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    Consumers hate paying for return shipping — it tops jury duty and the DMV in annoyance factor, report finds

    Nearly one-third of consumers said paying for return shipping was more annoying than jury duty and going to the DMV, according to a recent report.
    Here’s why those return fees may only get worse.

    United Parcel Service (UPS) driver pushes a dolly of packages towards a delivery van on a street in New York.
    Victor J. Blue | Bloomberg | Getty Images

    As much as consumers love shopping online, most hate to shell out for shipping charges. Paying for return shipping is even worse.
    These days, 77% of shoppers check the return policy before making a purchase, according to a September survey of 1,500 adults by GoDaddy. Nearly a third, 30%, of consumers said paying for return shipping was more annoying than jury duty and going to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

    When it comes to winning over customers, return fees matter, other reports also show.
    More from Personal Finance:Miami is ‘ground zero’ for climate riskWhy climate change may cost you big bucks8 easy — and cheap — ways to cut your carbon emissions
    Last year, retailers got more aggressive when it came to charging for returns, with an average extra fee just shy of $7, according to returns solution company Optoro.
    However, 37% of shoppers said the most frustrating thing about making a return is paying the shipping charge, and 62% of shoppers said they won’t initially shop with a brand if they charge a return fee, Optoro found.
    While restocking fees and shipping charges may help curb the amount of inventory that is sent back, “charging for returns will absolutely depress your sales,” said Amena Ali, Optoro’s CEO.

    This is especially true as the peak holiday shopping season kicks into high gear.
    “Businesses need to take a look at the ways they could be inadvertently turning customers away,” said Amy Jennette, GoDaddy’s trends expert.

    Still, companies are doing what they can to keep returns in check.
    Last year, 81% of U.S. retailers rolled out stricter return policies, including shortening the return window and charging a return or restocking fee, according to a report from return management company Happy Returns.
    Others, including Amazon and Target, have simply told shoppers to “keep it,” offering a refund without a taking the product back.
    “Retailers have no choice but to figure out how to manage costs,” Ali said.

    Why returns are such a problem

    The return rate in 2023 was about 15% of total U.S. retail sales, or $743 billion in returned goods. For online sales, the numbers of returns are even higher, with a return rate closer to 18%, or $247 billion of merchandise purchased online returned, according to the National Retail Federation’s most recent data.
    With the explosion of online shopping during and since the pandemic, customers got increasingly comfortable with their buying and returning habits and more shoppers began ordering products they never intended to keep. Nearly two-thirds of consumers now buy multiple sizes or colors, some of which they then send back, a practice known as “bracketing,” according to Happy Returns.
    But all of that back and forth comes at a hefty price.
    In fact, processing a return costs retailers an average of 30% of an item’s original price, Optoro also found. But returns aren’t just an issue for retailers’ bottom line.

    What happens to your returns

    “Often returns do not end up back on the shelf,” and that also causes a problem for retailers struggling to enhance sustainability, according to Spencer Kieboom, founder and CEO of Pollen Returns, a return management company. 

    Also referred to as reverse logistics, a return requires sending products backward through the supply chain to be repackaged, restocked and resold — sometimes overseas.
    That reordered process is “like playing a tape in reverse,” said Optoro’s Ali.
    It generates even more carbon emissions to get those items back in circulation, if they even make it that far. In some cases, returned goods are sent straight to landfills, while only 54% of all packaging is recycled, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
    Last year’s returns created 8.4 billion pounds of landfill waste, according to Optoro.
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    Warren Buffett’s S&P 500 bet paid off. Experts weigh in on whether it’s still a winning strategy

    ETF Strategist

    When it comes to stock investing, it can be difficult to beat an S&P 500 index fund.
    Warren Buffett once won a decade-long bet that he could outperform hedge fund managers with a simple S&P 500 index fund.
    Yet some experts warn you could be missing important opportunities to diversify if you pick the same strategy.

    Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway CEO and chairman.
    Cnbc | Nbcuniversal | Getty Images

    In 2007, Warren Buffett made a $1 million bet that he could outperform hedge fund managers over the course of a decade by investing in an S&P 500 index fund.
    In 2017, he won.

    Some individual investors are making similar bets on the S&P 500 with their money, whether it be through exchange-traded funds or mutual funds.
    True to its name, the S&P 500 index includes 500 large U.S. companies. The index is market cap-weighted, with each listed company’s weighting based on the total value of all its outstanding shares. The index is rebalanced quarterly.

    More from ETF Strategist

    Here’s a look at other stories offering insight on ETFs for investors.

    The three biggest ETFs track the S&P 500 index, according to Morningstar. They are the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, which trades under the ticker SPY; iShares Core S&P 500 ETF, with ticker IVV; and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, which trades as VOO. Together, those funds make up almost 17% of the U.S. ETF market, according to Morningstar.
    In 2024, VOO has been the leader of those three funds in attracting new money, with $71 billion in net inflows over the first nine months, according to Morningstar, beating the record SPY set in 2023 by $20 billion.

