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‘If signed into law, it would mean by 2073 people wanting to buy cigarettes would have to show ID to prove they are at least 67 years old.’
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Notable & Quotable: In California, Marijuana Si, Smoking No – Medical Marijuana Program Connection
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Soccer star Christian Atsu ‘under the rubble’ following Turkey earthquake, report says. ‘We remain hopeful for positive news’ says Ghana Football Association
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Ghanaian soccer star Christian Atsu is “under the rubble” following the deadly that earthquake hit Turkey, according to a report.
The former Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton star plays for Turkish Super Lig club Hatayspor in the city of Antakya in southern Turkey.
Istanbul-based sports journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu tweeted Monday that Atsu and Hatayspor Sporting Director Taner Savut were “left under the rubble,” adding that “search and rescue teams are looking for two names.”
“We pray for Ghana International Christian Atsu and victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria,” tweeted the Ghana Football Association. “We continue with our efforts to establish contact with officials of Hataspor and the Turkish Football Federation, considering the difficult situation.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Christian Atsu and our brothers and sisters in Turkey and Syria. We remain hopeful for positive news,” the Ghana Football Association wrote.
Related: Turkey quake assistance ‘already underway,’ says U.S.’s Blinken
“Praying for some positive news, @ChristianAtsu20,” tweeted his former club Newcastle United.
Soccer star Yannick Bolasie tweeted praying hands in response to Yagiz Sabuncuoglu’s tweet.
On Sunday Atsu tweeted out images from Hatayspor’s victory over Kasimpasa earlier that day, in which he scored the winning goal.
The powerful 7.8 magnitude quake rocked wide swaths of Turkey and Syria early Monday, toppling hundreds of buildings and killing more than 1,900 people.
Turkey’s Daily Sabah reports that the runway of Hatay Airport. which serves Antakya, was split in two by the earthquake
Additional reporting by Robert Schroeder.
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Philadelphia Eagles emerge as early Super Bowl favorites over Kansas City Chiefs
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The Kansas City Chiefs were still celebrating on the field Sunday night when oddsmakers moved them from slight favorites to win the Super Bowl over the Philadelphia Eagles to slight underdogs.
After the Chiefs opened as a 1.5-point favorite by BetMGM
MGM,
+0.24% ,
the betting line quickly shifted, favoring the Eagles by 2.5 points, with the over/under at 49.5 points. FanDuel sports book odds also swung from the Chiefs to the Eagles, by 2 points, and DraftKings
DKNG,
+5.17%
favored the Eagles by 2.5 points.The betting line will likely continue to change slightly over the next two weeks.
Super Bowl LVII (that’s 57 to you non-Romans) will kick off at 6:30 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, Feb. 12, in Glendale, Ariz.
The Chiefs edged the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20, on Sunday night in the AFC Championship game in Kansas City, winning on a last-second field goal. Kansas City will be playing in its third Super Bowl in the past four years; the Chiefs last won it in 2020 over the San Francisco 49ers.
Earlier in the day, the Eagles earned their spot by demolishing the 49ers, 31-7, in an NFC Championship game in Philadelphia that was never close and saw both 49ers quarterbacks — starter Brock Purdy and backup Josh Johnson — leave the game with injuries (Purdy returned in the second half, but essentially could not throw the ball). The Eagles were last in the Super Bowl five years ago, when they beat the New England Patriots.
Last year, PlayUSA estimated there were more than $1 billion in legal wagers on the Super Bowl — a record amount — while AmericanGaming estimated a total of $7.61 billion was wagered in the U.S., when including casual bets, bookies and pool contests.
Sports betting is legal in some form in 32 states, as well as the District of Columbia, according to the American Gaming Association.
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Households earning $100,000 or more are cutting back more aggressively on spending. What’s going on?
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We want to hear from readers who have stories to share about the effects of increasing costs and a changing economy. If you’d like to share your experience, write to readerstories@marketwatch.com. Please include your name and the best way to reach you. A reporter may be in touch.
Higher-earning households are feeling the inflationary pinch.
Consumer spending slowed and household finances weakened across all income levels last month. But households earning $100,000 a year or more reported shaving more off their spending than less well-off households did, according to a report released this week by Morning Consult, a decision intelligence company.
The report also found that real monthly spending among U.S. adults fell by 4.3% from November to December. Even so, 21.3% of U.S. adults said their monthly expenses exceeded their monthly income in December, up from 19.2% in November.
On average, households earning $100,000 a year or more said they spent about 10% less in real terms in December than they did the previous month. Households earning $50,000 to $99,999 and those earning less than $50,000 a year, meanwhile, reported that they cut their monthly spending bills by no more than 5% on average.
Across the board, households are cutting back on recreation, alcohol, vehicle insurance, and other services in December, while spending more on hotels, gas and airfares, the report found.
One theory on the spending cutbacks: Higher earners typically have more discretionary income, and likely have decided to exercise more fiscal caution after seven interest-rate hikes by the Federal Reserve last year. (On Wednesday, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard told The Wall Street Journal in a live-streamed interview that the Federal Reserve should not “stall” on raising its benchmark rates until they are above 5%.)
The Morning Consult report did cite inflationary pressures. “Heightened budgetary pressures brought on by persistently high inflation are forcing trade-offs for consumers, leading to reallocation across categories,” it said. “For instance, as food grew more expensive over the past year, U.S. households accommodated an increase in grocery purchases by spending less at restaurants.”
Earlier last year, higher-income households led consumer spending in the face of rising prices, said Kayla Bruun, an economic analyst with Morning Consult and co-author of the report. But household income, even for those earning six-figure incomes, has not been growing fast enough to keep up with inflation, she said.
“They probably started to realize, ‘Hey, I can’t keep buying the same basket of goods each month and expect to continue adding to my savings,’” Bruun told MarketWatch.
At the same time, recent layoffs in the higher-earning tech and financial sectors may also have affected sentiment among wealthier households, Bruun said.
The tech and financial sectors felt the impact of rising interest rates and economic headwinds, she added. Goldman Sachs
GS,
-0.25%
and BlackRock
BLK,
-1.53%
said earlier this month they were cutting jobs. Microsoft Corp.
MSFT,
-2.14%
confirmed plans on Wednesday to lay off some 10,000 workers, equivalent to around 5% of the company’s global workforce.Before Microsoft’s announcement, data compiled by the Layoffs.fyi website estimated that more than 25,000 global tech-sector employees have been laid off in the first few weeks of 2023. Last year, approximately 60,000 people in the tech industry were laid off, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
Still, there has been some good news: Inflation eased in December for the sixth consecutive month: The annual rate of inflation fell to 6.5% from 7.1% in November after reaching a four-decade-high of 9.1% last summer.
Also read:
Inflation hit rural, Hispanic, and Black people harder for one key reason
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Mega Millions jackpot surges to $1.1 billion: What time is tonight’s drawing?
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The Mega Millions jackpot keeps growing.
There’s a $1.1 billion top prize at stake on Tuesday night, following the news that no one won Friday’s drawing. While that doesn’t come close to the record $2.04 billion U.S. Powerball jackpot someone claimed in November, it’s still a sizable sum that could pay off all those holiday bills (and then some). And it’s the rare lottery jackpot to pass the $1 billion mark.
Here’s what you need to know if you’re going to play:
How does Mega Millions work?
It costs $2 per ticket to play. As the Mega Millions site explains, “Players may pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers — five different numbers from 1 to 70 (the white balls) and one number from 1 to 25 (the gold Mega Ball) — or select Easy Pick/Quick Pick. You win the jackpot by matching all six winning numbers in a drawing.”
There are prizes beyond the jackpot, of course. You can win as little as $2 for matching the gold Mega Ball number alone. Other prizes vary depending on how many numbers you match.
Players also have the ability to increase their potential winnings by adding a $1 Megaplier option, but this doesn’t apply to the jackpot prize.
When does the drawing take place?
The next Mega Millions drawing will take place Tuesday at 11 p.m. Eastern.
Where can you buy a ticket?
Mega Millions is offered at lottery retailers in 45 states and is also available in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Some states also allow for online purchase of tickets.
Up until what time can you buy a ticket?
How late you can purchase your ticket varies depending on the jurisdiction. For some places, the cutoff time is 10:45 p.m. Eastern, but others have earlier cutoffs.
What are the odds of winning the jackpot?
You’re looking at some pretty tall odds — 1 in 302,575,350. But the chance of winning any prize ($2 and up) is much better — 1 in 24.
What are the options for the jackpot payout?
You can opt for a lump sum, which is less than the actual jackpot — in the case of the current $1.1 billion jackpot, the lump sum is $568.7 million. But you can also opt for annuity payments, which means you’ll receive an immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5% each year.
