Major Indexes End Sharply Higher as Oil Stocks Soar on Maduro’s Capture; Dow Sets All-Time Records

Comcast Spin-Off Versant Slides in Trading Debut

6 hr 45 min ago

Versant (VSNT) shares fell sharply after they started trading on the Nasdaq exchange Monday, as the company completed its spin-off from Comcast (CMCSA).

Versant shares opened the session just above $45 but finished the session at $40.57, after falling to near $39.

Comcast announced plans in late 2024 to spin off its cable TV channels including CNBC, MSNBC (since rebranded to MS NOW), USA Network, Golf Channel and others. That new company, which also owns digital brands Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes, was eventually named Versant.

Versant provides another way for investors to gain exposure to the cable TV market, a concentrated industry that rarely sees new companies join the public markets. Versant’s performance as a standalone stock could signal how investors feel about the shrinking cable TV business.

Read the full article here.

–Aaron McDade

Bitcoin’s Price Is Climbing. Did the U.S. Capture of Venezuela’s Maduro Help?

9 hr 19 min ago

Bitcoin (BTCUSD) appears to have climbed out of a rut following the surprise capture by the U.S. of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro over the weekend.

The world’s largest cryptocurrency underperformed the broader stock market last year, but is starting to show signs of life—it rose above $94,000 as of Monday afternoon, levels unseen in weeks. Crypto-linked stocks including Coinbase Global (COIN) and Strategy (MSTR) each rose at least 4%. Oil industry stocks also jumped, on hopes that U.S. energy companies will benefit from a revival of Venezuela’s oil industry.

“Escalating pressure without direct military conflict” is supportive of bitcoin, reinforcing its appeal as a decentralized asset amid geopolitical uncertainty, according to an analyst at crypto derivatives exchange Bitunix. In other words, bitcoin’s usefulness as a hedge is helping lift prices rather than a broad recovery in appetite for risk assets.

Ousting Maduro “is not a direct bullish catalyst,” for bitcoin, according to Dean Chen, a Bitunix analyst, but it may be an indirect one.

Read the full article here.

–Crystal Kim

How Your 401(k) Is Handled After Death: What Beneficiaries Should Understand

9 hr 57 min ago

Your 401(k) could be one of your biggest assets. But what happens to it after you die?

Unlike other parts of your estate, a 401(k) doesn’t get handled through your will. It follows a different path—and if you haven’t paid attention, that path might lead somewhere you didn’t intend.

Below, we break down what happens to a 401(k) after death, who gets the money, and what your beneficiaries need to do next.

The most important thing to know about what happens to your 401(k) once you die is that it doesn’t automatically become part of your estate—it transfers directly to the named beneficiary, said Daniel Milks, founder of Woodmark Advisors. That means whoever is listed on your account receives the funds, regardless of what your will says.

Read the full article here.

–Jonathan Ponciano

AI Stocks Are in Focus as Nvidia’s Huang, AMD CEO Su Set to Speak at CES Event

10 hr 29 min ago

Investors will be focused on Las Vegas this week, where executives from AI chip giant Nvidia and other major companies are due to speak at the CES consumer electronics trade show.

Nvidia (NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) CEO Lisa Su are the star attractions on Monday. Huang is scheduled to appear at a press conference at 4 p.m. EST, while Su is slated to give a keynote address at 9:30 p.m. EST.

Su will “share her vision for delivering future AI solutions – from cloud to enterprise, edge and devices,” while Huang will “showcase the latest NVIDIA solutions driving innovation and productivity across industries,” according to the conference agenda.

AI companies faced a range of questions in the closing weeks of 2025, including how and when they could see a return on their hundreds of billions invested in data centers and the training and operating of AI models. Those questions pressured stocks, as investors pondered whether the AI boom that has powered the broader market is sustainable.

Read the full article here.

–Aaron McDade

Here’s How Long It Took Homebuyers to Save for a Down Payment in 2025

10 hr 53 min ago

For most Americans, saving enough for a down payment takes years. But today’s buyers are reaching that goal faster than they have in recent memory.

In 2025, the typical American needed seven years to save for a median home down payment, according to Realtor.com—down sharply from 12 years in 2022. Even so, that timeline is still nearly double what it was before the pandemic, when surging home prices put ownership further out of reach for many would-be buyers.

“Although conditions have improved since 2022, today’s timeline shows that saving for a home takes meaningfully longer than it did before the pandemic, especially in high-cost markets,” Realtor.com chief economist Danielle Hale said in a release.

Down payments have become more difficult for buyers to raise for two reasons, the report found. Higher home prices are pushing up the cost of a down payment, while a lower savings rate means it takes longer for buyers to raise those funds.

Read the full article here.

–Terry Lane

Zenas BioPharma Stock Plummets After Late-Stage Trial Results

11 hr 2 min ago

Zenas BioPharma (ZBIO) announced “positive” results from a late-stage clinical trial Monday. Investors did not view them that way.

