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The Globe’s most-read business and investing stories of 2024No. 4 Penn State hosts Maryland in regular-season finale with CFP seeding in mindTech companies led a broad rally for U.S. stocks Tuesday, a boost for the market in a holiday-shortened trading session. The S&P 500 rose 0.7%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 177 points, or 0.4%, as of 11:20 a.m. Eastern time. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite was up 1%. Chip company Broadcom rose 2.6%, while semiconductor giant Nvidia, whose enormous valuation gives it an outsize influence on indexes, rose 1.1%. Super Micro Computer jumped 4.6%. Tesla climbed 5.2% for the biggest gain among S&P 500 stocks. Amazon.com rose 1.5% American Airlines slipped 0.4% after the airline briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical issue. U.S. Steel edged up 0.1% a day after an influential government panel failed to reach consensus on the possible national security risks of the nearly $15 billion proposed sale to Nippon Steel of Japan. NeueHealth surged 70.1% after the health care company agreed to be taken private in a deal valued at roughly $1.3 billion. Treasury yields rose in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.62% from 4.59% late Monday. European markets were mostly higher. Markets in Asia mostly gained ground. U.S. markets will close at 1 p.m. Eastern and stay closed Wednesday for Christmas. Wall Street has several economic reports to look forward to this week, including a weekly update on unemployment benefits on Thursday. Tuesday’s rally comes as the stock market enters what’s historically been a very cheerful season. The last five trading days of each year, plus the first two in the new year, have brought an average gain of 1.3% since 1950. The so-called “Santa rally” also correlates closely with positive returns in January and the upcoming year. So far this month, the U.S. stock market has lost some of its gains since President-elect Donald Trump’s win on Election Day, which raised hopes for faster economic growth and more lax regulations that would boost corporate profits. Worries have risen that Trump’s preference for tariffs and other policies could lead to higher inflation , a bigger U.S. government debt and difficulties for global trade. Even so, the stock market remains on pace to deliver strong returns for 2024. The benchmark S&P 500 is up about 26% so far this year and remains within roughly 1.3% of the all-time high it set earlier this month — its latest of 57 record highs this year.

Trump's lawyers rebuff DA's idea for upholding his hush money conviction

The Pittsburgh Steelers could get quarterback Justin Fields back against the Kansas City Chiefs . After suffering an abdominal injury against the Philadelphia Eagles, Fields was running on the field on Monday, and after another limited practice on Tuesday, he was listed as questionable. The likely outcome is that Fields will be dressed as the emergency third quarterback, while Kyle Allen will be Russell Wilson’s backup. Fields did not take any team reps or he would have been listed as a full participant, which seems to signal that Allen is likely to be the backup. Fields have been used sparingly since Russell Wilson took over as the starting quarterback. While Fields was the starter, he led the team to a 4-2 record, but Wilson has helped the team continue to soar, but their last two losses have left a significant sting. Even still, the team would like Fields back not only for the potential packages they can run with him but also because if Wilson did get hurt, Fields could return and provide quality backup play if it ever does end up coming to that. BETTING: Check out our guide to the best PA sportsbooks , where our team of sports betting experts has reviewed the experience, payout speed, parlay options and quality of odds for multiple sportsbooks. More Pittsburgh Steelers News Pittsburgh Steelers get multiple huge reinforcements for Chiefs clash Pittsburgh Steelers lose two key contributors for Chiefs game, including star cornerback Pittsburgh Steelers offense gets massive boost with return of star wide receiver Chiefs lose two starters for Steelers game, could be without star pass rusher Baltimore Ravens add dynamic former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver

40 Black Women Appointed Federal Judges Under Biden, Setting Historic Record

Cake sales pick up paceSebastian Zapeta, 33, who federal immigration officials said is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the US illegally, was arraigned in Brooklyn criminal court. He appeared briefly before a judge and wore a white jumpsuit over a weathered black hooded sweatshirt. He did not speak. He will remain jailed ahead of his next court date on Friday. The apparently random attack occurred on Sunday morning on a stationary F train at the Coney Island station in Brooklyn. Police said on Tuesday that identification of the victim was still “pending at this time”. Authorities say Zapeta approached the woman, who was sitting motionless in the train car and may have been sleeping, and used a lighter to set her clothing on fire. The woman quickly became engulfed in flames, while the suspect then sat at a bench on the subway platform and watched, according to police. Video posted to social media appeared to show the woman standing inside the train ablaze as some people look on from the platform, and at least one officer walks by. NYPD chief of transit Joseph Gulotta said that several officers had responded to the fire and one stayed to keep the crime scene “the way it’s supposed to be” while the others went to get fire extinguishers and transit workers. They were eventually able to douse the fire, but “unfortunately, it was too late”, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said — the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. During Zapeta’s court hearing on Tuesday, Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg said Zapeta at one point fanned the flames on the woman using his shirt. He said a 911 call from a subway rider helped identify Zapeta. Mr Rottenberg added that under interrogation Zapeta claimed he did not know what happened, noting that he consumes alcohol. But he alleged that Zapeta identified himself to interrogators in images related to the attack. Zapeta was taken into custody on Sunday afternoon while riding a train on the same subway line after police got a tip from some teenagers who recognised him from images circulated by the police. A Brooklyn address for Zapeta released by police matches a shelter that provides housing and substance abuse support. The shelter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Federal immigration officials said Zapeta had been previously deported in 2018 but at some point reentered the US illegally. The crime — and the graphic video of it that ricocheted across social media — deepened a growing sense of unease among some New Yorkers about the safety of the subway system in a city where many residents take the subway multiple times each day.