Can you watch the drawing live?
Yes, it’s carried by many television stations across the country, according to the Lottery ‘n Go website. Recorded video of the drawing is also posted to the Mega Millions YouTube channel.
If you win the jackpot, can you remain anonymous?
The rules vary by jurisdiction. The Mega Millions site explains it this way: “Public disclosure laws vary from state to state. Some states require their lotteries to publicly identify winners, while others do not.”
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Damar Hamlin ‘has shown remarkable improvement,’ according to Buffalo Bills
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Damar Hamlin appears to be on the road to recovery.
The Buffalo Bills safety, who went into cardiac arrest after a play during a game on Monday night in Cincinnati, “has shown remarkable improvement over the last 24 hours,” according to a statement issued by the team via Twitter on Thursday morning.
Also see: Damar Hamlin’s doctors say every second mattered in saving his life
“While still critically ill, he has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact. His lungs continue to heal and he is making steady progress,” the team said.
And by the afternoon on Jan. 5, Hamlin was able to move his hands and feet — and write with a pen, according to the New York Times. In fact, the Times added, Hamlin even wrote a question asking who won the game between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals, during which he collapsed.
Hamlin’s injury has sparked an outpouring of sympathetic responses and well wishes from football fans and others across the country. A GoFundMe campaign to support Hamlin’s charitable endeavors has raised more than $7 million as well.
The Bills game on Monday, against the Bengals, was suspended after Hamlin went down. No announcement has yet been made as to whether it will be resumed.
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Bills safety Damar Hamlin in critical condition after collapsing on field; game with Bengals postponed
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Monday night’s NFL game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals was suspended after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field and was taken away by ambulance, in a scene that left players in tears and fans stunned.
Hamlin, 24, was involved in a tackle, stood up, then collapsed with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter, laying motionless on the field. Medics gave him CPR as he lay on the field for about 16 minutes, and ESPN reported he was given oxygen as he was strapped to a backboard and transferred to the ambulance. The NFL later said he was listed in critical condition at a local hospital.
Players from both teams gathered around Hamlin as medics worked on him, some in tears, others kneeling in prayer. Fans in Cincinnati fell silent.
Both teams were sent to their locker rooms to regroup, and after roughly a half-hour wait — and a little over an hour since the injury occurred — the NFL said the game would not resume Monday. It was unclear when the game would be rescheduled.
Hamlin was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, a Level 1 trauma center. ESPN reported that Hamlin’s family was with him at the hospital.
Visibly shaken ESPN announcers attempted to fill airtime. Many, including studio commentator Booger McFarland, said the game should be canceled. “Nobody is concerned about football right now. America is concerned about one thing: The health and safety of this young man,” McFarland said.
“This went from a sports story to a news story, from a sporting event to a matter of life and death, like THAT,” ESPN announcer Joe Buck said.
The game had been set up as one of the most anticipated of the NFL season, with two of the league’s best teams fighting for playoff positions.
“Sports is important. And suddenly it’s not,” ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt said.
The scene was reminiscent of a frightening incident in June 2021, when Denmark’s Christian Eriksen collapsed and went into cardiac arrest during the Euro 2020 soccer tournament. Eriksen survived and returned to the playing field in 2022.
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Franco Harris, Hall of Fame running back, dies aged 72
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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Franco Harris, the Hall of Fame running back whose heads-up thinking authored “The Immaculate Reception,” considered the most iconic play in NFL history, has died. He was 72.
Harris’ son Dok told The Associated Press his father passed away overnight. No cause of death was given.
His death comes two days before the 50th anniversary of the play that provided the jolt that helped transform the Steelers from also-rans into the NFL’s elite and three days before Pittsburgh is scheduled to retire his No. 32 during a ceremony at halftime of its game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Harris ran for 12,120 yards and won four Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s, a dynasty that began in earnest when Harris decided to keep running during a last-second heave by Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw in a playoff game against Oakland in 1972.
With Pittsburgh trailing 7-6 and facing fourth-and-10 from their own 40 yard line and 22 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Bradshaw drifted back and threw deep to running back French Fuqua. Fuqua and Oakland defensive back Jack Tatum collided, sending the ball careening back toward midfield in the direction of Harris.
While nearly everyone else on the field stopped, Harris kept his legs churning, snatching the ball just inches above the Three Rivers Stadium turf near the Oakland 45 then outracing several stunned Raider defenders to give the Steelers their first playoff victory in the franchise’s four-decade history.
“That play really represents our teams of the ’70s,” Harris said after the ”Immaculate Reception” was voted the greatest play in NFL history during the league’s 100th anniversary season in 2020.
While the Steelers fell the next week to Miami in the AFC Championship, Pittsburgh was on its way to becoming the dominant team of the 1970s, twice winning back-to-back Super Bowls, first after the 1974 and 1975 seasons and again after the 1978 and 1979 seasons.
Harris, the 6-foot-2, 230-pound workhorse from Penn State, found himself in the center of it all. He churned for a then-record 158 yards rushing and a touchdown in Pittsburgh’s 16-6 victory over Minnesota in Super Bowl IX on his way to winning the game’s Most Valuable Player award. He scored at least once in three of the four Super Bowls he played in, and his 354 career yards rushing on the NFL’s biggest stage remains a record nearly four decades after his retirement.
Born in Fort Dix, New Jersey, on March 7, 1950, Harris played collegiately at Penn State, where his primary job was to open holes for backfield mate Lydell Mitchell. The Steelers, in the final stages of a rebuild led by Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll, saw enough in Harris to make him the 13th overall pick in the 1972 draft.
“When (Noll) drafted Franco Harris, he gave the offense heart, he gave it discipline, he gave it desire, he gave it the ability to win a championship in Pittsburgh,” Steelers Hall of Fame wide receiver Lynn Swann said of his frequent roommate on team road trips.
Harris’ impact was immediate. He won the NFL’s Rookie to the Year award in 1972 after rushing for a then-team-rookie record 1,055 yards and 10 touchdowns as the Steelers reached the postseason for just the second time in franchise history.
The city’s large Italian-American population embraced Harris immediately, led by two local businessmen who founded what became known as “Franco’s Italian Army,” a nod to Harris’ roots as the son of an African-American father and an Italian mother.
The “Immaculate Reception” made Harris a star, though he typically preferred to let his play and not his mouth do the talking. On a team that featured big personalities in Bradshaw, defensive tackle Joe Greene, linebacker Jack Lambert among others, the intensely quiet Harris spent 12 seasons as the engine that helped Pittsburgh’s offense go.
Eight times he topped 1,000 yards rushing in a season, including five times while playing a 14-game schedule. He piled up another 1,556 yards rushing and 16 rushing touchdowns in the playoffs, both second all-time behind Smith.
Despite his gaudy numbers, Harris stressed he was just one cog in an extraordinary machine that redefined greatness.
“You see, during that era, each player brought their own little piece with them to make that wonderful decade happen,” Harris said during his Hall of Fame speech in 1990. “Each player had their strengths and weaknesses, each their own thinking, each their own method, just each, each had their own. But then it was amazing, it all came together, and it stayed together to forge the greatest team of all times.”
Harris also made it a habit to stick up for his teammates. When Bradshaw took what Harris felt was an illegal late hit from Dallas linebacker Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson in the second half of their meeting in the 1978 Super Bowl, Harris basically demanded Bradshaw give him the ball on the next play. All Harris did was sprint up the middle 22 yards — right by Henderson — for a touchdown that gave the Steelers an 11-point lead they would not relinquish on their way to their third championship in six years.
Despite all of his success, his time in Pittsburgh ended acrimoniously when the Steelers cut him after he held out during training camp before the 1984 season. Noll, who leaned on Harris so heavily for so long, famously answered “Franco who?” when asked about Harris’ absence from the team’s camp at Saint Vincent College.
Harris signed with Seattle, running for just 170 yards in eight games before being released in midseason. He retired as the NFL’s third all-time leading rusher behind Walter Payton and Jim Brown.
“I don’t even think about that (anymore),” Harris said in 2006. “I’m still black and gold.”
Harris remained in Pittsburgh following his retirement, opening a bakery and becoming heavily involved in several charities, including serving as the chairman of “Pittsburgh Promise,” which provides college scholarship opportunities for Pittsburgh Public School students.
Harris is survived by his wife Dana Dokmanovich and his son, Dok.
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Messi is a World Cup champion at last as Argentina beats France on penalty kicks
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LUSAIL, Qatar — Lionel Messi, wearing a black Qatari robe over his blue-and-white Argentina shirt, kissed the World Cup, shuffled toward his teammates and hoisted the golden trophy high in the air.
