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Coming up: November CPI and wholesale inflation data, small business optimism, earnings from GameStop, Broadcom, Adobe, CostcoYuki Iwamura / Bloomberg via Getty ImagesKey TakeawaysInflation reports coming this week include the Consumer Price Index for November, as well as wholesale inventories and import pricing data.Investors also will get reports on wholesale inflation, small business optimism, and initial jobless claims, while Fed officials are in a blackout period that prohibits them from making public comments on monetary policy. Meme stock GameStop will report earnings this week, along with Oracle, Broadcom, and Adobe.Inflation data is on tap this week, with the November Consumer Price…

Liao Pan / China News Service / VCG via Getty Images Window displays outside Macy’s in New York City on Black Friday. Key TakeawaysRetailers are hiring staff to handle returns, which are expected to be nearly 20% higher more than normal during the holiday season, the National Retail Federation said.Consumers look for free, convenient return policies while shopping online — and may avoid retailers that don’t offer them.Merchants want to attract shoppers, but more have started charging for some types of returns due to the rising cost of processing returns.You’re not the only one worrying about whether your relatives will…

Ying Tang / NurPhoto via Getty ImagesKey TakeawaysTrading in game and toy retailer GameStop was cooler to end the week after some cryptic social-media activity fired up the shares Thursday.The company is set to report quarterly financial results Tuesday afternoon.The meme-stock standout isn’t widely covered on Wall Street. But investors have pushed the shares higher this year and since its last reported quarterly results.GameStop’s next quarterly results are due next week. But as is often the case with the retailer, the numbers it reports aren’t necessarily the main event. GameStop’s (GME) stock was comparatively quiet on Friday. The shares closed higher…

Investopedia / Photo Illustration by Alice Morgan / Getty ImagesKey TakeawaysFederal student loan borrowers enrolled in the Saving for a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan will be able to apply for two previously closed repayment plans starting in mid-December.Currently, SAVE plan borrowers are in forbearance and cannot make payments toward loan forgiveness. Borrowers who qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) plan may want to leave forbearance to work toward forgiveness.These two revived plans offer borrowers more options and more generous monthly payments than a standard repayment plan or the Income-Based Repayment (IBR) plan.SAVE borrowers have been held in limbo since July…

Annabelle Chih / Bloomberg / Getty Images Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger.Key TakeawaysIntel, Starbucks and Nike are just some of the companies that changed their leadership this year.More than 40% were changed because they failed to turn their struggling companies around, according to new research.The reasons for CEO departures this year span underperformance to a desire for a career shift to misconduct.Does it feel like a storied company’s chief executive officer is leaving their job every day? You’re not far off.Intel (INTC), Nike (NKE) and Starbucks (SBUX) are just some of the companies whose leaders have departed this year for reasons from…

Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in November.Apollo Global Management and Workday will join the benchmark S&P 500 later this month, S&P Dow Jones Indexes said Friday. Apollo Global Management (APO) and Workday (WDAY) will replace Qorvo (QRVO) and Amentum (AMTM), respectively. The changes will take effect before the open on Monday, Dec. 23.Amentum was added in October, taking the spot of Bath & Body Works (BBWI).Friday’s news follows the November addition of Texas Pacific Land (TPL) to the index, replacing Marathon Oil (MRO).Qorvo and Amentum will move to the S&P…

Justin Sullivan / Getty ImagesKey TakeawaysThe S&P 500 added 0.3% on Friday, Dec. 6, ending the week with a record close as November jobs data came in stronger than expected.Lululemon shares surged as the athletic apparel maker beat quarterly expectations and lifted its full-year outlook.Oil and gas stocks came under pressure as expectations for surplus conditions in 2025 weighed on crude oil futures prices.Major U.S. equities indexes were mixed as markets wrapped up the first week of December.The employment report released Friday morning showed that the U.S. economy added more jobs than expected in November, marking a recovery from major…

Ahead of Small Business Saturday, the Biden-Harris Administration Announces Expanded Federal SupportRoberto Westbrook/Getty ImagesAhead of Small Business Saturday, the Biden-Harris Administration announced several new initiatives on Friday, November 29, to support small businesses by expanding access to federal lending and contracting opportunities. These actions are part of ongoing efforts to drive economic growth and equity by fostering small business development in underserved communities.Key TakeawaysThe Whitehouse has announced new initiatives to expand federal support for small businesses ahead of Small Business Saturday.The Small Business Administration (SBA) cap on 7(a) loans for Community Advantage Small Business Lending Companies (CA SBLCs) has been…

Yuki Iwamura / Bloomberg / Getty Images Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during the New York Times DealBook Summit, on Dec. 4, 2024.Key TakeawaysFinancial markets widely expect Fed officials to boost the economy with a rate cut in December, despite indications that inflation has stayed stubborn, and the job market resilient in recent months.Hurricanes in late September and October complicated the job of policymakers trying to understand the trajectory of the job market.Despite a bounce-back in job creation in November, the average rate of job growth has slowed down this fall, suggesting that the Fed might be inclined to…

Kevin Dietsch/Getty ImagesKey TakeawaysFederal Reserve officials said that while Friday’s jobs data looked promising, they were still looking at larger labor market trends.Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank President Beth Hammack said strong economic conditions mean that interest rate cuts may need to come more slowly.Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee didn’t lay out an exact timetable for interest rate cuts. However, he did say he sees more rate reductions coming over the next year.With jobs bouncing back in the latest U.S. employment report, Federal Reserve officials said that the labor market was in a good place. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that…