Things To Do In SW Florida

By PAUL WISEMAN, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale prices rose a hotter-than-expected 0.5% in December.

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The Labor Department reported Friday that its producer price index — which measures inflation before it hits consumers — rose from November to December at the fastest pace in three months and faster than the 0.3% economists had forecast. Compared to December 2024, producer prices were up 3% last month, which was in line with what forecasters expected.

Services prices were up 0.7% from November, the biggest increase since July, mostly reflecting fatter profit margins at wholesalers and retailers. But the price of goods — such as appliances and autos — was unchanged last month and up 2.5% from a year earlier. read more

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER and JOSH BOAK, AP Writers

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kevin Warsh has sought the job of Federal Reserve chair, off and on, since President Donald Trump first considered him for the position nearly a decade ago. Now that he is in line for the position, the enormity of the challenge ahead of him is clear.

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To be effective, Warsh must gain the trust of at least three constituencies: the committee of Federal Reserve officials whose votes he will have to win to change interest rates; the financial markets, which can undermine his efforts to reduce borrowing costs if they think he is acting politically; and not least Trump, a former real estate developer with an exquisite sense of just how much difference a cut or increase in interest rates can make for those with large debts, whether they are businesses, households or a government. read more

When the Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced a draft proposal to allow Blue Origin to increase its industrial wastewater output that would flow into the Indian River Lagoon, residents and government officials in Brevard County corralled enough support to get the DEP to hold a public hearing.

That meeting is Friday from 4-7 p.m. at the Brevard County UF/IFAS Extension Building located at 3695 Lake Drive in Cocoa.

At issue is Jeff Bezos’ company desire to allow nearly 500,000 gallons of wastewater daily at Blue Origin’s Merritt Island facilities that would affect the Indian River Lagoon. The permit would allow it to operate an industrial wastewater treatment facility that could dispense up to 490,000 gallons per day. Of that total, up to 15,000 gallons per day could be unprocessed wastewater.

The water comes from manufacturing activities at the OLS Manufacturing Complex site where Blue Origin builds its New Glenn rocket, as well as other space-related hardware such as the Blue Moon lunar lander. read more

By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Financial markets are churning on Friday as investors try to figure out what President Donald Trump’s new nominee to lead the Federal Reserve will mean for them.

The early reactions have been uneasy and sometimes quick to change because of the uncertainty. U.S. stocks fell modestly, with the S&P 500 down 0.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 440 points, or 0.9%, as of 11:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.6% lower.

The value of the U.S. dollar, meanwhile, climbed but only after swiveling a couple times following Trump’s announcement. And some of the wildest action was again in precious metals markets, where the price of gold went through more cycles of tumbling sharply and retracing some of its losses.

Whoever leads the Fed has a big influence on the economy and markets worldwide by helping to dictate where the U.S. central bank moves interest rates. Such decisions lift or weigh on prices for all kinds of investments, as the Fed tries to keep the U.S. job market humming without letting inflation get out of control. Trump has been pushing for lower interest rates, which usually help goose the economy but can also lead to higher inflation. read more

By Sarah Boden, Drew Hawkins, Gulf States Newsroom, KFF Health News

Last year was a tough one for farmers. Amid falling prices for commodity crops such as corn and soybeans, rising input costs for supplies like fertilizer and seeds, as well as the Trump tariffs and the dismantling of USAID, many farms weren’t profitable last year.

And now, the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that many Americans, including farmers, relied on to purchase health insurance are gone, having expired at the end of December.

James Davis, 55, who grows cotton, soybeans, and corn in northern Louisiana, said he didn’t know how he and his wife would afford coverage. Their share of their insurance premium quadrupled for 2026, jumping to about $2,700 a month.

“You can’t afford it,” Davis said. “Bottom line. There’s nothing to discuss. You can’t afford it without the subsidies.”

More than a quarter of the agricultural workforce purchases health insurance through the individual marketplace, according to an analysis from KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News. read more