It was an iconic sight that finally — definitively — places the soccer superstar in the pantheon of the game’s greatest players.
Messi’s once-in-a-generation career is complete: He is a World Cup champion.
In probably the wildest final in the tournament’s 92-year history, Argentina won its third World Cup title by beating France 4-2 in a penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw featuring two goals from the 35-year-old Messi and a hat trick by his heir apparent, France forward Kylian Mbappé.
“It’s just crazy that it became a reality this way,” Messi said. “I craved for this so much. I knew God would bring this gift to me. I had the feeling that this (World Cup) was the one.”
Amid the chaos inside Lusail Stadium, Mbappé did all he could to emulate Brazil great Pelé as a champion at his first two World Cups. Even scoring the first hat trick in a final since Geoff Hurst for England in 1966.
It wasn’t enough.
Now there’s no debate. Messi joins Pelé — a record three-time World Cup champion — and Diego Maradona, the late Argentina great with whom Messi was so often compared, in an exclusive club of the best soccer players of all time.
Who is the greatest? It’s a discussion that will rage forever because there can never be a definitive answer. Messi has put up a good argument, though, and — with the World Cup title on his resume — he is surely above Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player of his generation.
Messi achieved what Maradona did in 1986 and dominated a World Cup for Argentina. He scored seven goals and embraced the responsibility of leading his team out of those dark moments after a shocking 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in the group stage.
Playing in the spirit of Maradona, Messi coupled his dazzling skills with rarely seen aggression and led Argentina to the title by becoming the first man in a single edition of the World Cup to score in the group stage and then in every round of the knockout stage.
The torch will one day pass to Mbappé, but not just yet.
“Let’s go, Argentina!” Messi roared into a microphone on the field in the post-match celebrations after playing in a record 26th World Cup match.
Later, he said: “I can’t wait to be in Argentina to witness the insanity of this.”
Messi had a tantalizing glimpse of the 18-carat gold World Cup trophy when walking on the stage to collect the Golden Ball, awarded to the player of the tournament. He even kissed the World Cup and rubbed it repeatedly.
He got his hands on it for good about 10 minutes later, after a ceremonial robe — a bisht — was draped over his shoulders by Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. And, oh, did he enjoy the moment, celebrating with his family and the teammates who put Argentina atop the soccer world for the first time since the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. The country’s other title came in 1978 on home soil.
Messi was in scintillating form from the start of the final, putting Argentina ahead from the penalty spot after Angel Di Maria was tripped and later playing a part in a flowing team move that resulted in Di Maria making it 2-0 after 36 minutes.
Mbappé, on the other hand, was anonymous until bursting into life by scoring two goals in a 97-second span — one an 80th-minute penalty, the other a volley from just inside the area after a quick exchange of passes — to take the game to extra time at 2-2.
Messi still had plenty of energy and he was on hand to tap in his second goal in the 108th minute, with a France defender clearing the ball just after it had crossed the line. Argentina was on the brink of the title once again, but there was still time for another penalty from Mbappé, after a handball, to take the thrilling game to a shootout.
“We managed to come back from the dead,” said France coach Didier Deschamps, whose team was looking to become the first back-to-back champions since Brazil in 1962.
Mbappé and Messi took their teams’ first penalties and scored. Kingsley Coman had an attempt saved by Argentina goalkeeper Emi Martinez and Aurelien Tchouameni then missed for France, giving Gonzalo Montiel the opportunity to end it. He converted the penalty to the left and sparked wild celebrations.
“The match was completely insane,” said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, who was asked if he had a message for Maradona, who died two years ago.
“If he had been here, he would have enjoyed it so much,” Scaloni said. “He would have been the first person on the field (to celebrate). I wish he’d have been here to enjoy the moment.”
Europe’s run of four straight World Cup winners, dating to 2006, came to an end. The last South American champion was Brazil, and that was also in Asia — when Japan and South Korea hosted the tournament in 2002.
In Qatar, Argentina backed up its victory from last year’s Copa America, its first major trophy since 1993. It’s quite the climax to Messi’s international career, which is not over just yet. He said after the match that he would continue to play with the national team.
It was quite a final for a unique World Cup — the first to be played in the Arab world.
For FIFA and the Qatari organizers, a final between two major soccer nations and the world’s two best players represented a perfect way to cap a tournament laced in controversy ever since the scandal-shrouded vote in 2010 to give the event to a tiny Arab emirate.
The years-long scrutiny since has focused on the switch of dates from the traditional June-July period to November-December, strong criticism of how migrant workers have been treated, and then unease about taking soccer’s biggest event to a nation where homosexual acts are illegal.
On Sunday, there was one narrative at play for most people: Could Messi do it?
He could, despite the 23-year-old Mbappé doing all he could to deny his Paris Saint-Germain teammate. Finishing the tournament as the top scorer with eight goals is likely only a crumb of comfort.
Messi has been a man on a mission in the Middle East, determined to erase memories of his only other World Cup final — in 2014 when Argentina lost to Germany 1-0 and Messi squandered a great chance in the second half.
On that night at the Maracana Stadium, Messi stared down at that golden World Cup trophy that escaped him.
Eight years later, he raised it aloft in the biggest moment of a career like no other.
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FIFA rebuffed Zelensky’s offer to share message of peace at World Cup final, report says
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World soccer’s governing body FIFA rebuffed an offer from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to share a message of world peace at the World Cup final, according to a CNN report.
Citing an unnamed source, CNN reported that Zelensky’s office offered an appearance via video link prior to kickoff at Sunday’s final. Defending World Cup champion France takes on Argentina in the match at Lusail Stadium, several miles north of the Qatari capital Doha.
The source told CNN that Zelensky’s office was surprised by the negative response. It’s unclear if the message was to be delivered live, or taped, the report said. “We thought FIFA wanted to use its platform for the greater good,” the source was quoted as having told CNN, reportedly adding that talks between Ukraine and FIFA are ongoing.
See: Qatar World Cup controversy means sponsors are walking a tightrope
MarketWatch has reached out to FIFA and Zelensky’s office with requests for comment.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, Zelensky has used high-profile video addresses to rally international support for his embattled nation. These have included addresses to the U.N. General Assembly, the U.S. Congress, Britain’s House of Commons, the German Bundestag, the European Parliament and a G-20 summit, as well as video-link appearances at the Grammys and the Cannes Film Festival.
The last World Cup was held in Russia, with Russian President Vladimir Putin in attendance as France defeated Croatia 4-2 in the final. (FIFA, controversially, announced its host-country selections for 2018 and 2022 — Russia and Qatar — on the same December day in 2010.)
The 2022 tournament is perhaps the most controversial in World Cup history, with Qatar facing a barrage of criticism over its treatment of migrant workers and its approach to LGBTQ+ rights in the country.
Now read: British band the Farm blocks McDonald’s from using hit song in Qatar World Cup ad
The criticism of Qatar, the first Arab nation to host a World Cup, reached a crescendo before the tournament kicked off last month. During a press conference on the eve of the opening game, FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, launched into a lengthy defense of the decision to hold the tournamentin Qatar and accused the West of “hypocrisy.”
This World Cup is also the first to take place during the northern hemisphere’s winter. Traditionally, the tournament takes place in June and July, but this year’s tournament was moved to minimize the impact of Qatar’s searing heat.
See: For Budweiser, Qatar World Cup has been a tale of tough logistics and quick thinking
Branding experts have observed that this controversial World Cup poses challenges for the big-name corporations involved in the event. FIFA’s list of partners includes U.S. corporate titans Coca-Cola Co.
KO,
-0.57%
and Visa Inc.
V,
-0.49% ,
who are both involved in the Qatar event. McDonald’s Corp.
MCD,
-2.06%
and Crypto.com are also World Cup sponsors.The tournament’s beer sponsor, Budweiser, an Anheuser-Busch InBev
BUD,
-0.18%
brand, has had a particularly eventful several weeks in Qatar. In an abrupt reversal just two days before the soccer showpiece kicked, Qatar organizers banned beer sales in the tournament’s eight stadiums.The reversal of that decision appeared to take Budweiser by surprise, with the company tweeting “Well, this is awkward …” before deleting the post. Budweiser quickly shrugged off the beer ban and promised a huge victory party for the country that wins the soccer showpiece.
Fox Sports, which is owned by Fox Corp.
FOX,
-0.21% ,
a sister company of MarketWatch publisher Dow Jones’s parent company, News Corp
NWSA,
+0.28% ,
holds English-language broadcast rights in the U.S. to the Qatar World Cup.[ad_2]
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It’s Argentina vs. France in the World Cup final: Here’s everything you should know about the matchup
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After a month of stiff competition in Qatar, the 2022 World Cup’s final matchup is finally set.