Shares of the Waltham, Mass.-based biopharmaceutical company plummeted 55% Monday even though its treatment for Immunoglobulin G4-Related Disease (IgG4-RD), obexelimab, met its primary goal in a Phase 3 trial.

Zenas BioPharma said obexelimab demonstrated “a highly statistically significant and clinically meaningful 56% reduction in the risk of IgG4-RD flare compared to placebo.”

In addition, the company said it’s “not currently eligible” for milestone payments from a prior agreement with Royalty Pharma Investments tied to the trial. Zenas BioPharma said the companies “are in active discussions” but “there is no assurance the Company will receive any future milestones payments under the Royalty Purchase Agreement.”

Despite their nosedive Monday, shares of Zenas BioPharma are still up nearly 60% over the past year.

Novo Nordisk Stock Rises as Wegovy Pill Debuts in US

12 hr 35 min ago

U.S.-listed shares of Novo Nordisk (NVO) gained 4% Monday after its recently approved Wegovy pill debuted.

The Danish pharmaceutical firm said the GLP-1 medication, which was approved in pill form by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration less than two weeks ago, “opens new possibilities for the more than 100 million Americans living with obesity.”

The pill’s starting dose of 1.5 milligrams costs $149 a month, or $5 per day, for self-pay patients, the company said. Doses of 4 mg, 9 mg, and 25 mg also will be available, with the 4 mg dose costing $149 per month through April 15, then $199 a month thereafter, and the highest doses available for $299.

“This moment is about changing what’s possible in weight management, and to make that possible, we have worked to ensure Wegovy pill is affordable and accessible to those who need it, however they choose to receive their care,” said Ed Cinca, senior vice president, Marketing & Patient Solutions at Novo Nordisk.

Should You Buy a House in 2026? Here’s What’s Ahead

13 hr 24 min ago

Home sales remained near historic lows in 2025, as high housing costs and elevated mortgage rates continued to keep buyers on the sidelines. But housing affordability is expected to improve in 2026—if only slightly.

That could create an opportunity for house hunters who have been looking for the right moment to enter the market. Here are some housing trends to watch if you’re in the market to buy a home in 2026.

Mortgage rates peaked at more than 7% in early 2025 and then eased in the second half of the year to around 6.2%. That offered some relief from the high borrowing costs that have helped freeze the housing market.

But most experts don’t expect mortgage rates to fall much further. The Mortgage Bankers Association projects rates will remain between 6% and 6.5% in the coming year. Real estate firm Redfin projects an average mortgage rate of 6.3% in 2026, while the National Association of Realtors also saw mortgage rates hanging at “around 6%.”

Read the full article here.

–Terry Lane

Savings Secrets From Big Banks Revealed: What They Hope You Never Learn

13 hr 56 min ago

Banks pay interest on savings accounts to encourage you to deposit your money with them and keep it there, allowing the bank to issue loans with those deposits to earn profits. However, the APY many big banks offer for savings accounts is remarkably small. If you’re like most people, you have no idea what rate you’re earning on your savings. The big banks take advantage of this by paying you peanuts.

The nation’s three largest banks—Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo—pay a measly 0.01% on their standard savings accounts.234 That’s not 1 percent—it’s one one-hundredth of a percent. On a balance of $10,000, that means you’d earn only a single dollar of interest in an entire year.

In contrast, putting that same amount in one of today’s best high-yield savings accounts—a process that can often be completed online in minutes—could mean earning more than $400 extra annually.

As you can see, savings account interest rates vary widely. The bigger banks often count on their large customer bases staying put. They assume many people don’t realize there are equally safe, lesser-known institutions offering far higher payouts—or that opening an additional savings account elsewhere can be done quickly and easily.

Read the full article here.

–Daniel Liberto

While AI Replaces Entry-Level Jobs, These Graduate Careers Are Thriving

14 hr 3 min ago

Recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree, but having a hard time finding a job? Going to graduate school in these fields may lead you to some better prospects.

This year, the labor market has been slow to add workers, with tariffs stifling many companies’ abilities to hire. Additionally, a significant factor contributing to the slowing labor market, particularly for recent college graduates, is the growing presence of AI in the workforce. Those factors have pushed many students to turn to graduate school instead of immediately entering the labor market.

However, some graduate degree programs may offer you better job prospects than others.

Of those with a graduate degree, substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors are expected to be in high demand over the next several years, according to a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.1 Lawyers and career counselors are also projected to have plenty of jobs to choose from.

Read the full article here.

–Elizabeth Guevara

The 2025 Housing Affordability Crisis in Charts: What Changed and What Didn’t

14 hr 32 min ago

Those hoping the housing market would become more affordable in 2025 didn’t see much relief, as the challenges of high costs continued to stretch from one corner of the country to the other.