    Future index performance could be ‘muted’

    The S&P 500 index has continued to make headlines for new all-time highs in 2024. Year to date, the index is up around 20% as of Oct. 8. Over the past 12 months, it has climbed 33%.

    That performance has bested some experts’ predictions for the index heading into this year, owing in part to a stronger U.S. economy than had been anticipated.
    “That elusive recession everybody was looking for never materialized,” said Larry Adam, chief investment officer at Raymond James.
    Now, the St. Petersburg, Florida-based firm is predicting a soft landing for the U.S. economy. Yet the run-up in stocks may not be as strong.
    “I think you’re going to see more muted performance — still upward, but more muted,” Adam said.

    Historically, from the start of October through Election Day, the market tends to be down, on average, by about 1.5% or so, he said.
    “The reason for that is the market doesn’t like uncertainty,” Adam said.
    The good news is the market tends to recoup those losses and move higher, he said.
    Goldman Sachs just raised its S&P 500 index forecast for 2024 to 6,000 up from 5,600 to reflect expected earnings growth. Tom Lee, Fundstrat Global Advisors managing partner and head of research, also recently told CNBC he’s calling for a target of 6,000 for the S&P 500 by year-end.

    S&P 500 ‘hard to beat in the long run’

    Investing in the S&P 500 index is a popular strategy.
    “There are reasons why it works so well that will never change,” said Bryan Armour, director of passive strategies research at Morningstar.
    Among the advantages: It’s low cost, it captures a large portion of the opportunities available to active managers and it’s “hard to beat in the long run,” he said.
    “In general, I would say the S&P 500 is better, more well diversified than most investment strategies,” Armour said.
    That can allow you to take a set-it-and-forget-it approach and avoid trying to time the market, he said.
    However, there are definite risks that come with exclusively investing in an S&P 500 index fund on the equity side of a portfolio.
    “The S&P 500 has been the absolute best thing [investors] could have been doing the past seven or eight years,” said Sean Williams, a certified financial planner and principal at Cadence Wealth Partners in Concord, North Carolina.
    “There’s a lot of people who have that mentality of, ‘Why would I do anything differently?'” he said.
    Generally, it is not a good idea to have everything in any one position, even if it is big U.S. companies that have done very well in the past decade, Williams said.
    It always helps to have exposure to other areas, he said, such as international, small- and mid-cap companies, and real estate, for example.

    Investing in an S&P 500 index strategy comes with concentration risk. For example, information technology comprises 31.7% of the index, with companies including Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia and Broadcom.
    To mitigate that risk, investors may consider moving to a total market portfolio like the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF, which trades under the ticker symbol VTI, which can provide less concentration at the top of the portfolio, Armour said.
    Additionally, to get broader exposure, investors may also consider buying a small value ETF, an area that Morningstar analysts currently think is “pretty significantly undervalued,” Armour said. More

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    Wednesday’s big stock stories: What’s likely to move the market in the next trading session

    Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading in New York City. 
    Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images

    Stocks @ Night is a daily newsletter delivered after hours, giving you a first look at tomorrow and last look at today. Sign up for free to receive it directly in your inbox.
    Here’s what CNBC TV’s producers were watching as stocks rebounded on Tuesday, and what’s on the radar for the next session.

    Costco Wholesale

    The members’ only store releases September sales on Wednesday around 4:15 p.m., Eastern time.
    Costco shares are 3.6% off the Sept. 13 high, and they’re up 1.57% in a month.
    So far in 2024, Costco is up about 35%.
    On a year to date basis, the stock ranks 14th in the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) out of 80 names.
    I’m not saying these are apples-to-apples comparisons, but XRT constituents that also offer groceries — and are faring better than Costco in 2024 — include Sprouts Farmers Market, up about 140% year to date, and Walmart, up 51% year to date. Casey’s General Stores is up 38% year to date.
    Jim Cramer holds Costco in his charitable trust, having last purchased shares in June 2020. The stock is up 205% since then. That’s more than double the S&P 500 in the same time period.

    Stock chart icon

    Costco Wholesale in 2024

    IPO in the U.S.A.

    KinderCare goes public on Wednesday
    The Renaissance IPO ETF (IPO) is up 7.3% in the last month.
    The IPO ETF is 3% from the high hit three weeks ago.

    Boeing

    The aerospace giant was the subject of another warning on Tuesday: S&P put Boeing on “creditwatch negative.”
    The ratings agency says if Boeing’s machinists’ strike and the company’s problems continue, then it runs the risk of getting a junk rating. This would have consequences for Boeing’s bonds.
    Shares are flat after hours.
    The stock is 42% from the December 52-week high.

    Stock chart icon

    Boeing shares in 2024

    The airlines

    While Boeing shares slump, many of the carriers are faring well over the past week.
    American Airlines is up about 9.4% in a week. It’s still 26% from the March high.
    United Airlines is up nearly 7% in a week.
    Mesa Air is up 6% in a week. It is 36% from the July high.
    JetBlue is up 4.6% in a week. It is 7.6% from the high hit early this month. But at about $7 a share, it is far from the $31 all-time high.
    Southwest Airlines is up 2.6% in a week. The stock is 13% from the February high.
    Spirit Airlines is down 17% in a week. Shares are 90% from the high they hit nearly a year ago.