Argentina learned Wednesday that defending World Cup winner France will be its opponent in the final on Sunday. France topped a history-making Morocco side 2-0 a day after Argentina shut out Croatia, which lost to France in the 2018 final, a day earlier. Croatia and Morocco square off for third place in the tournament.
Argentina and France, led by Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, respectively, were two among a handful of favorites heading into the quadrennial footballing spectacle.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the World Cup final.
When is the World Cup final?
The tournament title match will be played Sunday, Dec. 18, at 10 a.m. Eastern time. That’s 6 p.m. in Qatar, earlier than the tournament matches have typically been played.
The World Cup final can be watched in the U.S. on Fox
FOX,
-0.90%
FOXA,
-0.72%
and Telemundo, owned by Comcast
CMCSA,
-3.70%
unit NBCUniversal. Fox is available through nearly all cable providers, and cord cutters can stream the match live through FuboTV FUBO, SlingTV, the Alphabet-owned
GOOG,
-0.56%
GOOGL,
-0.59%
YouTubeTV and Comcast’s Peacock.Who’s favored to win?
Both teams have been oddsmakers’ favorite in every one of their 2022 World Cup matches leading up to the final. But for the grand finale, France is seen a slight favorite over Argentina. France is +175 to win, which carries an implied probability of 36.4%, while the Argentina team is being given a 35.1% chance to win, according to the implied-probability data taken from DraftKings’
DKNG,
-1.60%
odds on Wednesday. The outstanding percentage would account for a draw, though all matches beginning in the knockout stage go to a penalty shootout if a score is tied at the end of regulation and at the end of two 15-minute halves of overtime.What’s at stake?
A win for France would mean back-to-back men’s World Cup wins for the European nation, and France’s third title in history.
Likewise, a win for Argentina would mean its third World Cup title, and the first World Cup win for legend of the game Messi.
Related: Budweiser says it will award unconsumed Qatar beer to the World Cup winner
A record-breaking amount of prize money will also be at stake. FIFA has allocated $440 million in prize money this year, up from $400 million for the 2018 World Cup, hosted by Russia. (FIFA announced on the same day in December 2010 its selection of Russia and Qatar to host the global game’s marquee event in 2018 and 2022, respectively.)
This year’s winning side will get $42 million, up $4 million from the 2018 tournament.
The runner-up will receive $30 million, and the third- and fourth-place teams are going home with $27 million and $25 million. As for the rest, the teams that lost in the quarterfinals will each receive $17 million; teams that lost in the second round will get $13 million each; and teams knocked out in the group stage (including the U.S.) will get $9 million each. All 32 qualifying teams also received $1.5 million for securing their spots in the tournament. Only Qatar, as the host country, did not have to play its way in through regional competition.
Is this really Lionel Messi’s last World Cup?
Messi, playing in his fifth career World Cup, has said that this would probably be the last time he plays in the competition.
Failing over the years to achieve in international competition for Argentina what he has in club play (save an appearance in the 2014 final against Germany and a Copa America title in 2021), chiefly with Barcelona in Spain and now with Paris Saint-Germain in France, where he and Mbappé are teammates, Messi has previously announced and rescinded an intent to step back as an international. Only now he’s 35.
From the archives (January 2010): Club or country? Soccer World Cup revives old tensions
“Yes. Surely, yes,” Messi said when asked whether Sunday’s game will be his last at a World Cup. “There’s a lot of years until the next one, and I don’t think I have it in me, and finishing like this is best.”
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Aaron Judge signs $360 million deal with Yankees — at $40 million a year, he’ll be the highest paid position player in MLB
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Aaron Judge has agreed to return to the New York Yankees on a $360 million, nine-year contract, according to Tuesday reports from the MLB Network and Fox.
Judge will make $40 million per season on his new deal with the Yankees, the highest average annual payout for a position player in MLB history. The new deal is the third largest overall contract in MLB history in total value, only behind Mike Trout’s $426.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels and Mookie Betts’ $365 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
See also: Athletes like Tom Brady and Odell Beckham took crypto as compensation. As of now, that’s backfiring.
Judge, 30, turned down a seven-year, $213.5 million extension from the Yankees before this season, according to Yankees President Brian Cashman, in hopes of earning more in free agency. He appears to have done that with this agreement.
Judge is coming off his best season as a professional after winning the American League MVP award and leading the Yankees to a division title. While an MVP award is usually a telltale sign that a player just had a special season, it was actually even more magical than that.
See also: Dropping Aaron Judge’s 61st home-run ball might have cost this fan $250,000 or more
Judge broke the American League home-run record of 61, set by Roger Maris in 1961, when he hit 62 home runs last season. The only players in history who have hit more than 61 home runs in a single season played in the National League — and they have been linked to steroid use.
Before his new reported deal, in his seven seasons as a big leaguer, Judge has earned a total of just $36 million from his contracts, according to Spotrac, for a career average annual salary of $5.14 million, not appreciably higher than the game’s current average of $4.4 million. He was the 54th highest paid player in the MLB last season at $19 million.
See also: Cristiano Ronaldo will reportedly join Saudi club Al-Nassr for historic $210 million per season
Judge, was selected by New York in the first round of the 2013 MLB draft and made his big league debut in 2016.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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Netherlands eliminates U.S. in round of 16 at World Cup
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Memphis Depay and Daley Blind scored in the first half and Denzel Dumfries added a late goal as the Netherlands eliminated the United States from the World Cup with a 3-1 victory Saturday that advanced the Dutch to the quarterfinals.
Second-half substitute Haji Wright cut the U.S. deficit to 2-1 in the 76th minute when Christian Pulisic’s cross hit his trailing foot and popped over goalkeeper Andries Noppert and into the net. But Dumfries, who assisted on the first two goals, scored on a volley in the 81st.
Runners-up in 1974, 1978 and 2010, the Oranje extended their unbeaten streak to 19 games and face Argentina or Australia on Friday.
It was a disappointing end for a rebuilt U.S. team hoping to advance past the round of 16 for the first time since 2002. Using the second-youngest squad in the tournament, the Americans achieved the bare minimum to consider the World Cup a success, beating Iran in their group-stage finale to reach the knockout round.
But just like in 2010 against Ghana and 2014 against Belgium, the United States was eliminated in the round of 16. The Americans are winless in 12 games against European opponents at the World Cup since 2002, losing six, and are 1-7 during the tournament’s knockout rounds.
Pulisic, playing four days after getting hurt during his game-winning goal against Iran, had a chance to put the United States ahead in the third minute but Noppert, playing in only his fourth international match, blocked his point-blank shot. With the Americans seeking an equalizing goal, Noppert dived to stop Tim Weah’s 25-yard effort in the 42nd.
The crowd of 44,846 was well back from the field at renovated Khalifa International Stadium, which has an athletics track and was more subdued than the raucous spectators for the match against Iran.
While the United States had the better play at the start, the Dutch went ahead after breaking the American press. Dumfries one-timed a pass from the right flank as Depay streaked unmarked into the penalty area. His right-footed shot from 14 yards beat Matt Turner to the far post in the 10th minute for his 43rd international goal, moving him into sole possession of second place on the Dutch career scoring list behind Robin van Persie’s 50.
The goal was the first allowed by the United States from the run of play in the tournament. In 37 World Cup matches, the Americans have never won a game in which they trailed.
The Netherlands doubled the lead on virtually the final kick of the first half, in the first minute of stoppage time. After a quick series of exchanges following a throw-in, Dumfries got a cross around Tyler Adams and found Blind wide open at the penalty spot. Blind scored only his third international goal — his first in eight years. Gio Reyna fed an open Weston McKennie in the 54th, but he skied his shot over the crossbar.
Wright entered in the 67th and scored his second international goal, sparking U.S. hopes. But Dumfries was left unmarked by Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson and used his left foot to volley Blind’s cross.
YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
The starting lineup for the United States was its youngest for a World Cup knockout match at 25 years, 86 days. The previous low was 27 years, 19 days for the 1930 semifinal loss to Argentina.TRAINER’S ROOM
United States forward Josh Sargent did not dress after injuring his right ankle against Iran.UP NEXT
The Netherlands will next play Friday at Lusail Stadium, the site of this year’s final.
