Dow Set to Stabilize After Dropping Over 500 Points
Your Cheddar hosts Kristen Scholer and Tim Stenovec bring you today's top financial news headlines. From a market sell-off to consumer spending, we have you covered!
Global stocks mostly steadied on Wednesday in pre-market trading, keeping major equity benchmarks on pace for monthly gains. Futures point to a higher open for the Dow after rising bond yields and pressure on the healthcare sector sent it to its biggest daily drop since May on Tuesday.
Plus, strong job prospects and a general upswing in the market in recent months have triggered a decrease in saving for many Americans. According to the Commerce Department, an increase in consumer spending in December led to a 12 year low in the U.S. household saving rate. This was the lowest saving rate since the height of the housing boom in the early 2000s.
Nestlé has dismissed its CEO Laurent Freixe after an investigation into an undisclosed relationship with a direct subordinate. The company announced on Monday that the dismissal was effective immediately. An investigation found that Freixe violated Nestlé’s code of conduct. He had been CEO for a year. Philipp Navratil, a longtime Nestlé executive, will replace him. Chairman Paul Bulcke stated that the decision was necessary to uphold the company’s values and governance. Navratil began his career with Nestlé in 2001 and has held various roles, including CEO of Nestlé's Nespresso division since 2024.
Kraft Heinz is splitting into two companies a decade after they joined in a massive merger that created one of the biggest food companies on the planet. One of the companies will include brands such as Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese. The other will include brands like Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles and Lunchables. When the company formed in 2015 it wanted to capitalize on its massive scale, but shifting tastes complicated those plans, with households seeking to introduce healthier options at the table. Kraft Heinz's net revenue has fallen every year since 2020.
About 780,000 pressure washers sold at retailers like Home Depot are being recalled across the U.S. and Canada, due to a projectile hazard that has resulted in fractures and other injuries among some consumers.
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
