A look at the events that are sure to make the market move next week — the final week of 2019!
Illinois is ringing in the new year by legalizing pot. On January 1st, residents that are at least 21 years old will legally be allowed to possess up to 30 grams of marijuana flower, 5 grams of cannabis concentrate and products infused with half a gram of THC. Non-residents will be allowed to purchase half of those amounts. Stores are planning to open their doors as early as 6am Wednesday to manage the anticipated rush.
Next week is a big travel week as the holiday season comes to a close. AAA says a record 115.6 million Americans will have traveled between December 21st and Wednesday, January 1st. More than 90 percent will travel by car, the most on record. But AAA doesn't expect many delays from the influx in travelers — unless you're in big cities like New York or Washington DC. Traffic in those cities will triple next week.
There's also been a 5% jump in air travel, the biggest year-over-year increase since AAA began tracking this data in 2000.
Not everyone was happy with their holiday presents this year. On January 2nd, National Returns Day, people are expected to deposit 1.9 million packages according to UPS. That's an increase of 26% from last year. Thursday is set to mark the seventh consecutive record National Rreturns Day, following growing e-commerce gift purchases. A rise in returns spells out bad news for retailers, costing up to millions of dollars in lost sales.
Paramount Global is set to absorb Showtime into Paramount+, creating a single streaming option to compete with the likes of Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max. The company also plans to raise the monthly price from $9.99 to $11.99 per month after the integration.
Debt ceiling talks are underway in Washington, DC ahead of a default deadline. Michael Rosen, chief investment officer with Angeles Investments, joined Cheddar News to explain how a potential default could affect investment portfolios, among other items, for Americans.
Australia's government announced regulations for buy now, pay later services, which will be labeled as consumer credit products, which puts them under the country's Securities and Investments Commission's watch.
Walmart is reportedly teaming up with pet telehealth provider Pawp, giving subscribers unlimited access to vet services via video and text, starting on Tuesday.
Cheddar News checks in to see what's on The Day Ahead, which will include earnings from Lowe's, Dick's Sporting Goods, BJ's and AutoZone along with new home sales data. In addition, Microsoft's Build 2023 Developer Conference is slated to kick off for software engineers and web developers.
Venmo will soon have accounts for teenagers ages 13-17 but they will have to follow a set of rules, with parents or guardians opening accounts on their behalf under their own accounts.
Rory Harvey, General Motors' incoming North American president, joined Cheddar News to discuss GM's foray into the rapidly-changing electric vehicle market along with what lies ahead. "It's a very dynamic time in the automotive industry," he said. "If you look to the transformation across the EVs, it's happening and it's happening at a pace."