The Americans begin the 2026 cycle with a match against Serbia on Jan. 25 in Los Angeles and face Colombia three days later in Carson, California. The games are not on FIFA dates, meaning mostly Major League Soccer players will be used.[ad_2]
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Netherlands eliminates U.S. in round of 16 at World Cup
[ad_1]
Memphis Depay and Daley Blind scored in the first half and Denzel Dumfries added a late goal as the Netherlands eliminated the United States from the World Cup with a 3-1 victory Saturday that advanced the Dutch to the quarterfinals.
Second-half substitute Haji Wright cut the U.S. deficit to 2-1 in the 76th minute when Christian Pulisic’s cross hit his trailing foot and popped over goalkeeper Andries Noppert and into the net. But Dumfries, who assisted on the first two goals, scored on a volley in the 81st.
Runners-up in 1974, 1978 and 2010, the Oranje extended their unbeaten streak to 19 games and face Argentina or Australia on Friday.
It was a disappointing end for a rebuilt U.S. team hoping to advance past the round of 16 for the first time since 2002. Using the second-youngest squad in the tournament, the Americans achieved the bare minimum to consider the World Cup a success, beating Iran in their group-stage finale to reach the knockout round.
But just like in 2010 against Ghana and 2014 against Belgium, the United States was eliminated in the round of 16. The Americans are winless in 12 games against European opponents at the World Cup since 2002, losing six, and are 1-7 during the tournament’s knockout rounds.
Pulisic, playing four days after getting hurt during his game-winning goal against Iran, had a chance to put the United States ahead in the third minute but Noppert, playing in only his fourth international match, blocked his point-blank shot. With the Americans seeking an equalizing goal, Noppert dived to stop Tim Weah’s 25-yard effort in the 42nd.
The crowd of 44,846 was well back from the field at renovated Khalifa International Stadium, which has an athletics track and was more subdued than the raucous spectators for the match against Iran.
While the United States had the better play at the start, the Dutch went ahead after breaking the American press. Dumfries one-timed a pass from the right flank as Depay streaked unmarked into the penalty area. His right-footed shot from 14 yards beat Matt Turner to the far post in the 10th minute for his 43rd international goal, moving him into sole possession of second place on the Dutch career scoring list behind Robin van Persie’s 50.
The goal was the first allowed by the United States from the run of play in the tournament. In 37 World Cup matches, the Americans have never won a game in which they trailed.
The Netherlands doubled the lead on virtually the final kick of the first half, in the first minute of stoppage time. After a quick series of exchanges following a throw-in, Dumfries got a cross around Tyler Adams and found Blind wide open at the penalty spot. Blind scored only his third international goal — his first in eight years. Gio Reyna fed an open Weston McKennie in the 54th, but he skied his shot over the crossbar.
Wright entered in the 67th and scored his second international goal, sparking U.S. hopes. But Dumfries was left unmarked by Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson and used his left foot to volley Blind’s cross.
YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
The starting lineup for the United States was its youngest for a World Cup knockout match at 25 years, 86 days. The previous low was 27 years, 19 days for the 1930 semifinal loss to Argentina.TRAINER’S ROOM
United States forward Josh Sargent did not dress after injuring his right ankle against Iran.UP NEXT
The Netherlands will next play Friday at Lusail Stadium, the site of this year’s final.
The Americans begin the 2026 cycle with a match against Serbia on Jan. 25 in Los Angeles and face Colombia three days later in Carson, California. The games are not on FIFA dates, meaning mostly Major League Soccer players will be used.[ad_2]
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World Cup organizers in Qatar will reportedly ban beer sales at all eight stadiums
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DOHA, Qatar (AP) — World Cup organizers will ban the sale of all beer with alcohol at the eight stadiums used for the soccer tournament, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.
The decision comes only two days before games start in Qatar and 12 years after the country first consented to respect FIFA’s commercial partners.
Non-alcoholic beer will still be available for fans at the 64 matches, the person said.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because organizers have not yet announced the decision.
Champagne, wine, whiskey and other alcohol is still expected to be served in the hospitality areas of the stadiums. Outside of those places, beer is normally the only alcohol sold to regular ticket holders.
Ronan Evain, the executive director of the fan group Football Supporters Europe, called the decision to ban beer sales at the stadiums “extremely worrying.”
“For many fans, whether they don’t drink alcohol or are used to dry stadium policies at home, this is a detail. It won’t change their tournament,” Evain wrote on Twitter. “But with 48 (hours) to go, we’ve clearly entered a dangerous territory — where ‘assurances’ don’t matter anymore.”
While a sudden decision like this may seem extreme in the West, Qatar is an autocracy governed by a hereditary emir, who has absolute say over all governmental decisions.
Qatar, an energy-rich Gulf Arab country, follows an ultraconservative form of Islam known as Wahhabism like neighboring Saudi Arabia. However, alcohol sales have been permitted in hotel bars for years.
Qatar’s government and its Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Already, the tournament has seen Qatar change the date of the opening match only weeks before the World Cup began.
Budweiser’s parent company, AB InBev
ABI,
+1.28% BUD,
-0.05% ,
pays tens of millions of dollars at each World Cup for exclusive rights to sell beer. and has already shipped the majority of its stock from Britain to Qatar in expectation of selling its product to millions of fans. The company’s partnership with FIFA started at the 1986 tournament and they are in negotiations for renewing their deal for the next World Cup in North America.When Qatar launched its bid to host the World Cup, the country agreed to FIFA’s requirements of selling alcohol in stadiums, and again when signing contracts after winning the vote in 2010.
At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the host country was forced to change a law to allow alcohol sales in stadiums.
AB InBev’s deal with FIFA was renewed in 2011 — after Qatar was picked as host — in a two-tournament package through 2022. However, the Belgium-based brewer has faced uncertainty in recent months on the exact details of where it can serve and sell beer in Qatar.
An agreement was announced in September for beer with alcohol to be sold within the stadium perimeters before and after games. Only alcohol-free Bud Zero would be sold in the stadium concourses for fans to drink in their seats in branded cups.
Last weekend, AB InBev was left surprised by a new policy insisted on by Qatari organizers to move beer stalls to less visible locations within the perimeter.
Budweiser was also to be sold in the evenings only at the official FIFA fan zone in downtown Al Bidda Park, where up to 40,000 fans can gather to watch games on giant screens. The price was confirmed as $14 for a beer.
Ab InBev did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The company will be based at an upscale hotel in the West Bay area of Doha with its own branded nightclub for the tournament.
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University of Virginia shooting suspect in custody, university police announce
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — The three students killed in a shooting at the University of Virginia were all members of the school’s football team, the school’s president said.
President Jim Ryan told a Monday morning news conference the shooting happened Sunday night on a school bus of students returning from an off-campus trip.
The suspect has been identified as Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., who is also student.
The incident occurred Sunday near a university parking garage. In addition to the three football players killed, two others were reported to have been wounded.
Police went on a manhunt Monday in search of the student suspected in the attack, officials said.
During a press conference in the 11 o’clock hour local time, the university police chief, Tim Longo, was given word that the suspect was in custody. He immediately returned to the microphone and reported that update to the assembled reporters.
Classes at the university were canceled Monday, following the violence Sunday night, and the Charlottesville campus was unusually quiet as authorities searched for the suspect, whom university President Ryan identified as Christopher Darnell Jones Jr.
A shelter-in-place order to the university community had been lifted less than an hour earlier after a law-enforcement search of the campus.
In a letter to the university posted on social media, Ryan said the shooting happened around 10:30 p.m. Sunday.
The university’s emergency management issued an alert Sunday night notifying the campus community of an “active attacker firearm.” The message warned students to shelter in place following a report of shots fired on Culbreth Road on the northern outskirts of campus.
Access to the shooting scene was blocked by police vehicles Monday morning.
Officials urged students to shelter in place and helicopters could be heard overhead as a smattering of traffic and dog-walkers made their way around campus.
The university police department posted a notice online saying multiple police agencies including the state police were searching for a suspect who was considered “armed and dangerous.”
In his letter to campus, the university president said Jones was suspected to have committed the shooting and that he was a student.
“This is a message any leader hopes never to have to send, and I am devastated that this violence has visited the University of Virginia,” Ryan wrote. “This is a traumatic incident for everyone in our community.”
Eva Surovell, 21, the editor in chief of the student newspaper, The Cavalier Daily, said that after students received an alert about an active shooter late Sunday night, she ran to the parking garage, but saw that it was blocked off by police. When she went to a nearby intersection, she was told to go shelter in place.
“A police officer told me that the shooter was nearby and I needed to return home as soon as possible,” she said.
She waited with other reporters, hoping to get additional details, then returned to her room to start working on the story. The gravity of the situation sunk in.
“My generation is certainly one that’s grown up with generalized gun violence, but that doesn’t make it any easier when it’s your own community,” she said.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said agents were responding to the campus to assist in the investigation.