Zimbabwe’s GDP Plummets to US$35 Billion Amid Economic Turmoil

OpenAI's legal battle with Elon Musk reveals internal turmoil over avoiding AI 'dictatorship'ESPN announcers Joe Buck and Troy Aikman aren’t fans of the way some people have been talking about the new 12-team College Football Playoff . Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas and Ohio State all won their opening-round matchups with relative ease, leaving some to complain about the way the new format has shaken out. Fellow ESPNer Kirk Herbstreit at one point said that Indiana “was not a team that should’ve been on that field” after they were soundly beaten by the Fighting Irish. But Buck and Aikman did not feel the same and the pair defended the way things have gone this year in the CFP during a break in the action between the Packers and Saints on “Monday Night Football.” “I think the disappointment is for those that want to question whether those teams belonged in the playoff,” Aikman said. “I think to make those comments after the fact and after they had devastating losses by the amount that they did — I don’t know that that’s fair to anybody. We see teams in the Super Bowl that lose by large margins. And they were worthy. So, hat’s off to those winners and really all those teams — whether they lost last week or not.” Buck, who is an Indiana alum, chimed in on the topic as well and said the negative chatter didn’t diminish how “awfully proud” alumni of Indiana are after the year they’ve had. “And I think what it does is it diminishes the job that the teams that won did,” Buck said. “Like in the case of Notre Dame or Penn State and the job that they did in winning those games. I mean, it’s sports. And not everybody shows up with their A-game every night. But it’s been a fun collegiate season. Buck compared the conversation to the one that fans have during March Madness each year and the complaints some fans end up having about who made it and who did not. “I guess, you know, you can put 100 teams in there and there will still be someone upset about it,” Buck added. The College Football Playoff resumes on New Year’s Eve when No. 6 Penn State battles No. 3 Boise State.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, who federal immigration officials said is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the US illegally, was arraigned in Brooklyn criminal court. He appeared briefly before a judge and wore a white jumpsuit over a weathered black hooded sweatshirt. He did not speak. He will remain jailed ahead of his next court date on Friday. The apparently random attack occurred on Sunday morning on a stationary F train at the Coney Island station in Brooklyn. Police said on Tuesday that identification of the victim was still “pending at this time”. Authorities say Zapeta approached the woman, who was sitting motionless in the train car and may have been sleeping, and used a lighter to set her clothing on fire. The woman quickly became engulfed in flames, while the suspect then sat at a bench on the subway platform and watched, according to police. Video posted to social media appeared to show the woman standing inside the train ablaze as some people look on from the platform, and at least one officer walks by. NYPD chief of transit Joseph Gulotta said that several officers had responded to the fire and one stayed to keep the crime scene “the way it’s supposed to be” while the others went to get fire extinguishers and transit workers. They were eventually able to douse the fire, but “unfortunately, it was too late”, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said — the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. During Zapeta’s court hearing on Tuesday, Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg said Zapeta at one point fanned the flames on the woman using his shirt. He said a 911 call from a subway rider helped identify Zapeta. Mr Rottenberg added that under interrogation Zapeta claimed he did not know what happened, noting that he consumes alcohol. But he alleged that Zapeta identified himself to interrogators in images related to the attack. Zapeta was taken into custody on Sunday afternoon while riding a train on the same subway line after police got a tip from some teenagers who recognised him from images circulated by the police. A Brooklyn address for Zapeta released by police matches a shelter that provides housing and substance abuse support. The shelter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Federal immigration officials said Zapeta had been previously deported in 2018 but at some point reentered the US illegally. The crime — and the graphic video of it that ricocheted across social media — deepened a growing sense of unease among some New Yorkers about the safety of the subway system in a city where many residents take the subway multiple times each day.What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend scrolling, listening and gaming

