Quartz

Diners are still obsessed with Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse

Francisco Velasquez — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 16:23:00 GMT

Casual dining isn’t dead.

Airlines see a lithium-ion battery fire at least once a week

Melvin Backman — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 16:01:00 GMT

Lithium-ion batteries are causing lots of problems in the skies. Data from the Federal Aviation Administration shows that there has been a fire or fire-adjacent incident with the items at least once a week on passenger planes this year.

The Dow bounces back 300 points as Nvidia and Tesla stock surge

Vinamrata Chaturvedi — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 15:33:00 GMT

The Dow staged a rebound Thursday morning, following Wednesday’s 1,100-point plunge that marked its longest losing streak since 1974. The upturn came despite investor disappointment over the Federal Reserve’s conservative approach to rate cuts. Other major indices, including the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, also experienced…

CVS filled a 'massive' amount of invalid opioid prescriptions, the feds say

William Gavin — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 14:37:00 GMT

CVS (CVS) and its subsidies unlawfully dispensed “massive quantities” of opioids and other controlled substances over more than a decade, according to the Department of Justice.

Amazon is facing its biggest strike ever just before the holidays

William Gavin — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 13:51:22 GMT

Amazon (AMZN) is facing the largest strike in its history as thousands of workers across the U.S. and Germany walk off the job just days ahead of the holidays.

The 10 best last-minute Christmas deals from Amazon, Walmart, and Target

Francisco Velasquez — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 13:30:17 GMT

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday may be behind us, but Christmas is just around the corner – and there’s still time to find the perfect last-minute gift.

5 states with the most Christmas spirit in America — and 5 with the least

Madeline Fitzgerald — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 10:00:00 GMT

For many people, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. But in some states, the Christmas spirit is decidedly lower than others.

The key role of synthetic data in AI innovation

Rocio Fabbro and Andy Mills — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 10:00:00 GMT

How to survive the holidays while you're on Ozempic or other weight loss drugs

Bruce Gil — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 10:00:00 GMT

For many people, the holidays mean large family dinners with filling sides, sweet treats, and festive drinks — all things for which weight-loss drugs are designed to reduce cravings.

The 7 best gift cards for last-minute Christmas gifts

Ben Kesslen — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 10:00:00 GMT

Buying a gift card is a great last-minute holiday gift, but not when companies tack on extra fees.

The Dow plunges 1,100 points because the Fed says its interest rate cuts are slowing down

Vinamrata Chaturvedi — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 21:41:00 GMT

The Dow Jones Industrial Average and other indices declined sharply after the Federal Open Market Committee announced a quarter percentage point reduction in interest rates on Wednesday afternoon and just two more interest rate cuts in 2025. With that, the Dow had its first ten-day losing streak, the longest since…

Why Everything Everywhere All at Once isn’t just a movie — it’s the market

Andy Mills — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 21:35:00 GMT

John Petrides, Portfolio Manager at Tocqueville Asset Management, spoke with Quartz for the latest installment of our “Smart Investing” video series.

What the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut means for investors

Andy Mills — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 20:53:00 GMT

More than a dozen universities have been accused of lowering their standards for rich kids

Madeline Fitzgerald — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 20:45:00 GMT

Seventeen elite private colleges and universities allegedly discriminated in favor of ultra-wealthy students for years, according to recent filings from a $685 million lawsuit.

The Fed carried out a 3rd straight interest rate cut — but will take a 'more cautious' approach in 2025

Rocio Fabbro — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 20:08:44 GMT

The Federal Reserve carried out its third consecutive interest rate cut of the year Wednesday, as its monetary policy easing campaign shows signs of heading for a slowdown.

You can now text and call ChatGPT on the phone

Britney Nguyen — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 19:15:00 GMT

ChatGPT is now just a phone call away.

Biden gave a thumbs up to California's move against gas-powered cars. Trump plans to kill it

William Gavin — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 17:51:09 GMT

The Biden administration has approved two requests from California to enforce strict standards on emissions from gas-powered cars and trucks, setting the stage for a reversal by President-elect Donald Trump.