The Virginia shooting came as police were investigating the deaths of four University of Idaho students found Sunday in a home near the campus. Officers with the Moscow Police Department discovered the deaths when they responded to a report of an unconscious person just before noon, according to a news release from the city. Authorities have called the deaths suspected homicides but did not release additional details, including the cause of death.
On April 16, 2007, another Virginia university was the scene of what was then one of the deadliest shootings in U.S. history. Twenty-seven students and five faculty members at Virginia Tech were gunned down by Seung-Hui Cho, a 23-year-old mentally ill student who later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
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California ticket-holder is sole winner of the $2 billion Powerball jackpot
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A lucky California ticketholder has won the biggest prize in U.S. lottery history — a $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot.
That’s the word from officials with the Multi-State Lottery Association, the organization behind Powerball. They announced the results on Tuesday, but not after several hours of drama and delays.
The drawing was originally scheduled for Monday at 10:59 p.m. EST, but was delayed by 10 hours because of what officials called a security-protocol issue. It took another few hours to reveal if anyone had won the jackpot.
The winner can opt for a lump-sum payment of $997.6 million — in essence, becoming a billionaire in an instant. Or they can opt for an annuity plan, spread over 30 payments.
The winning Powerball numbers were 10, 33, 41, 47 and 56, plus 10 for the red Powerball itself.
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$1.9 billion Powerball drawing is delayed because of security issue
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If you’re waiting to find out if you have a jackpot-winning Powerball ticket, you’re going to have to wait a little longer.
Officials with the Multi-State Lottery Association, the organization behind the game, said that Monday’s drawing, with a record $1.9 billion jackpot, is delayed because of a security issue. The drawing was originally set for 10:59 p.m. EST.
“Tonight’s Powerball drawing has been delayed due to a participating lottery needing extra time to complete the required security protocols. Powerball has strict security requirements that must be met by all 48 lotteries before a drawing can occur,” officials said in a statement. “When the required security protocols are complete, the drawing will be performed under the supervision of lottery security officials and independent auditors.”
There are 45 states that participate in Powerball, plus Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
This isn’t the first time that there’s been a delay with Powerball results. On Oct. 19, there was an hour-long delay because of a similar issue.
Officials said the winning numbers and recorded video of the drawing will eventually be posted to the Powerball website and YouTube channel. They didn’t provide details regarding when the drawing will finally take place.
“We apologize for the delay,” officials added.
As might be expected, Powerball players had plenty to say about the situation, given the fervor that had surrounded the drawing.
“Lol we broke Powerball,” one person tweeted.
Others thought there was something odd about the delay, given that it coincided with the blood-moon eclipse. To say nothing of the midterm elections.
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How the Federal Reserve’s rate hike impacts your holiday spending plans: ‘It’s not the time to overspend’
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It is three weeks before Black Friday, but the Federal Reserve is about to make the post-holiday debt hangover a little more intense.
By the time the latest rate hikes filter through the very rate-sensitive credit card industry and pump up customers’ annual percentage rates a little more, experts say it will be some point in December 2022 or January 2023. Right in time for many holiday gifts and expenses to post on credit cards bills — and there to make the costs of a carried balance a little extra expensive.
Every year, many people accumulate credit card debt through the holiday season, pay it off in the early part of the following year and then repeat the process.
What’s different now is the presence of four-decade high inflation, coupled with fast-rising interest rates that the Fed hopes will ultimately cool those rising prices, although without sending the economy to a recessionary thud.
Wednesday’s rate move is the fourth straight 75-basis-point rate hike to the federal funds rate, taking it to the 3.75% -4% range, when it was near zero last year’s holiday season. By now, Americans are all too acquainted with 2022’s fast-rising interest rates. They just haven’t gone through a Christmas and Hanakkuh with it yet.
“It’s not the time to overspend and have a problem with paying your bills later. We know the economy is sending mixed messages,” said Michele Raneri, vice president of financial services research and consulting at TransUnion
TRU,
-4.31% ,
one of the country’s three major credit reporting companies.It’s extra important to think through a holiday budget and how much relies on credit, she said. “People need to think about how much they can afford to repay and how long it will take to repay it.”
Holiday spending could be the same as 2021 for many people — but not everyone
Last month, third-quarter earnings from major banks like JPMorgan Chase & Co.
JPM,
-0.92% ,
Wells Fargo
WFC,
-0.15% ,
Citibank
C,
-1.45%
and Bank of America
BAC,
-0.30%
indicated consumer finances, on the whole, are not yet showing cracks under inflation’s strains. (Other numbers show the strain, like the personal savings rate that’s been dwindling.)Now, two forecasts suggest many people ready to spend the same amount for this year’s holiday cheer as they did last year.
People are planning to spend an average $1,430 on gifts, travel and entertainment this year, which is around the $1,447 spent last year, according to PwC researchers. Three-quarters of people said they were planning to spend the same or more than last year and respondents said credit cards were one of their top ways to pay.
“ Compared to last year, credit card balances are getting bigger, more people are sitting on balances and debt costs are getting pricier.”
By another measure, Americans will pay an average $1,455 on holiday-related gifts and experiences, essentially flat from last year, say Deloitte researchers.
More than one-third of surveyed consumers say their financial outlook is worse than the same point last year. Nearly one-quarter of people were concerned about credit card debt as of late September, Deloitte’s numbers show in an ongoing tracking of consumer mood.
It’s understandable to see the concern with households amassing a collective $890 billion in credit card debt through the second quarter. Compared to last year, balances are getting bigger, more people are sitting on balances and debt costs are getting pricier because the interest rates applied to those balances are rising.
When people were carrying a credit card balance month to month, the sum was $5,474 on average, according to Raneri. That’s through the end of September and it’s a nearly 13% rise year over year, she said. The 164 million people carrying a balance is a 5% increase from last year, she noted.
Credit cards carrying a balance during the third quarter had an average 18.43% APR, Federal Reserve data shows. That’s up from 16.65% in the second quarter and up from 17.13% in 2021’s third quarter.
How the Fed influences credit card rates
Credit card issuers typically determine their rates by applying a “prime rate” — typically three percentage points on top of the federal funds rate — and the issuer’s profit margin, said Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate.com.
By late October, the rate on new card offers was 18.73%, according to Bankrate data. At this point last year, it was 16.31%, Rossman said. In a few weeks, the rates on new offers should beat the all-time record of an average 19% APR, exclusive to new offers, he added.
While it can take a billing cycle or two for a higher APR to make its way to an existing credit card account, Rossman noted the APRs on new offers could rise in a matter of days.
Here’s a hypothetical to show how much more expensive credit card debt becomes with every extra hike. Suppose the $5,474 balance is on a credit card with the current 18.73% average. If a person has to resort to minimum payments, Rossman said, they’d be paying $7,118 just in interest to pay off the debt.
“ In a few weeks, the rates on new credit card offers should beat the all-time record of an average 19% APR.”
What if the 18.73% APR gets kicked up 75 basis points to 19.48%? If that same borrower has to pay minimums, they are now paying $7,417 in interest to snuff the principal debt of $5,474, Rossman said.
The example has its limits because people may pay more than the minimum and they may incur more credit card debt as they pay off the old one. But it shows a bigger point: “Unfortunately, anybody dealing with credit card debt is a loser from the series of rate hikes. It was already expensive. It’s getting more so,” Rossman said.
When do rate hikes stop?
While decisions during the Fed’s November meeting can have a ripple effect on holiday-time borrowing costs, observers say the real question about Wednesday is the clues Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell drops for what’s next. The central bank’s committee voting on interest rate increases reconvenes in mid-December.
On Wednesday, the Fed said in a statement it expected further rate increases, but also said it would be watching to see if there were lag effects with its tightening policies, which could slow or limit the total amount of increases.
“People, when they hear lags, they think about a pause. It’s very premature, in my view, to think about or be talking about pausing our rate hike. We have a ways to go,” Powell told reporters at a Wednesday afternoon press conference.
The economy is strong enough to handle higher rates, Powell said. For one thing, households have “strong balance sheets” and “strong spending power,” he noted.
Stock markets first jumped higher after the latest interest rate announcement. But they gave up the gains — and then some — by the end of the day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA,
-1.55%
was down more than 500 points, or 1.6% while the S&P 500
SPX,
-2.50%
was down 2.5% and the Nasdaq Composite
COMP,
-3.36%
closed 3.4% lower.Top economists in major North American-based banks forecasted the Fed will keep raising interest rates “until the first quarter of next year before potentially lowering rates through the end of 2023,” Sayee Srinivasan, chief economist at the American Bankers Association, the banking sector’s trade association, said ahead of Wednesday’s latest rate hike.
