Tuesday,
September 26, 2023

Market recap

Dow Jones

34,006.88

+43.04 (+0.13%)

S&P 500

4,337.44

+17.38 (+0.40%)

Nasdaq

13,271.32

+59.51 (+0.45%)

Costco

$558.62

+$0.03 (+0.01%)

Amazon

$131.27

+$2.15 (+1.67%)

Novo Nordisk

$91.13

-$0.17 (-0.19%)

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Top Story

Gas prices have jumped 25% since the start of the year

Rising oil prices promise to distort inflation once again, leaving some tough questions about the Federal Reserve’s desired ā€˜soft landing’. Here’s what $100-per-barrel oil could mean for the economy.

Read more >>

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U.S. stocks rose on Monday as Wall Street looked to pare some of last week’s losses that dragged the three major indexes to multi-month lows

•   The week started with local Fed indexes. The Chicago Fed National Activity Index fell in September, while the Dallas Fed Manufacturing index, which measures the overall performance of manufacturing in Texas, showed that general business conditions worsened.

•   Amazon (AMZN) is investing as much as $4 billion in artificial intelligence firm Anthropic, which recently launched ChatGPT rival Claude. Anthropic will use Amazon Web Services as its primary cloud provider and AWS customers will get early access to the model’s customization features.

•   Microsoft (MSFT) is actively exploring nuclear energy as a means to power its data centers. The tech titan has already entered a $375 million power purchase agreement with nuclear fusion startup Helion in hopes nuclear reactors will fill the void of fossil fuels as the industry transitions toward clean energy solutions.

•   Hollywood Writers Guild of America and studios reached a tentative agreement. However, the strike will not end until the contract is officially ratified. Shares of studios and streamers did not have a unified reaction to the news — Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and Disney (DIS) ended Monday lower, while Netflix (NFLX) stock rose.

What to be on the lookout for today

•   The September Consumer Confidence Index will be released, as well as several real estate metrics, including the Case Shiller Home Price Index for July. In June, this 20-city home price index fell by 1.2% from last year, marking the fourth consecutive month of declining home prices. Investors will also watch for a report on the number of new homes sold in August.

•   One of the nation’s largest retailers, Costco (COST), will present its latest quarterly results to investors.

How to budget for your honeymoon

What’s more exciting than honeymoon planning? After all the stress of wedding planning and the big day itself, the getaway can’t come soon enough. For many couples, the honeymoon is an opportunity to take a once in a lifetime vacation, be it a different type of trip than usual, or a new and exciting destination. But just like budgeting for wedding costs, keeping an eye on the money is sensible for honeymoon planning, too.

The average honeymoon costs $4,800 for an average of eight days. If you have enough lead time, starting a honeymoon fund could be a way to build up your budget over time. Instead of a wedding registry, you may opt for a honeymoon registry, which allows your guests to contribute to your trip.

When it comes to the actual planning, there are also plenty of ways to save. For one, the destination you pick matters and can dictate the overall price level of your honeymoon. Using miles and searching for deals on flights can help you save as you get there. Similarly, be smart when you choose your accommodation. Deals, miles, and points could help you out once again.

Learn more about how to budget and how to set up a travel fund before you get planning, and head to SoFi’s Travel for how to get the best out of your trip.

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Today’s top stories

Home builders face a hurricane of headwinds
With the Fed’s decision to keep interest rates higher for longer, the housing market is facing renewed headwinds. But for buyers there could still be a silver lining.
Read more >>

Is 50% office attendance as good as it gets?
Office attendance seems to have found a new normal — and it has profound implications for business strategies.
Read more >>

What to know about negotiating a signing bonus
If you’re in the process of negotiating the terms of a new job, don’t forget that a signing bonus may also be on the table. Here’s how to ask for one.
Read more >>

Other news that caught our eye

Financial planner tip of the day

"When building a personal budget, it can be helpful for individuals to get a good grip on the money that’s coming in and going out. It’s a common mistake to set budget categories with aspirational numbers pulled out of thin air, only to have a budget fall apart later on when faced with reality."

Brian Walsh, CFPĀ® at SoFi

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