Nestle just launched a protein shot for weight loss that helps promote GLP-1 production

Bruce Gil — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 17:35:02 GMT

Nestle, the world’s largest producer of packaged food, just rolled out a new protein shot drink that it says will help people looking to lose weight manage their hunger.

Walmart had a gangbusters year

Francisco Velasquez — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 17:23:00 GMT

Walmart (WMT) has delivered an exceptional year that has transformed its market position. The retailer’s shares surged more than 80% in 2024, pushing its market value to $768 billion after adding $340 billion in market capitalization. The retail giant’s exceptional performance has been driven by its success in…

Big changes are coming to Social Security in 2025. Here's what to know

Ben Kesslen — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 16:52:46 GMT

Retiring at 65 is increasingly a thing of the past — especially if you want to get your full Social Security benefits.

Nvidia stock pops 3% after slumping into correction territory

Britney Nguyen — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 16:44:39 GMT

Nvidia (NVDA) stock climbed during Wednesday morning trading after slumping into correction territory earlier in the week.

Boeing is back to making 2 more plane models after its long strike

Melvin Backman — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 16:30:05 GMT

Boeing’s (BA) slow manufacturing restart in the wake of its nearly tw0-months-long machinists’ strike is continuing to pick up steam. The company just announced that it has restarted production of two more models at its Washington state factories in addition to its cash-cow 737 Max planes.

The USDA is finally trying to do something about the listeria outbreaks

Bruce Gil — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 15:51:00 GMT

Following a year of recall after recall due to listeria contaminations that resulted in dozens of illnesses and even some deaths, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Tuesday it would implement new measures to strengthen its oversight of food processing facilities.

The stranded Boeing Starliner astronauts will be stuck in space for even longer

William Gavin — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 14:19:49 GMT

The pair of astronauts who journeyed into space on the first crewed mission of Beoing’s Starliner are going to have to wait even longer to come back down to Earth.

AT&T is joining Amazon in ordering employees back to the office 5 days a week

Rocio Fabbro — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 13:28:00 GMT

AT&T (T) is jumping on the return-to-office bandwagon. The telecom giant is requiring all of its office workers to head back to the office five days a week starting in January, Quartz confirmed. AT&T had formerly implemented a hybrid schedule, requiring just three days a week of in-office work.

Nissan and Mitsubishi stock pop because a Honda mega-merger might be coming

William Gavin — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 13:22:00 GMT

Nissan Motor (NSANY) stock is booming as the automaker reportedly prepares to explore a merger with Honda Motor (HMC), which would tie up Japan’s second and third-largest automakers.

Salesforce is finally 'joining the AI party'

Rocio Fabbro — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 13:08:43 GMT

As Salesforce (CRM) rolls out the latest iteration of its Agentforce platform and plans to hire thousands more salespeople to sell it, some analysts are finally convinced that the cloud company is getting its foot in the AI door.

The Dow just had its longest losing streak in decades

Rocio Fabbro — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 11:51:00 GMT

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped more than 250 points on Tuesday, marking its longest losing streak since the 1970s.

Amazon's 10 most viral items of 2024

Francisco Velasquez — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 10:00:00 GMT

In 2024, Amazon’s (AMZN) top-selling products were heavily influenced by social media, with certain categories standing out thanks to platforms like TikTok.

5 tips to improve your work-from-home space and be more productive

Ben Kesslen — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 10:00:00 GMT

Tens of millions of people in the U.S. work from home every day, but productivity can be a struggle when you’re surrounded by so many distractions.

The 10 richest families in the world

Madeline Fitzgerald — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 10:00:00 GMT

There were more billionaires in 2024 than at any point in history, as the wealthiest people alive continue to accrue wealth in record numbers.

We asked 5 AI chatbots for their 2025 AI predictions. Here's what they said

Britney Nguyen — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 10:00:00 GMT

Since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT two years ago, the artificial intelligence industry has been in a race to develop chatbots that have prompted both excitement for human-level intelligence and fears of stolen jobs.

McDonald's is testing a new store with no dine-in area

Francisco Velasquez — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 21:59:00 GMT

McDonald’s is hoping a new prototype store will help it stay ahead of the competition.

