Futures tied to Wall Street’s major indexes rose slightly in extended trading Wednesday after a turbulent earlier session that saw stocks reverse gains into the close after the Federal Reserve signaled interest rate hikes could come as soon as March. The central bank held rates at near zero following a two-day policy meeting that concluded on Wednesday, citing plans to halt pandemic-era policy of asset purchases first. The Federal Open Market Committee, however, reaffirmed it will wrap up… Source link

First-time unemployment filings are expected to have ticked slightly lower last week after notching a three-month high in the previous reading amid renewed virus-related disruptions. The Labor Department is set to release its latest weekly jobless claims report Thursday at 8:30 a.m. ET. Here are the main metrics expected from the print, based on consensus estimates compiled by Bloomberg: Initial jobless claims, week ended Jan. 22: 265,000 expected, 286,000 during prior week Continuing claims,… Source link

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Wednesday all but confirmed that the central bank will raise interest rates in its next policy-setting meeting in mid-March, as the central bank continues to battle rising prices. “I would say that the committee is of a mind to raise the federal funds rate at the March meeting, assuming conditions are appropriate for doing so,” Powell said in a press conference after the central bank opted to hold the short-term federal funds rate at near zero. But… Source link

If your Google Assistant-powered smart home display or speaker is rambling on and on after you asked it for the weather, you can now tell it to “stop” without having to say “Hey Google” first. It’s a small, but welcome, change and one that makes interacting with a digital assistant just a little more natural. Google’s smart home devices have had a version of this feature for years, where you could silence an alarm without saying “Hey Google.” It’s nice to see it… Source link

(Bloomberg) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank was ready to raise interest rates in March and didn’t rule out moving at every meeting to tackle the highest inflation in a generation. Most Read from Bloomberg “The committee is of a mind to raise the Fed funds rate at the March meeting” if conditions are there to do so, Powell told a virtual press conference on Wednesday, while noting that officials have not made any decisions about the path of policy because it… Source link

The Philadelphia 76ers have been shopping three-time returning All-Star Ben Simmons for the entire season, so nobody would be surprised if he is moved before the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 10. We have also discussed potential deals involving the Portland Trail Blazers‘ Damian Lillard and Washington Wizards‘ Bradley Beal ad infinitum, despite both players pledging loyalty to middling franchises in serious need of a roster shakeup. The list of potentially available franchise players beyond them… Source link

Alphabet Inc. GOOG 1.98% ’s Google and AARP want to help older people improve their digital skills.  The AARP Foundation said the new program, aided by a $10 million grant from Google’s philanthropic arm, will aim to train 25,000 people ages 50 and older on helping them use digital skills to advance in their careers.  AARP, the Washington-based advocacy group for older adults, said the… Source link

There are eight quarterbacks in NFL history with 50,000 yards and at least one Super Bowl win.  Tom Brady. Drew Brees. Peyton Manning. Brett Favre. Ben Roethlisberger. Eli Manning. Aaron Rodgers. John Elway. That’s three Hall of Famers, four locks and Eli Manning. We’ve all heard the debate on Eli Manning’s HOF candidacy by now, and he has a chance to make it eight-for-eight.  Matthew Stafford is at 49,995 career yards, which is 12th all-time. He’s five yards and two wins this postseason —… Source link

New York Giants co-owner John Mara still believes in Daniel Jones. Mara offered a blunt assessment on why Jones deserves another chance to start, saying the Giants have “done everything possible to screw” him up. Mara said the team needs to surround Jones with better help. That will allow the team to make an “intelligent evaluation” of Jones’ play. Jones failed to live up to expectations after being selected with the No. 6 pick in the 2019 NFL draft. He showed some promise his rookie season,… Source link

Ask Ford CEO and resident car super fan Jim Farley who he sees as his biggest competitors in the electric vehicle race, the answer isn’t fierce hometown rival General Motors.  In fact, Farley won’t say specifically the Model T creator has worthy competitors in EVs. Rather, Farley acknowledges “admiring” two EV players in particular.  “Well, the companies that I think about that I admire because of their commitment — and frankly, the hard work they did to earn their reputation — are… Source link