Major Stock Indexes Mixed Ahead of Federal Reserve Decision on Interest Rates

GE Vernova Stock Powers to a Record High After Investor Day—Here’s Why

17 minutes ago

GE Vernova (GEV) shares surged to a record high Wednesday after the company boosted its financial targets and doubled its quarterly dividend.

The stock was up over 13% near $707 in recent trading, leaving it on track to close at an all-time high.

The energy equipment manufacturer said during its investor day Tuesday that its 2025 sales are trending toward the higher end of its $36 billion to $37 billion forecast, and lifted its projections for free cash flow this year to $3.5 billion to $4 billion, up from $3 billion to $3.5 billion previously.

The company said it expects to generate $41 billion to $42 billion in revenue next year, along with $4.5 billion to $5 billion in free cash flow, and hiked its long-term projections for revenue and free cash flow by 2028.

GE Vernova’s board also approved doubling its dividend to $0.50 per share and boosted its stock buyback plan to $10 billion from $6 billion previously.

Read the full article here.

–Aaron McDade

Delistings Jump 45% as Sellers Pull Homes Rather Than Cut Prices

29 minutes ago

Home buyers are shying away from high home prices and elevated borrowing costs, and as a result, sellers are pulling their properties off the market at record rates, new data from Realtor.com showed.

Delisted homes for sale are up 45.5% so far this year through October, the highest rate in the three years that Realtor.com has tracked the data.1 For every 100 new listings that hit the market in October, 27 were removed, showing an accelerating retreat of home sellers who aren’t willing to lower prices enough to find buyers. Delisting rates in real estate hotspots Miami, Denver and Houston were even higher. 

“The run-up [in delistings] began in June and has remained elevated for five straight months, with roughly 6% of active listings coming off the market each month—levels typically seen only during the slowest winter weeks,” the report said. “This surge reflects a growing mismatch between buyer affordability and seller price expectations, with more homeowners choosing to step back rather than continue to market homes that aren’t attracting offers.”

Other data in the Realtor.com monthly report showed that more homeowners are trying to sell their properties, even though home sales have been stagnant. Active listings rose for the 25th straight month in November as inventory remained near mid-summer levels, even as the amount of sellers who cut prices rose to 18%, up by nearly 3 percentage points over pre-pandemic levels.

Read the full article here.

–Terry Lane

Palantir Strikes Defense-Software Deal With US Navy, Shares Rise

1 hr 13 min ago

Shares of Palantir Technologies (PLTR) rose after the maker of defense software received a multimillion-dollar contract from the U.S. Navy to provide the service with artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

The company said the ShipOS initiative, worth up to $448 million, would have the Navy use Palantir’s Foundry and Artificial Intelligence Platform, or AIP, to speed adoption of AI across the nation’s Maritime Industrial Base.

The stock was recently up nearly 3%. Shares of Palantir are continuing their meteoric rise, soaring more than 140% this year after becoming the best-performing stock in the S&P 500 in 2024.

–Bill McColl

Cracker Barrel Is Still Feeling the Effects of Its Rebranding Debacle

1 hr 38 min ago

The fallout continues over Cracker Barrel Old Country Store’s (CBRL) ill-fated logo change and restaurant revamp.

Shares of the country-themed chain fell as much as 6% in early trading Wednesday, hitting their lowest level since early 2009, after the company posted mixed results and slashed its guidance.

Cracker Barrel reported first-quarter fiscal 2026 revenue declined 5.8% to $797.2 million, missing Visible Alpha estimates by about $1.8 million. Restaurant comparable store sales slid 4.7%, and retail comparable store sales sank 8.5%, both missing forecasts as well. The company’s adjusted loss per share of 74 cents was better than anticipated.

The company is facing “unique and ongoing headwinds,” CEO Julie Masino said in a press release. “We have adjusted our operational initiatives, menu, and marketing to ensure we are consistently delivering delicious food and exceptional experiences,” she said, adding that Cracker Barrel is “executing a variety of cost savings initiatives” to boost its financial performance.

The chain was rocked earlier this year when it removed the man and barrel on its logo, and made adjustments in its menu and kitchen to improve efficiency. The negative reaction from customers was immediate, leading Cracker Barrel to restore the old logo and revert to previous meal offerings and cooking methods.