Americans spent more last month — with one exception

Francisco Velasquez — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 18:54:58 GMT

U.S. consumer spending remained strong in November, signaling that the economy is still moving forward despite ongoing inflation concerns.

The Boeing strike is over. But the effects will be felt for a while

Melvin Backman — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 18:54:14 GMT

The nearly two-month-long machinists’ strike at Boeing (BA) had a big immediate effect on both the planemaker’s bottom line and the economy at large, but the work stoppage will have a long-tail ripple effect. The research firm Oxford Economics noted that aviation manufacturing was a big reason for the 0.1% advance in…

Elizabeth Warren wants Trump to make sure Elon Musk has some rules in his DOGE gig

William Gavin — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 18:03:21 GMT

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is pushing President-elect Donald Trump to outline and enforce ethics rules on Elon Musk, a key member of his transition team who has been tapped to lead a group scrutinizing the same federal agencies that regulate his companies.

Taco Bell is challenging McDonald's with something new

Francisco Velasquez — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:48:00 GMT

Taco Bell (YUM) wants to compete with fast food giants like McDonald’s (MCD) and Wendy’s (WEN) with a new menu item: Chicken nuggets.

Weight loss drugs are getting people to the doctor. Now comes the wave of long-ignored diagnoses

Bruce Gil — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:15:00 GMT

Popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound are boosting the use of healthcare in the U.S., leading to an uptick in patients getting diagnosed and starting prescriptions for other conditions, according to a new analysis by health data firm Truveta.

All those mysterious drone sightings? The government says don't worry about it

Melvin Backman — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:14:01 GMT

A string of mysterious drone sightings over the East Coast of the U.S. has provoked a lot of anxiety about where they’re coming from and who’s flying them. A coalition of government agencies, however, said Tuesday that there’s nothing to worry about.

Companies are pushing return-to-office because of expensive leases, study says

Ben Kesslen — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:10:32 GMT

When explaining their return-to-office (RTO) mandates, companies tend to point to factors like increased productivity, improved company cultures, and facilitated teamwork. But according to a new survey, another big reason companies are choosing to make workers return to the office is because they’re tired of paying…

Nvidia stock slumps into a correction and Broadcom sinks despite its 'Nvidia moment'

Rocio Fabbro — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:08:00 GMT

Nvidia (NVDA) stock is in correction territory, and rival chipmaker Broadcom’s (AVGO) late-year boost took a hit Tuesday morning.

How Taylor Swift's Eras Tour smashed records, by the numbers

Deena Zaidi — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:06:56 GMT

The announcement of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour came at a time when the U.S. economy was struggling with inflation and the personal savings of the average household had taken a hit.

Walmart is putting body cameras on employees

Melvin Backman — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:00:00 GMT

As the holiday shopping season comes to a frenzied peak, Walmart is introducing a new tool that it hopes will help reduce tensions for frenzied staffers. CNBC (CMCSA) reports that the retail giant is going to start affixing body cameras to workers in its stores.

Biden's FTC is banning 'junk fees' for hotels and concert tickets

William Gavin — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 15:02:00 GMT

The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday delivered the latest salvo in President Joe Biden’s bid to take on so-called “junk fees” with a final rule targeted at “bait-and-switch” pricing in the live-event ticketing and hotel industries.

Google's Waymo is going international

William Gavin — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 14:15:00 GMT

Alphabet-backed Waymo (GOOGL) is making its international debut, more than 15 years after the self-driving car startup was founded.

Amazon might have a Christmas strike problem on its hands

William Gavin — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 13:17:00 GMT

Thousands of Amazon (AMZN) workers are threatening to strike during the busy holiday season as they demand that the largest online retailer in the U.S. begin negotiating with the union representing them.

6 things homebuyers care about in 2025, according to Zillow

Ben Kesslen — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 12:38:00 GMT

As we look ahead to the New Year, Zillow (Z) says homebuyers are feeling nostalgic but interested in new technology.

Amazon doesn't even have space for everyone it ordered back to the office

Francisco Velasquez — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 11:40:00 GMT

Amazon (AMZN) is reportedly hitting pause on its return-to-office (RTO) plans due to a shortage of office space.