Things To Do In SW Florida

By STAN CHOE

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rallied Thursday in Wall Street’s latest sharp swerve after a better-than-expected report on unemployment eased worries about the slowing economy.

The S&P 500 jumped 2.3% for its best day since 2022 and shaved off all but 0.5% of its loss from what was a brutal start to the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 683 points, or 1.8%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 2.9% as Nvidia and other Big Tech stocks helped lead the way.

Treasury yields also climbed in the bond market in a signal investors are feeling less worried about the economy after a report showed fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week. The number was better than economists expected.

It was exactly a week ago that worse-than-expected data on unemployment claims helped enflame worries that the Federal Reserve has kept interest rates at too high of an economy-slowing level for too long in order to beat inflation. That helped send markets reeling, along with a rate hike by the Bank of Japan that sent shockwaves worldwide by scrambling a favorite trade among some hedge funds. read more

Ariana Arghandewal | (TNS) Bankrate

We’re in the height of summer travel season, and that means you’ll likely spend more on booking hotels, airfare and other travel necessities. At the same time, more than one in three people planning a summer vacation in 2024 are considering taking on debt to cover the costs , according to Bankrate’s Summer Travel Survey.

Whether you’re traveling alone or with a group, tracking your vacation spending with one of the best travel budget apps can help you avoid overspending and even split expenses equally between your travel partners.

With so many great travel budget apps on the market, you might be wondering which one to get. It really comes down to your travel style and needs. Are you traveling solo or with a group? Do you need a simple budget tracker or do you want planning tools? There’s something out there for everyone, but here are the best options.

Travel budget apps for work

Expensify

Managing your expenses when you’re traveling for work can be challenging. Expensify lets you track your travel expenses easily. Instead of ransacking your luggage for that missing dinner receipt, just snap a picture of the receipt with the Smart Scan feature, and share it with your accounting team for reimbursement. read more

Bernard J. Wolfson, Phil Galewitz | (TNS) KFF Health News

When Kamala Harris was California’s top prosecutor, she was concerned that mergers among hospitals, physician groups, and health insurers could thwart competition and lead to higher prices for patients. If she wins the presidency in November, she’ll have a wide range of options to blunt monopolistic behavior nationwide.

The Democratic vice president could influence the Federal Trade Commission and instruct the departments of Justice and Health and Human Services to prioritize enforcement of antitrust laws and channel resources accordingly. Already, the Biden administration has taken an aggressive stance against mergers and acquisitions. In his first year in office, President Joe Biden issued an executive order intended to intensify antitrust enforcement across multiple industries, including health care.

Under Biden, the FTC and DOJ have fought more mergers than they have in decades, often targeting health care deals.

“What Harris could do is set the tone that she is going to continue this laser focus on competition and health care prices,” said Katie Gudiksen, a senior health policy researcher at University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. read more

By Elizabeth Renter | NerdWallet

Buying things takes less time these days — you can have your week’s groceries, a new outfit and a used car headed to your front door in a matter of hours, thanks to technology. But this convenience comes with a price.

New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals fewer people are shopping on any given day than they were 20 years ago, and those who do are spending less time on the task. However, we’re spending more money, likely because we no longer have to even open our wallets, let alone leave the house, to buy all of the things we need or desire.

While our efforts have eased, online shopping has helped drive a dramatic increase in retail spending over the past few decades. Whether it’s your groceries or wardrobe, you’ve likely succumbed to more impulse buys because it’s just so darned easy.

We’re spending less time shopping

From 2003 to 2023, the share of people shopping on any given day fell from about 46% to just under 40%, according to the American Time Use Survey, an annual release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that examines how we spend our hours. read more

Walt Disney Co. and United Parks & Resorts, parent of SeaWorld Orlando, on Wednesday announced small gains in revenue for their theme parks during their most recent fiscal quarters.

Third-quarter revenue for Disney’s Experiences segment, which incorporates global attractions including Walt Disney World’s parks and Disney Cruise Line, was $8.38 billion, a 2% increase. Operating income was $2.22 billion, a 3% decrease.

The entire company’s revenue for the quarter was $23.16 billion, up 4%, and its operating income of $4.22 billion was an increase of 19%. A standout statistic, the company said, was Disney’s streaming segment — Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ — posting a profit for the first time.

Executives said the parks’ trend was expected to continue in upcoming quarters despite expectations for a “flattish” fourth quarter overall.  

“I want to emphasize we actually had 2% revenue growth in Q3,” Hugh Johnston, chief financial officer of Walt Disney Co., said in a call with market analysts Wednesday. “The reason, obviously, is the IP [intellectual property] is so strong in our parks, it really does attract a strong audience. And people are reluctant to cancel vacations.” read more