Wall Street ticks toward the edge of its all-time high
By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market rose to the edge of its all-time high on Friday.
The S&P 500 added 0.2% and finished just 0.3% shy of its record closing level, which was set in October.
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Read MoreTesla, Netflix, and ON Semiconductor: 3 Unusually Active Cash-Secured Put Options to Sell Now
Thursday’s unusual options activity included puts on popular stocks such as Tesla and Netflix. If you are entertaining the idea of selling cash-secured puts to generate income while attempting to buy …
Read More4 India ETFs Under the Spotlight as RBI Cuts Interest Rate
In a decisive move, the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) unanimously cut the key repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.25% today. The announcement triggered an immediate rally in India’s equity markets, with the Sensex gaining around 300 points and the Nifty rising 100 points in the early hours of trading (as reported by CNBC TV 18).
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Read MoreHow Everyday Investors Are Using Monthly ETFs to Replace Their Paychecks
As investors look to the future, more and more are focused on a single goal that results in using monthly ETFs to replace or greatly add to their existing paychecks. Whether it’s because they are getting tired of the corporate grind or because they just want a steady cash flow, this idea of replacing paycheck income with passive income continues to gain the right kind of steam.
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Read MoreSocial Security benefits will set a record in 2026, and retirees in these 5 states will see the greatest COLA increases
The new year will bring a Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of 2.8%, a slight step up from the 2.5% increase beneficiaries received in 2025. It also marks the first time since the 90s that recipients are seeing five consecutive years of raises 2.5% or greater.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) said the average monthly benefits for retired workers will rise by $56 to $2,071 in Jan.
The Burst
Forget Billionaire’s Amazon Buy, Time For This Mag 7 Stock?
Stanley Druckenmiller’s Q3 purchase of nearly half a million Amazon shares drew attention, but the move is more interesting when viewed in context.
Druckenmiller has a long habit of trading Amazon in cycles, buying heavily when sentiment softens and trimming when momentum returns. His last cycle didn’t produce much upside, making his decision to jump back in at a higher cost especially noteworthy.
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Read MoreThe Ivy
Why Did Buffett Buy Google?
When Berkshire Hathaway showed up with a new position in Alphabet, more than a few eyebrows went up. Alphabet, after all, is pursuing everything from autonomous driving to quantum computing, hardly the plain-vanilla playbook Buffett made famous.
But once you dig in, the move becomes far less mysterious. Alphabet is still, above all else,
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Read MoreThe Spotlight
Meta Looked Impressive Until You Read the Fine Print
Meta Platforms just reminded us that building the future of AI doesn’t come cheap.
After a strong third-quarter report, the stock tumbled more than 12% as management unveiled spending plans that even long-term investors found hard to digest.
At first glance, everything looked stellar. Revenue jumped 26% year over year to $51.2 billion,
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