Read the full article here.

–Bill McColl

Americans Are Down on the Economy. This Expert Likes Travel Stocks Anyway

2 hr 3 min ago

Data says times are tough. The unemployment rate rose and inflation accelerated in September. Companies laid off more than 150,000 employees in October. Last month consumer sentiment fell to its lowest level since 2022.

All told, it doesn’t sound like a great time to invest in companies that sell vacations.

That’s not scaring away Josh Brown, CEO of Ritholtz Wealth Management. Brown and colleague Sean Russo earlier this month added Delta Air Lines (DAL) to their Best Stocks in the Market list.

“The media wants for there to be some confirming evidence that the consumer is faltering,” said Brown on CNBC Tuesday. “And the reality is that they’re not.”

Airport security screened a record number of passengers on Nov. 30, Brown points out, at more than 3.1 million. He notes that cruise lines, hotel operators, and airlines have across the board reported resilient results despite economic fears. “The companies are telling you that the consumer is not only not slowing down their travel,” Brown said. “In some categories, they’re accelerating.” 

Delta “consistently leads network carriers in operational performance,” wrote Russo earlier this month. He and Brown argue the airline’s focus on quality and premium experiences has strengthened its financials, and should serve it well in the future.

Read the full article here.

–Colin Laidley

What Happens at a Fed Meeting?

2 hr 27 min ago

The Federal Open Market Committee is the body that sets the fed funds rate for the Federal Reserve System, the United States’ central bank.

It holds eight regularly scheduled meetings each year, which are not open to the public. The Fed’s use of interest rates to influence the economy is called monetary policy.

The FOMC consists of 12 voting members: the seven board governors, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York president, and four other regional bank presidents who serve rotating one-year terms.

At each FOMC meeting, the committee members discuss economic and financial conditions and decide whether and how much to change the fed funds rate. The FOMC issues a public statement about its decision at 2 p.m. on Wednesday when the meeting concludes. The Fed chair, currently Jerome Powell, typically hosts a press conference afterward to explain the decision.

To read more about what goes on behind FOMC meetings’ closed doors, click here.

–Diccon Hyatt

AeroVironment Stock Drops on Big Profit Miss

2 hr 43 min ago

AeroVironment’s fiscal 2026 second-quarter after the closing bell Tuesday topped analysts’ estimates. The drone maker’s weaker-than-expected profit has its stock diving this morning.

Shares of AeroVironment (AVAV) sank 10% Wednesday after the Arlington, Va.-based company badly missed analysts’ profit expectations.

The company reported adjusted earnings of $0.44 per share, barely half the $0.80 consensus of analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha. Revenue soared more than 150% year-over-year to of $472.5 million and topped expectations.

Despite today’s sharp declines, shares of AeroVironment are up more than 60% this year.

QuantumScape Joins Walmart in Switching Listing to Nasdaq

4 hr 30 min ago

EV battery maker QuantumScape (QS) is joining Walmart (WMT) in changing its listing to the Nasdaq this month.

A day after the world’s largest retailer debuted on the Nasdaq, QuantumScape on Wednesday announced that it would be leaving the New York Stock Exchange, effective after the close on Dec. 22, and debut on the tech-heavy index the following day.

QuantumScape, which will continue to trade under its “QS” ticker symbol, said it “expects a smooth transition with no disruption to trading activities.”

Shares of the San Jose, Calif.-based firm entered Wednesday have more than doubled this year.

Fed Cut or Not, Keeping Your Savings at a Big Bank Could Be Costing You a Lot More Than You Realize

5 hr 1 min ago

With talk of an expected Federal Reserve rate cut in the headlines this week, savings rates are back in focus. But for most households, the bigger issue isn’t the Fed’s next move—it’s how much your current savings account is paying.

Many savers keep their money at Chase, Bank of America, or Wells Fargo simply because that’s where they already bank. But that familiarity comes at a steep cost: All three institutions pay a near-zero 0.01% APY on standard savings accounts.

At that rate, even a $10,000 balance earns only $1 per year.