“Top economists polled as part of a banking industry panel expect Fed rate increases through at least the first quarter of 2023.”
The forecast, coming through an ABA advisory committee, is no sure thing. “Everything depends on the ability of the Fed to bring inflation down, so that will remain their clear priority,” said Srinivasan.
Meanwhile, rising costs may cause more people to put the holiday cheer on plastic, even their decorations. The majority of Christmas tree growers in one poll are expecting wholesale prices to climb 5% to 15% for this season.
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As subscription prices rise, here’s what’s worth streaming in November 2022: ‘The Crown,’ ‘Willow,’ ‘Mythic Quest’ and more
[ad_1]
So here’s some bad news and some, well, slightly less bad news.
First, the bad-bad: Streaming prices are increasing almost across the board (Hulu and Apple TV+ rose in October, Disney+ will rise in December, while Netflix and Prime Video rose earlier this year), putting even more of a crunch on budget-conscious consumers.
But now the less bad: If you can put up with commercials, there are cheaper, ad-supported versions coming your way (Netflix on Nov. 3, Disney+ in December).
Of course, the other money-saving solution is to double down on a churn-and-return strategy and cut down on recurring subscriptions even more.
Each month, this column offers tips on how to maximize your streaming and your budget, rating the major services as a “play,” “pause” or “stop” — similar to investment analysts’ traditional ratings of buy, hold and sell. We also pick the best content to help you make your monthly decisions.
Consumers can take full advantage of cord-cutting by churning and returning — adding and dropping streaming services each month. All it takes is good planning. Keep in mind that a billing cycle starts when you sign up, not necessarily at the beginning of the month, and keep an eye out for lower-priced tiers, limited-time discounts, free trials and cost-saving bundles. There are a lot of offers out there, but the deals don’t last forever.
Here’s a look at what’s coming to the various streaming services in November 2022, and what’s really worth the monthly subscription fee.
Netflix ($6.99 a month for basic with ads starting Nov. 3, $9.99 basic without ads, $15.49 standard without ads, $19.99 premium without ads)
Netflix has another really good month coming up.
“The Crown” (Nov. 9), returns for its fifth season, set this time in the 1990s as scandals involving Charles and Diana plaster London’s tabloids and the role of Britain’s monarchy in modern society is thrown into question. Imelda Staunton takes over the role of Queen Elizabeth, with Dominic West as Prince Charles, Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana and Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip. Controversy has already erupted over the new season, which will include Diana’s tragic death, as some have spoken out about the show’s increasingly blurry line between truth and fiction. Pryce recently told Vanity Fair, ““The vast majority of people know it’s a drama,” not a documentary. And it’s a pretty good drama.
Netflix
NFLX,
-0.41%
hasn’t had much success developing original sitcoms, but is hoping to finally break through with “Blockbuster” (Nov. 3), a workplace comedy set at the last Blockbuster video store in America, starring network sitcom veterans Randall Park (“Fresh Off the Boat”) and Melissa Fumero (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”). There’s also “Wednesday” (Nov. 23), a horror-comedy series from Tim Burton starring Jenna Ortega as the terrifyingly snarky teen Wednesday Addams, with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzman playing her creepy and kooky parents, Morticia and Gomez; and the third and final season of the dark comedy “Dead to Me” (Nov. 17), starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini, which returns after a two-and-a-half-year layoff.On the drama side, there’s “1899” (Nov. 17), a mystery-horror series set aboard a transatlantic steamer ship at the turn of the last century, from the makers of the mind-bending German sci-fi series “Dark” — and if it’s even half as trippy and addictive, it’ll be terrific; Part 1 of the fourth season of the supernatural drama “Manifest” (Nov. 4), which Netflix rescued from NBC’s cancellation; and Season 6 of the soapy Spanish high-school drama “Elite” (Nov 18).
More: Here’s everything new coming to Netflix in November 2022, and what’s leaving
There’s also the timely documentary “FIFA Uncovered” (Nov. 9), digging into the scandal-plagued organization behind the World Cup; “Pepsi, Where’s My Jet” (Nov. 17), a documentary about a man who sued Pepsi in the 1980s to get a free Harrier fighter jet; the fifth installment of “The Great British Baking Show: Holidays” (Nov. 18); and the new standup comedy special from the outgoing “Daily Show” host, “Trevor Noah: I Wish You Would” (Nov. 22).
On the movie front, there’s “Enola Holmes 2” (Nov. 4), a sequel to the hit 2020 movie about Sherlock Holmes’ younger sister, played by Millie Bobby Brown (“Stranger Things”), as young detective Enola sets out to investigate her first case; “Slumberland” (Nov. 18), a comedy adventure about a young girl exploring the dreamworld, starring Mallow Barkley and Jason Mamoa; and Lindsay Lohan is back with a Christmas rom-com, “Falling for Christmas” (Nov. 10).
Who’s Netflix for? Fans of buzz-worthy original shows and movies.
Play, pause or stop? Play. When it’s at the top of its game, as it is again this month, Netflix is a must-have, at whatever price tier.
Disney+ ($7.99 a month)
The TV world has been abuzz about prequels for the past few months, but it’s all about sequels in November for Disney+.
The biggest of the bunch is “Willow” (Nov. 30), a follow-up series to the cult-favorite 1988 fantasy movie of the same name. The magical adventure is set 20 years after the events of the film, and Warwick Davis returns as farmer-turned-sorcerer Willow Ufgood, who leads an unlikely group of heroes on a quest to save their world. It should be fun for the whole family.
Disney
DIS,
+1.45%
also has “Disenchanted” (Nov. 18), a sequel to the 2007 hit movie “Enchanted.” The musical fantasy is set 10 years after the happily-ever-after ending, with Giselle (Amy Adams) questioning her happiness and inadvertently setting her two worlds askew. Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden and Maya Rudolph co-star. And then there’s “The Santa Clauses” (Nov. 16), as Tim Allen reprises his role of Santa Claus, who’s now facing retirement and looking for a replacement, in a new miniseries spinoff of the family-movie trilogy.Also of note: “The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” (Nov. 25), as Star-Lord and the gang kidnap Kevin Bacon; the live performance “Elton John: Live from Dodger Stadium” (Nov. 20), the pop icon’s final show in North America; and weekly episodes of “Dancing With the Stars” (season finale Nov. 21), the “Star Wars” prequel “Andor” (season finale Nov. 23) and “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers” (season finale Nov. 30).
And heads up: Prices for the ad-free tier will jump to $10.99 a month in December, after Disney+ launches its ad-supported tier for $7.99 a month.
Who’s Disney+ for? Families with kids, hardcore “Star Wars” and Marvel fans. For people not in those groups, Disney’s library can be lacking.
Play, pause or stop? Play. There’s something for everyone in the household — even grumps who aren’t “Star Wars” fans can get into “Andor,” which absolutely works as a dark, gripping, spy thriller. Meanwhile, fans are realizing it just might be the best “Star Wars” series or movie ever made.
HBO Max ($9.99 a month with ads, or $14.99 without ads)
HBO Max is bringing back “The Sex Lives of College Girls” (Nov. 17) for its second season. Created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble (who also teamed on Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever”), the ensemble comedy about four college roommates picks up right after Thanksgiving break, with the girls organizing a “sex-positive” male strip show. It’s sharp, funny, and less cringey than its title suggests.
Then there’s “A Christmas Story Christmas” (Nov. 17), a nostalgic sequel to the 1983 classic, starring Peter Billingsley as a grown-up Ralphie who returns to his hometown to try to give his kids a perfect Christmas. It’s risky reviving such a beloved movie, and this could either be wonderful or terrible, there’s really no middle ground.
HBO Max also has a slew of documentaries, including “Love, Lizzo” (Nov. 24), about the pop superstar’s inspiring life story; “Shaq” (Nov. 23), a four-part docuseries chronicling the rise to superstardom of NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal; “Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty” (Nov. 3), a true-crime series about a South Carolina lawyer’s scandalous fall; and “Say Hey, Willie Mays!” (Nov. 8), a film exploring the life, career and social impact of the greatest baseball player who ever played the game.
See more: Here’s everything new coming to HBO Max in November 2022, and what’s leaving
And every week brings new episodes of Season 2 of the very dark vacation comedy “The White Lotus,” Season 3 of “Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler” and Season 2 of the cult documentary “The Vow.”
Who’s HBO Max for? HBO fans and movie lovers.
Play, pause or stop? Pause and think it over. “The White Lotus” and “The Sex Lives of College Girls” are both worth watching, but beyond that it’s kinda “meh” this month. And Max is too pricey for “meh.”