JERUSALEM/CAIRO – Israeli leaders hailed on Tuesday a pledge by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump that there would be “hell to pay” in the Middle East unless hostages held in the Gaza Strip were released ahead of his January 20 inauguration. The reaction in Gaza was less enthusiastic. Writing on Truth Social, and without naming any group, Trump said the hostages had to be freed by the time he was sworn in. If his demand was not met, he said: “Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America.” During their deadly 2023 attack on Israel, Hamas-led militants captured more than 250 people. Some have been released or freed but around half of them are still in Gaza, although at least a third of these are believed to be dead. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and many of his ministers publicly thanked Trump for his hard-hitting words. “President Trump put the emphasis in the right place, on Hamas, and not on the Israeli government, as is customary (elsewhere),” Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Trump’s statement had made clear to everyone who was in the right, and who was wrong. “This is the way to bring back the hostages: by increasing the pressure and the costs for Hamas and its supporters, and defeating them, rather than giving in to their absurd demands.” Families of the missing hostages also expressed their gratitude. “It is now evident to all: the time has come. We must bring them home NOW,” the families forum said. Israel and Hamas have held on-off negotiations since October 2023, but after an initial hostage release in November, little progress has been made with both sides blaming each other. Responding to Trump’s post, senior Hamas official Basem Naim said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had sabotaged all efforts to secure a deal that involved exchanging the hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. “Therefore, we understand (Trump’s) message is directed first at Netanyahu and his government to end this evil game,” he told Reuters . Gaza political analyst Ramiz Moghani said Trump’s threat was directed at both Hamas and its backer Iran, and warned that it would embolden Israel to not expel Palestinians from swathes of Gaza but also annex the nearby, Israeli-occupied West Bank. “These statements have serious implications for the Israeli war in Gaza and the West Bank,” he told Reuters . Mohammed Dahlan, like hundreds of thousands of Gazans, has had to flee his house because of the fighting and is desperate for the war to end. But he said he was shocked by Trump. “We were hoping that the new administration would bring with it a breakthrough .... but it seems (Trump) is in complete agreement with the Israeli administration and that there are apparently more punitive measures ahead,” he said. (Reuters) Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.Bangladesh's future depends on creating a knowledge-driven economy, and new businesses require a supportive environment to succeed alongside funding, which can come in the form of venture capital and private equity, said speakers at a discussion recently. Venture capital is a type of financing for promising startups in exchange for ownership stakes. Private equity is also a type of investment involving purchasing an interest in a mature company that is not publicly traded on a stock exchange. Obstacles in the process of appropriate asset valuation and a dearth of relevant service providers hinder access to finance, they said. For instance, tech companies are having trouble with the valuation audit process since their assets are in the intellectual form, they added. The situation is complicated by the fact that the financing industry lays special emphasis on safe investment and revenue return, the speakers said. For prospective small and medium enterprises and startups, venture capital and private equity may be the most suitable alternative source of financing outside of banks, they said. "Businesses developing intellectual property should not concentrate on valuing physical assets because banks rely on this information to secure their loans," said Ashraf Ahmed, president of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI). "As business owners, we should concentrate on conquering our own obstacles while adhering to current legal restrictions, both as growth investors and as financers of innovation," he said. Ahmed was addressing a discussion on "Connecting Innovative SMEs and Startups with Private Equity & Venture Capital Firms for Bridging Financing Gap" organised by the DCCI on its premises. It is necessary to make venture capital and private equity more widely known to small businesses in Bangladesh since the demand exists while innovation was coming about, he said. The industry requires a supportive legislative environment in order to expand, said Mohammad Abdul Momen, a former director of the University of Dhaka's Institute of Business Administration. He stated that the emergence of numerous creative startups was encouraging and for the benefit of the economy as a whole, they must be supported right from their inception. He also urged Bangladesh's young inventors to protect their creations with patents. Mohammad Ashraf Hossain, head of compliance and company secretary at Maslin Capital Limited, Shawkat Hossain, CEO of Bangladesh Venture Capital Limited, Jasim Mohammad Miah, investment manager at X Angel Limited, and MM Ehsan Nizamee, CEO of Finager Fintech, spoke at the event. A total of eight representatives from private equity and venture capital firms alongside 14 startups and 26 SMEs participated in the event.

Broadridge Tailored Shareholder Report Solution Wins Nicsa NOVA Innovation in Operations AwardTORONTO - Broad-based gains led Canada’s main stock index higher in late-morning trading on Christmas Eve, while U.S. stock markets also rose. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 57.82 points at 24,806.80. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 177.64 points at 43,084.59. The S&P 500 index was up 43.11 points at 6,017.18, while the Nasdaq composite was up 210.74 points at 19,975.62. The Canadian dollar traded for 69.50 cents US compared with 69.47 cents US on Monday. The February crude oil contract was up 91 cents at US$70.15 per barrel and the February natural gas contract was up 13 cents at US$3.48 per mmBTU. The February gold contract was down US$1.10 at US$2,627.10 an ounce and the March copper contract was up two cents at US$4.11 a pound. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 24, 2024. Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)