Meanwhile, several smaller banks and credit unions are paying 4% or more on high-yield savings accounts, with the most competitive options offering 5.00% APY. While those rates are likely to dip a bit if the Fed lowers rates this week, they’ll still pay more than big banks by a wide margin.

If you’re assuming a large bank is safer, you’re not alone. But in fact, the protections are the same everywhere. FDIC insurance protects deposits up to $250,000 per depositor, per institution, regardless of the bank’s size. Credit unions insured by the NCUA offer the same coverage. Smaller institutions are just as safe. The only real difference is what your savings can earn.

Read the full article here.

–Sabrina Karl

How Low Will Your Savings Rate Go After the Fed’s Move?

5 hr 29 min ago

Financial markets overwhelmingly expect the Federal Reserve to announce another quarter-point rate cut on Wednesday. That matters to anyone with cash in the bank, since the central bank’s benchmark rate impacts what banks and credit unions are willing to pay on customer deposits. That means even a small shift is likely to ripple through to your savings account APY.

If the Fed does indeed cut by a quarter point, savings and certificate of deposit (CD) yields would be expected to drift a bit lower in the weeks that follow—roughly in line with the size of the Fed’s move. That would be a change, but not a freefall. Even after such an adjustment, many of today’s top high-yield savings accounts would still be offering rates in the upper-3% to mid-4% range.

No matter the rate environment, it’s always wise to track how your current rate stacks up against the competition. If your APY is well below what top high-yield savings accounts are paying, shifting your money can boost your return even as rates edge lower.

Whatever your savings balance, it’s worth asking a simple question: is your money earning the return it should? One practical benchmark is to aim for an APY that at least keeps pace with inflation so your money’s value grows rather than slips behind. With today’s inflation rate around 3%, any savings earning less than that is effectively losing value over time.

At the moment, the top high-yield savings accounts pay between 4.15% and 5.00% APY. Though some require meeting extra conditions, many come with no strings attached. Compared with the 3% inflation rate, that cushion is meaningful and can help your savings keep growing.

Of course, these rates are expected to dip if the Fed announces a reduction Wednesday. But the top APYs will remain strong by historical standards. Even with a mild downward shift, many accounts will still offer yields comfortably above today’s inflation benchmark.

Read the full article here.

–Sabrina Karl

This Wall Street Expert Thinks the Fed Has ‘More Room to Cut’ Than Most Expect in 2026

6 hr 1 min ago

A nice surprise in U.S. labor market data could be the gift that keeps giving next year.

Michael Wilson, Morgan Stanley’s chief investment officer and chief U.S. equity strategist, in wondering why the market has behaved the way it has—the S&P 500 has had a strong year by any standard—has landed on a possible answer: April marked the end of a rolling recession and the start of a new bull market, and the Fed is still playing catch-up.

The Federal Open Market Committee is expected to cut rates by a quarter of a percentage point this week, per CME Group and prediction markets data. What the central bank does next remains an open question, but Morgan Stanley thinks that job-market woes—private market data show U.S. employers cut 9,000 jobs in November, the fifth month of negative data in the past seven—could spur the Fed to lower rates even further next year as it seeks to correct a delayed reaction to lagging segments of the U.S. economy born out of a lack of labor data, boosting U.S. stocks.

Investors can find confirmation that a new bull market began in April in S&P 500 constituents’ earnings, which are now growing close to 10%, the best in four years, according to Wilson. “That is very important for next year, because it means the Fed has more room to cut than probably people think,” he said in an interview with CNBC Tuesday.

The private sector has been experiencing a rolling recession post-Covid, with every sector going through its own recession rather than an across-the-board collapse, according to Wilson. Though real-time data hasn’t given the Fed reason to cut, data revisions could help the U.S. central bank come to the realization that parts of the U.S. economy need it to move out of the so-called K-shaped recovery.

Read the full article here.

–Crystal Kim

Stock Futures Point Lower Ahead of Fed Decision on Interest Rates

6 hr 29 min ago

Futures contracts connected to the Dow Jones Industrial Average pointed down 0.1%.

S&P 500 futures also were 0.1% lower.

Nasdaq 100 futures were down 0.2%.