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Existing home sales sank 8.4% last month from December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.91 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. That’s the biggest monthly decline in nearly four years and the slowest annualized sales pace in more than two years.

Sales fell 4.4% compared with January last year. The latest sales figure fell short of the 4.105 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet. read more

By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks fell sharply Thursday as the market punished companies seen as potential losers from artificial-intelligence technology.

The S&P 500 sank 1.6% for its second-worst day since Thanksgiving, though it’s still near its all-time high set late last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 669 points, or 1.3%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 2%.

AppLovin lost nearly a fifth of its value and tumbled 19.7%, even though it reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Like other software companies, it’s come under pressure from worries that AI may undercut its business while fundamentally changing how people use the internet.

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NASA, SpaceX shoot for predawn Crew-12 launch with sonic boom possible

Average US long-term mortgage rate dips to where it was 3 week ago, just above 6%

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How to face down estate planning paralysis read more

By Kimberly Palmer, NerdWallet

The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments.

When certified financial planner (CFP) AJ Ayers helped clients with their basic estate planning documents, she noticed they often got stuck on one step: finalizing the paperwork.

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  NASA, SpaceX shoot for predawn Crew-12 launch with sonic boom possible

• 
  Average US long-term mortgage rate dips to where it was 3 week ago, just above 6%

• 
  US homes sales fell sharply in January, even as mortgage rates continued to ease

• 
  US stocks drop as investors try to separate AI losers from winners

• 
  US applications for jobless benefits fall to 227,000 last week, remaining at recent healthy levels

“They would create an online estate plan and then wouldn’t complete the step where you need a notary to watch you sign it with two witnesses,” she says. read more

By MATT OTT, AP Business Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week, remaining within the historically healthy range of the past few years.

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  US stocks drop as investors try to separate AI losers from winners

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Applications for jobless aid for the week ending Feb. 7 fell by 5,000 to 227,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s basically in line with the 226,000 new applications that analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet had forecast.

Filings for unemployment benefits are viewed as representative of U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market. read more

United Launch Alliance suffered yet another fiery burn-through on one of its solid rocket boosters during a national security mission Thursday.

The Vulcan rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 at 4:22 a.m. on the USSF-87 mission for the Space Force, ULA’s first launch of the year and only its fourth launch of a Vulcan.

Tracking footage from this morning’s launch of @ulalaunch‘s Vulcan rocket & the USSF-87 mission for @USSpaceForce – filmed from a perspective 3.9 miles to the west of SLC-41.

SRM nozzle burn through plainly visible on the right-hand side of the vehicle, protruding in the… pic.twitter.com/1oBpcRf3Ix

— Max Evans (@_MaxQ_) February 12, 2026

Video of the rocket’s flight showed problems with one of the four GEM 63XL boosters, which are built by Northrop Grumman. The normal plume of propellant could be seen burning through the nozzle area at the booster’s base, followed by a series of sparks blasting away from the rocket as it climbed on its way through the dark Florida skies before sunrise. read more