Amazon Prime Video ($14.99 a month)
Amazon
AMZN,
-6.80%
is bringing the star power in November, starting with the Western drama series “The English” (Nov. 11), starring Emily Blunt as an aristocratic Englishwoman who teams with a Pawnee scout (Chaske Spencer) on a mission to cross the violent 1890s American frontier. It looks stylish and bloody — and promising.Meanwhile, James Corden and Sally Hawkins star in “Mammals” (Nov. 11), a dark comedy series about modern marriage; pop star-turned-actor Harry Styles stars in “My Policeman” (Nov. 4), a drama about forbidden romance that’s getting very “meh” reviews in its theatrical release; and Kristen Bell, Ben Platt and Allison Janney star in “The People We Hate at the Wedding” (Nov. 18), a raunchy comedy set at a dysfunctional family wedding.
More: Here’s what’s coming to Amazon’s Prime Video in November 2022
There’s also NFL Thursday Night Football every week, and new episodes of the intriguing sci-fi drama “The Peripheral,” which is giving very “Westworld”-but-slightly-less-confusing vibes.
Who’s Amazon Prime Video for? Movie lovers, TV-series fans who value quality over quantity.
Play, pause or stop? Pause. There’s good stuff here, but nothing that feels must-see.
Paramount+ ($4.99 a month with ads but not live CBS, $9.99 without ads)
Taylor Sheridan (“Yellowstone,” “1883,” “Mayor of Kingstown”) has another new series: “Tulsa King” (Nov. 13), starring Sylvester Stallone as a former New York mafia capo who gets freed from prison after 25 years and settles in Tulsa, Okla., to build a criminal empire of his own. Showrunner Terence Winter (“The Sopranos,” “Boardwalk Empire”) knows a thing or two about mob shows, and this one could be good.
Paramount+ also has the spinoff series “Criminal Minds: Evolution” (Nov. 24), about an elite team of FBI profilers unraveling a network of serial killers; the family movie “Fantasy Football” (Nov. 25), about a girl who can magically control how her NFL-player dad performs on the field; and the series finale of “The Good Fight” (Nov. 10), which its creators promise will be “cataclysmic.”
There’s also the Thanksgiving Day Parade (Nov. 24) and a ton of live sports, including college football on Saturdays, NFL football on Sundays (and Thanksgiving Day), and group-stage matches for UEFA’s Champions and Europe leagues.
Who’s Paramount+ for? Gen X cord-cutters who miss live sports and familiar Paramount Global
PARA,
+3.37%
broadcast and cable shows.Play, pause or stop? Pause. Besides its solid live-sports lineup, it’s a good time to catch up and binge “The Good Fight,” and “Tulsa King” could be worth a watch too.
Hulu ($7.99 a month with ads, or $14.99 with no ads)
Hulu has a couple of interesting offerings in November, but nothing that screams must-see. Yet, at least.
FX’s “Fleishman Is in Trouble” (Nov. 17) stars Jesse Eisenberg as a newly divorced dad whose promiscuous dive into app-based dating is disrupted when his ex-wife disappears and leaves him with their kids. Claire Danes, Lizzy Caplan and Adam Brody co-star in the eight-episode drama, which is based on Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s best-selling novel.
There’s also “Welcome to Chippendales” (Nov. 22), a true-crime series starring Kumail Nanjiani as the immigrant founder of the 1980s male-stripper franchise, which chronicles his business empire’s rise and fall amid a blizzard of sex, drugs and violence.
Meanwhile, Adam McKay (“The Big Short”) and Billy Corben (“Cocaine Cowboys”) have the documentary “God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty” (Nov. 1), about the private life of Christian televangelist and former Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr. and his very public downfall.
See: Here’s everything new on Hulu in November 2022 — and what’s leaving
There are also the final two episodes of “Atlanta” (series finale Nov. 10), whose fourth season has returned to brilliance after an underwhelming Season 3 over the summer, and new episodes every week of ABC’s “Abbott Elementary.”
Who’s Hulu for? TV lovers. There’s a deep library for those who want older TV series and next-day streaming of many current network and cable shows.
Play, pause or stop? Stop. While you won’t regret paying for Hulu if you already do, there’s not a lot to lure new subscribers this month.
Apple TV+ ($6.99 a month)
Apple TV+ is too inconsistent to be worth the $2-a-month price hike that was just announced, so it’s best to strategically plan when to stream — wait until a good series or two are completed, for example, and binge them all in a month, then cancel. Repeat as needed.
And it actually is a decent month for Apple. Its second-best comedy, “Mythic Quest” Nov. 11), returns for its third season, with Ian (Rob McElhenny) and Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao) gearing up for war against their old videogame company. With a perfect blend of humor and heart, it’s one of the best workplace comedies on TV.
Meanwhile, Season 2 of “The Mosquito Coast” (Nov. 4) finds the fugitive Fox family finally hiding out in Central America, after a tedious premise-pilot of a first season that wasted good actors (Justin Theroux and Melissa George) and beautiful cinematography with nonsensical plot twists, while the action series “Echo 3” (Nov. 23) stars Luke Evans and Michiel Huisman as former soldiers trying to rescue a kidnapped scientist in the jungles of South America.
Apple
AAPL,
+7.56%
also has a pair of high-profile original movies: “Causeway” (Nov. 3), starring Jennifer Lawrence as a former soldier struggling to adjust to civilian life in New Orleans, co-starring Brian Tyree Henry, and “Spirited” (Nov. 18), a musical twist on “A Christmas Carol” told from the ghosts’ point of view, starring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell.Who’s Apple TV+ for? It offers a little something for everyone, but not necessarily enough for anyone — although it’s getting there.
Play, pause or stop? Stop. There’s just not enough to justify a month-to-month subscription. December is a better bet, with “Mythic Quest” and a new season of “Slow Horses” running concurrently.
Peacock (free basic level, Premium for $4.99 a month with ads, or $9.99 a month with no ads)
The World Cup from Qatar (Nov. 20-Dec. 18) will be broadcast on Fox and FS1, so cord-cutters are out of luck, unless you subscribe to a live-streaming service like Hulu Live or YouTube TV. However, Peacock will stream every match in Spanish, which could be a decent Plan B for soccer fans.
And that “it’ll-do-but-it’s-not-exactly-what-I’m-looking-for” description is the running theme for Peacock. November will bring a handful of originals that are unlikely to move the needle, subscriber-wise: There’s the musical-comedy spinoff series “Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin” (Nov. 23), starring Adam Devine; “The Calling” (Nov. 10), a crime drama about a religious cop, from David E. Kelley and Barry Levinson; the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (Nov. 24); and the streaming debut of Jordan Poole’s sci-fi/horror hit “Nope” (Nov. 18).
Sports-wise, Peacock has the National Dog Show (hey, it’s a competition!) on Nov. 24, NFL Sunday Night Football every weekend, a full slate of English Premier League matches through Nov. 13, and a ton of golf and winter sports.
Who’s Peacock for? If you have a Comcast
CMCSA,
-0.06%
or Cox cable subscription, you likely have free access to the Premium tier (with ads) — though reportedly not for much longer. The free tier is almost worthless, but the recent addition of next-day streaming of NBC and Bravo shows (like “Saturday Night Live” and “Real Housewives”) bolsters the case for paying for a subscription. Still, Peacock is still not really necessary unless you need it for sports.Play, pause or stop? Stop. There’s not a lot that’s particularly enticing right now, even on the sports side.
Discovery+ ($4.99 a month with ads, or $6.99 with no ads)
More of the same in November for Discovery+, which is a feature, not a bug. Highlights include the vegan cook-and-chat show “Mary McCartney Serves It Up” (Nov. 1); “Tut’s Lost City Revealed” (Nov. 3), about a 3,000-year-old Egyptian city recently discovered by archaeologists; “Vardy vs Rooney: The Wagatha Trial” (Nov. 19), the inside story of the tabloid-fodder “Wagatha” scandal between the wives of English soccer stars; and Season 2 of the excellent CNN food series “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” (Nov. 30). Full disclosure: There are also a handful of sappy holiday movies guest-starring some HGTV and Food Network stars, but they look terrible and I expect better from you, a discerning reader/viewer.
Who’s Discovery+ for? Cord-cutters who miss their unscripted TV or who are really, really into “90 Day Fiancé.”
Play, pause or stop? Stop. Discovery+ is still fantastic for background TV, but it’s not worth the cost. Still, it should add value when the reconfigured Warner Bros. Discovery
WBD,
+3.68%
combines it with HBO Max next summer.[ad_2]
