Upbeat Earnings Boost Stocks

It wasn’t just Apple, Nvidia, and the like. Bitcoin, gold, and other investments also drove higher. What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors.

When 2024 started, Denver area realtors optimistically anticipated that interest rates would drop, but they also expected limited inventory to keep prices high. They were mostly right. Interest rates stayed high, and while inventory rose in the second half of the year, it remained historically low, keeping prices elevated. As of November, the median price for a single-family home was $650,000, up 2% from last year. “No one knows for sure what will happen with rates, but we may never see interest rates at 3-4% again,” said Amy Terry with The Agency. This year’s slower market, with 39,153 properties closed through November, down slightly from last year, taught realtors three lessons: Sellers should prioritize pricing and making a strong first impression. Sellers should be prepared for their homes to take time to sell and consider offering concessions. Buyers should prioritize their goals and finances over interest rates. “One of the biggest lessons this year was that our market was predictably unpredictable,” said Stacie Staub, founder and CEO of West+Main. “Just when we thought we had it figured out, it would pivot again, and listings we thought would go fast while more difficult-seeming listings received multiple offers.” Sellers need to focus on pricing and first impressions Proper pricing and a strong first impression are essential.

When Joel Appel bought Zaidy’s Deli & Bakery, he didn’t expect it to be this hard. At the time he reopened the Jewish joint’s doors in 2022, Denver’s minimum wage was $15.87. On Jan. 1, that number will be $18.81. According to a survey from The Colorado Restaurant Association, the hike will cost Denver restaurants an average of over $51,000 next year. “It just makes it very, very difficult,” Appel said, who took over Zaidy’s after it closed in 2020.

By Isabel Contreras, NerdWallet The past couple of years have been tough on consumers’ wallets. Inflation has affected groceries, gas and lots of other everyday expenses — and auto insurance is no exception. Prices for most goods and services have started to stabilize: Year-over-year inflation stood at 2.7% in November, a dramatic difference from the peak of more than 9% during the summer of 2022.

Colorado’s employment counts have become so unreliable the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in an unprecedented move, has stopped issuing reports based on them. “BLS has observed data quality problems because of ongoing issues with the modernization of Colorado’s unemployment insurance system. As a result, BLS is temporarily suspending publication of Colorado employment, unemployment, and wage data,” the bureau said in a statement issued Dec.

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO and HALELUYA HADERO, AP Business Writers Sales rose this year during the holiday shopping season even as Americans wrestled with elevated prices for many groceries and other necessities, according to new data. Holiday sales from the beginning of November through Christmas Eve climbed 3.8%, outpacing the 3.1% increase from a year earlier, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards.