City Atlanta Financial News

US stocks ended lower on Monday, interrupting last week's rally, as investors turned cautious ahead of employment data due this week that could alter expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates early next year. The S&P 500 receded, with megacaps Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia and Amazon dipping over 1%, pressured by higher U.S. Treasury yields, which made returns on stocks less attractive. The S&P 500 registered its highest close of the year on Friday as remarks from Fed Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged the central bank's need to «move forward carefully» amid signs of economic softening, comments that bolstered expectations the Fed has finished raising rates. Small-cap stocks rose on Monday, with the Russell 2000 rallying about 1% and bringing its gain this year to almost 7%. «There is a lot of chop around here that is not necessarily meaningful,» said Tom Martin, a senior portfolio manager at GLOBALT Investments in Atlanta. «We have a really important Fed meeting coming up, and what makes it important is that all of a sudden, the market has decided that they're going to cut early next year.» The S&P 500 declined 0.54% to end the session at 4,569.78 points. The Nasdaq declined 0.84% to 14,185.49 points, while Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.11% to 36,204.44 points. Volume on U.S.

By Lucia Mutikani

TJM Institutional Services director James Iuorio analyzes Q3 earnings and the Fed's ability to control inflation and future rate decisions.

Bitcoin soared to its highest price so far this year, as investors took on more risk ahead of comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell which could give guidance on whether the US is closer to lowering interest rates. The world’s largest cryptocurrency rallied as much as 2.87% to a high of $38,834 on Friday. Prices of other digital assets tracked by Bloomberg, such as Ether and Solana, were also up more than 2%. Bitcoin’s jump constitutes the token’s highest value since May 5 last year, just before the collapse of the TerraUSD stablecoin ecosystem rocked the sector and began a steady decline in asset prices. European stocks also advanced and the dollar fell, with Powell set to speak at Spelman College in Atlanta later on Friday. US futures edged higher while Treasuries were steady, as investors tried to gauge whether November gains across asset classes still have further to run. “The macro environment is expected to remain a robust tailwind for crypto,” said Markus Thielen, head of research and strategy at Matrixport, in a note on Friday. “Another decline in inflation is anticipated, prompting the Federal Reserve to likely initiate interest rate cuts. Combined with geopolitical crosscurrents, this healthy dose of monetary support should push Bitcoin to new highs in 2024.”

«The Drift» author provides insight on the economy and oil prices on «Kudlow.»

By Nathan Layne

Also Read: US stock market ends higher as Powell raises peak rate hopes; S&P logs highest close of year He also noted that the “full effects" of the Fed’s 5.25 percentage points of rate hikes to date have likely not yet been felt, Reuters reported. “We are getting what we wanted to get" out of the economy, Powell said during an event at Spelman College in Atlanta.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell participates in a fireside chat with Spelman College President.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Friday pushed back on market expectations for aggressive interest rate cuts ahead, calling it too early to declare victory over inflation.

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The Southeastern Conference championship game will remain at Mercedes-Benz Stadium through at least 2031

Stardew Valley, the popular game, is hitting the road with its first-ever concert tour, "Festival of Seasons," organized by ConcernedApe. With an initial 14 shows in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Southeast Asia, the tour expanded to 36 cities across 12 countries. The concert promises an intimate experience with fresh arrangements of the game's beloved soundtrack. Fans eagerly anticipating the tour can now find details on dates, cities, and ticket sales.

interest-rate cuts could be just months away. The benchmark 10-year note yield has fallen by 60 basis points in November, as prices have soared, logging its biggest one-month drop since a 70-bps fall in December 2008, when the Federal Reserve slashed interest rates in response to a struggling economy and a distressed financial system. Yields were last up 1 bp at 4.28% in European trading. The U.S. economy has shown far more resilience than most expected — creating more jobs, maintaining spending and activity and all during 17 months of almost non-stop rate rises from the central bank to lower inflation. Consumer price pressure are abating fast, spending is holding up and there has been enough evidence in the data to suggest the economy is heading for a gentle slowdown rather than recession. In the space of a month, markets have shifted from an expectation for rates to fall by around 60 bps in the second half of the year to pricing a scenario in which the Fed will cut rates by a full percentage point by this time next year, with the possibility of the first drop as early as March. «When it comes to market pricing, a Q1 rate cut has gone from being a complete out-of-consensus view only a month ago, to a serious proposition now.

The irreverent feminist website Jezebel is making a comeback less than a month after it was shut down

US economic activity slowed in recent weeks as consumers pulled back on discretionary spending, the Federal Reserve said in its “Beige Book" survey of regional business contacts. “Sales of discretionary items and durable goods, like furniture and appliances, declined, on average, as consumers showed more price sensitivity," according the report released Wednesday.

A hearing has begun to help determine whether a Georgia railroad can legally condemn property to build a rail line

Wall Street week ahead: Investors eye key US economic data, OPEC+ meet While the US economy is slowing, it has not deteriorated enough to justify the Federal Reserve beginning to cut interest rates, the firm noted. As a result, the economy will likely suffer from the squeeze of tighter credit longer than markets appear to anticipate, it said.

Atlanta, the trial has commenced for rapper Young Thug, accused of co-founding a violent criminal street gang and using his music to promote it. The artist, born Jeffery Lamar Williams, faces charges related to violating Georgia's anti-racketeering and gang laws.

NBA in-season tournament will be held on December 7, while its championship will take place on December 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. These games also will be broadcast live nationally. The first semifinal will be on ESPN at 5 p.m. ET while the second game will be held at 9 p.m. ET on TNT. The championship will be at 8:30 p.m. ET and televised on ABC. The teams that fail to make it to the knockout round, will play two additional games on December 6 and December 8 to fill out their 82-game schedule. The teams that lose in the quarterfinals of the knockout round will play one additional regular-season game on December 8.

On November 14, the Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRKb) fund submitted its obligatory 13F report to the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission, outlining portfolio details for units trading in stocks valued at over $100 million. The pivotal observation from the presented data underscores unwavering confidence in Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), maintaining its position as the undisputed leader, constituting 50% of the portfolio.

DFW housing and macro econ analyst Amy Nixon discusses the future of the housing market on 'Making Money.'