Housing experts said while affordability improvements are expected in 2026, any lowering of costs is likely to be gradual, with some house hunters seeing relief while others continue to wait for better buying conditions.

“After years of declining affordability, we’re now on a path where affordability slowly improves, not through a dramatic price correction, but through an extended period of flat home prices, rising incomes, and gradually falling mortgage rates,” noted a report from Compass, a real estate platform.

Read the full article with charts here.

–Terry Lane

When Saving Beats Paying Down Student Loans—and When It Doesn’t

15 hr 10 min ago

You just got your holiday bonus. Should you put that money in a high-yield savings account or a certificate of deposit (CD), or should you use it to pay down your student loans?

If your goal is to end the year in the best financial position possible, you should direct your funds toward the option with the highest interest rate. Basically, it depends on when you took out your student loans and the types of savings accounts and CDs that are available.

If you took out an undergraduate student loan anytime between mid-2006 and 2025, your interest rate could be as low as 2.75% and as high as 6.8%.1 For graduate students, parents of students, and professional borrowers, the rates are often higher. (Loans taken out before 2006 have variable interest rates.)

Read the full article here.

–Elizabeth Guevara

As Childcare Costs Surpass Inflation, More Women Leave the Labor Market

15 hr 46 min ago

With the price of childcare escalating even faster than rent and college tuition for some families, more mothers are opting to leave their jobs and becoming full-time caregivers for their children.

The cost of daycare increased by 5.2% in September 2025 compared to a year before, according to a report from Bank of America. That’s almost twice as fast as overall inflation, which rose 3% annually in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In 2025, for the first time since 2021, there was an increase in the number of women who said their family is the reason they are not in the labor force, according to the report.

Childcare costs are rising so fast that the price for one child is more than a month’s rent for some families, according to a 2024 report from the Department of Labor. Average costs also surpassed the average annual tuition and fees at a four-year public college by nearly $1,800, according to a report from The Conference Board.

Read the full article here.

–Elizabeth Guevara

Oil Stocks Soar After US Seizes Venezuelan President Maduro

16 hr 13 min ago

Investors are digesting the news from over the weekend that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro no longer is in charge of the South American nation. Early returns are promising for energy firms.

Shares of oil producers, refiners, and oilfield-services firms rose sharply in premarket trading Monday, two days after the U.S. military launched a strike on Venezuela and captured Maduro to face drug-trafficking charges here. Maduro, who had been indicted during the first Trump administration, was set to appear in Manhattan federal court this morning.

After Maduro’s capture, President Donald Trump said the U.S. would “run” Venezuela until an orderly transition is possible, and that U.S. oil companies would rebuild the oil infrastructure of the South American country.

Energy stocks rose in response before the bell Monday, with those of Chevron (CVX)—the only U.S.-based oil company currently active in Venezuela—soared 6%. Shares of rival oil producers ConocoPhillips (COP) and Exxon Mobil (XOM) were up 6% and 3%, respectively.

Shares of oilfield-services firms Halliburton (HAL), SLB (SLB), and Baker Hughes (BKR) jumped a respective 8%, 8%, and 6.5%.

Also surging were oil refiners Valero Energy (VLO), Marathon Petroleum (MPC), and Phillips 66 (PSX), whose shares were up 7%, 5%, and 5%, respectively.

West Texas Intermediate futures, the U.S. crude oil benchmark, were 0.7% higher at $57.75 per barrel.

QXO Stock Pops as Firm Gets $1.2B Investment From Apollo-Led Group to Pursue Acquisitions

16 hr 57 min ago

Apollo Global Management evidently sees great potential in Brad Jacobs’ plans for QXO. Shareholders of the roofing and waterproofing company are responding positively to the asset manager’s investment.

QXO (QXO) shares surged 7% in premarket trading Monday after the Greenwich, Conn.-based firm announced that an Apollo-led group had made a $1.2 billion convertible preferred equity investment to help fund future acquisitions.

QXO says it is aiming for “$50 billion in annual revenues within the next decade through accretive acquisitions and organic growth,” with a goal of becoming “the tech-enabled leader in the $800 billion building products distribution industry.”

Jacobs, a serial entrepreneur who has taken six companies public, stepped down from his chairman roles at XPO (XPO) and its spinoff GXO Logistics (GXO) on Dec. 31 to more sharply focus his efforts on his personal investment firm, Jacobs Private Equity, and QXO, where he is chief executive and chairman.

QXO shares have added nearly a quarter of their value over the past year.

Stock Futures Rise After US Captures Venezuelan President Maduro

17 hr 32 min ago

Futures contracts associated with the Dow Jones Industrial Average were fractionally higher.

S&P 500 futures were up 0.3%.

Nasdaq 100 futures pointed 0.7% higher.