Things To Do In SW Florida

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, Associated Press

Google is empowering its Chrome browser with the ability to alter imagery and a virtual assistant to help with online tasks as part of its push to turbocharge its digital services with more artificial intelligence technology.

The features rolling out include making Google’s AI image generator and editing tool, Nano Banana, available to Chrome’s logged-in users on desktop computers in the United States. The expanded access to Nano Banana through the leading web browser may further blur the lines between real-life pictures and fabricated images.

The browser’s expansion will also offer an option for Chrome’s U.S. users to open a side panel so an AI-powered assistant can help with an assortment of chores while a user remains engaged with other online tasks.

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Wall Street drifts around its record while the dollar’s value stabilizes

What’s a ‘good enough’ financial plan?

Holidays and a viral bear cup drive strong quarterly sales at Starbucks read more

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — As layoffs pile up, workers are feeling increasingly anxious about the job market.

In the U.S., economists have said that businesses are largely at a “no-hire, no fire” standstill, leading many to limit new work, if not pause openings entirely amid economic uncertainty. Hiring has stagnated overall — with the country adding a meager 50,000 jobs last month, down from a revised figure of 56,000 in November.

But a growing list of companies are also cutting jobs. Employers have initiated layoffs across sectors — with many pointing to rising operational costs that span from President Donald Trump’s barrage of new tariffs, stubborn inflation and shifts in spending from consumers, whose outlook on the U.S. economy recently plummeted to its lowest level since 2014. At the same time, some businesses are reducing their workforces as they redirect money to artificial intelligence, often baked into wider corporate restructuring.

Here are a few of the largest job cuts announced recently. read more

By STAN CHOE, Associated Press Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market is drifting around its all-time high on Wednesday, while the U.S. dollar’s value stabilizes against other currencies after falling to its lowest level in nearly four years.

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  What’s a ‘good enough’ financial plan?

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  Holidays and a viral bear cup drive strong quarterly sales at Starbucks

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  Florida still leads the way, but global spaceports could soon top 100

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  Federal Reserve may keep rates unchanged for months as economy shows signs of health

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  Amazon cuts about 16,000 corporate jobs in the latest round of layoffs

The S&P 500 edged up by 0.1%, coming off its latest record. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 63 points, or 0.1%, as of 10:15 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.4% higher.

Some Big Tech companies helped support the market following an encouraging report from ASML. The Dutch company, whose machinery helps make chips, gave a forecast for 2026 revenue that topped analysts’ expectations. read more

I’m a classic satisficer: I’m usually quick about making decisions and often fall back on the tried-and-true. Some people are optimizers, carefully analyzing almost every choice, whether it’s a new sofa or a cup of coffee.

Related Articles

• 
  Wall Street drifts around its record while the dollar’s value stabilizes

• 
  Holidays and a viral bear cup drive strong quarterly sales at Starbucks

• 
  Florida still leads the way, but global spaceports could soon top 100

• 
  Federal Reserve may keep rates unchanged for months as economy shows signs of health

• 
  Amazon cuts about 16,000 corporate jobs in the latest round of layoffs

If you want to make decent, “good enough” choices about your financial plan and portfolio and get onto other things, what strategies should you employ? And what should you stop doing? Here are some strategies to embrace.

Eliminate ‘onesies’ and embrace simple building blocks

Step away from those individual stocks. Forget I bonds and laddered portfolios of individual Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities. If you’re a satisficer, they’re not for you. Reduce your number of accounts and the holdings within them. read more

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, Associated Press Business Writer

Starbucks reported strong fiscal first quarter as holiday drinks and a viral bear cup helped drive sales.

Related Articles

• 
  Wall Street drifts around its record while the dollar’s value stabilizes

• 
  What’s a ‘good enough’ financial plan?

• 
  Florida still leads the way, but global spaceports could soon top 100

• 
  Federal Reserve may keep rates unchanged for months as economy shows signs of health

• 
  Amazon cuts about 16,000 corporate jobs in the latest round of layoffs

Same-store sales – or sales at locations open at least a year – rose 4% for the October-December period. That was higher than the 2.3% that Wall Street was expecting, according to analysts polled by FactSet.

Same-store sales in the U.S. were also up 4%, with a 3% increase in transactions and a 1% increase in spending per visit. That was the best U.S. performance for the company in two years.

Shares of the Seattle coffee giant jumped more than 6% before the opening bell Wednesday. read more