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Another rally for Alphabet leads the US stock market higher

Another rally for Alphabet leads the US stock market higher

By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market rallied on Monday, at the start of a week with shortened trading because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

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The S&P 500 climbed 1.5% for one of its best days since the summer and added to its jump from Friday, finding some strength following a shaky few weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 202 points, or 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite jumped 2.7%.

Stocks got a lift from rising hopes that the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate again at its next meeting in December, a move that could boost the economy and investment prices. read more

Winn-Dixie is going all-in on Florida. Will the gamble pay off?

Winn-Dixie is going all-in on Florida. Will the gamble pay off?

Southeastern Grocers, the parent company of the century-old Florida chain Winn-Dixie, is gearing up for a major rebrand that involves closing dozens of locations and remodeling several others.

Come January, Southeastern Grocers will become The Winn-Dixie Company.

The firm will sell most of its out-of-state stores to other grocers. This includes 32 Winn-Dixie stores and eight Harveys Supermarkets in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Chairman and CEO Anthony Hucker told the Tampa Bay Times that the company plans to double down on Florida, opening new locations and improving old ones.

“Our brand is built on deep local routes and authentic connections, and really can’t be replicated by national chains,” said Hucker.

This is his first big test as the company’s leader. Earlier this year, he organized a consortium of investors to buy Southeastern Grocers back from Aldi.

Winn-Dixie has weathered several storms in the past decade. In 2018, Jacksonville-based Southeastern Grocers filed for bankruptcy, shuttering several Winn-Dixie stores in the process. read more

Stores keep prices down in a tough year for turkeys. Other Thanksgiving foods may cost more

Stores keep prices down in a tough year for turkeys. Other Thanksgiving foods may cost more

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, Associated Press Business Writer

CHELSEA, Mich. (AP) — Old Brick Farm, where Larry Doll raises chickens, turkeys and ducks, was fortunate this Thanksgiving season.

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Doll’s small farm west of Detroit had no cases of bird flu, despite an ongoing outbreak that killed more than 2 million U.S. turkeys in the last three months alone. He also avoided another disease, avian metapneumovirus, which causes turkeys to lay fewer eggs.

“I try to keep the operation as clean as possible, and not bringing other animals in from other farms helps mitigate that risk as well,” said Doll, whose farm has been in his family for five generations. read more

Building an emergency fund can feel daunting, but these tips can help

Building an emergency fund can feel daunting, but these tips can help

By ADRIANA MORGA

NEW YORK (AP) — Maybe your car broke down, your computer was stolen, or you had a surprise visit to urgent care. Emergencies are inevitable, but you can prepare to deal with them by building an emergency fund.

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“There are so many things that happen in our lives that we don’t expect and most of them require financial means to overcome,” said Miklos Ringbauer, a certified public accountant.

The industry standard is to save three to six months of expenses in an emergency fund. However, this can feel daunting if you live paycheck to paycheck or if you have debt. But if you’re in either of these situations, it’s even more crucial to build a financial safety net that can help you in times of crisis. read more

Are lower insurance rates reducing homeowners’ costs? We shopped four policies to find out

Are lower insurance rates reducing homeowners’ costs? We shopped four policies to find out

Are lower home insurance rates leading to cost reductions for Florida homeowners?

After insurance leaders in Florida spent the last year touting the revival of a healthy insurance market, the South Florida Sun Sentinel decided to find out whether policyholders have been affected in the only way most of us care about: Can we insure our homes for a lower price?

Insurers say the only way to find out is to shop your policy out on the open market.

So for this test, the Sun Sentinel recruited four homeowners — two each in south and central Florida — and four agents.

Each agent obtained quotes for two homeowners from insurance companies they are contracted to represent.

The results:

— Among 13 private-market insurers that provided quotes, only two — Edison and newcomer Ovation — offered to reduce premiums. Edison and Ovation both offered lower premiums to one of four participating homeowners while Ovation also offered a lower cost to another homeowner.

— Many of the quotes included $10,000 caps on water damage coverage and several capped roof coverage at the actual cash value, rather than replacement cost. These caps stem from insurers’ experience with high volumes of roof and water claims and heavy litigation connected to them. read more