    The cruise lines

    Hurricane Milton doesn’t seem to be affecting the cruise line stocks. Many of them have significant operations in Florida.
    Norwegian Cruise Line was up 3.5% Tuesday. The stock is 4% from the March high.
    Royal Caribbean was up 2%.
    Carnival was up nearly 5% Tuesday, and it’s 4.4% from the December high. More

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    Here are key steps to file a homeowners insurance claim after a natural disaster, experts say

    It’s crucial to understand how to file a homeowners insurance claim after a natural disaster.
    Insured losses alone for Hurricane Helene are now estimated at over $6 billion.
    Hurricane Milton weakened slightly on Tuesday, but analysts still anticipate it could be a “once-in-a-century” storm with the potential to generate record-breaking damage when it makes landfall along Florida’s west coast on Wednesday.
    Here are three steps to take to file an insurance claim.

    David Hester inspects damages of his house after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, on September 28, 2024. 
    Chandan Khanna | Afp | Getty Images

    It’s crucial to understand how to file a homeowners insurance claim after a natural disaster. 
    Insured losses alone for Hurricane Helene are now estimated at more than $6 billion.

    Meanwhile, analysts anticipate that Hurricane Milton could be a “once-in-a-century” storm with the potential to generate record-breaking damage when it makes landfall along Florida’s west coast on Wednesday.
    Once you’re safely out of harm’s way, starting the insurance claim process is an important consideration. The sooner you report a claim, the sooner your insurance company can start the process and you can begin rebuilding, experts say. 
    “Your adjuster is assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis,” said Shannon Martin, a licensed insurance agent and analyst for Bankrate.com. 
    More from Personal Finance:A ‘man-made disaster’ could make it trickier to buy or sell a homeHere’s what’s not covered by flood insuranceHow to prevent hurricane damage on your home
    The processing arm of your insurance company is going to have a “tremendous amount of paperwork and claims coming through,” said Jeremy Porter, head of climate implications research at First Street Foundation, an organization focused on climate risk financial modeling in New York City. 

    “The longer you wait, you’re not only delaying the ability to have your claim approved and make its way to you, but you’re lengthening the time in which that claim will sit in the processing pipeline,” Porter said.
    Here are three important steps to quickly file an insurance claim after a disaster, according to experts.

    1. Call your insurer as soon as you can

    Experts recommend including copies of your insurance policies and contact numbers in a disaster preparedness kit, that goes with you if you evacuate and is securely stored, otherwise.
    Once a disaster has passed, immediately contact your insurance company to let them know that your home has damage from a recent disaster and you’d like to start the claims process, said Porter. 
    If you evacuated, “you can start the claim from anywhere,” Porter said. “You’ll eventually have to schedule with the insurance company to actually review and inspect the damage.” 
    But if you decide to wait out the storm in your house, you need to first prevent further damage to the home before calling, said Bankrate.com’s Martin.
    A typical home insurance policy has language requiring homeowners to lessen the impact and prevent further damage, she said. 
    “Then you can call the insurance company, take pictures of the damage and [move] items into safer locations,” Martin said.

    2. Make a log of damages

    During your call, provide your insurance company with some initial details, like if your roof blew off or several windows broke, said Porter. 
    “But they really won’t make their assessment until they come in and inspect the damage,” he said. 
    While the insurer will make its own inspection, it’s always important to document your damages, including taking pictures, so that you can align that with the formal inspection record that comes out from the insurance company, Porter said. 
    This way, you can dispute any claims if you have to later, he said. 

    3. Keep a record of receipts

    In the event of a loss, you have to give prompt notice to your insurer and you have a duty to protect the property, said Daniel Schwarcz, an insurance law professor at the University of Minnesota Law School. 
    You have to protect the property from further damage after the storm, make reasonable repairs and have an accurate record of repair expenses, Schwarcz said. 
    The receipts that you need to keep on file are for purchased materials used to prevent further damage on the property that’s already been damaged by a covered peril, said Schwarcz — meaning wind and trees, but not generally flooding unless you have a flood insurance policy. The insurer will generally reimburse you for reasonable expenses you incur. 
    If you don’t take such measures after the storm, and that inaction results in further damage, the insurer is not obligated to cover the loss, he said.

    Materials purchased to protect the home before the natural disaster — for example, plywood to cover windows — are oftentimes not covered. 
    You also want to keep a record of receipts when you start working with contractors to rebuild from the damage, experts say. 

    Differentiating damage from back-to-back disasters 

    One of the reasons why you want to document the damage immediately with your insurer is so that you can attach it to the event itself, increasing the likelihood of the event being covered by your home insurance, said Porter. 
    “Filing the claim immediately is the number one most important thing to do,” Porter said.
    It’s important to keep track of where the damage came from, and having evidence can help avoid problems down the road, he said.
    Port offers the hypothetical of of someone whose home sustained wind damage from Hurricane Debbie or Helene, but hasn’t filed a claim before the Milton makes landfall and causes flood damage. 
    “All of a sudden, you have a problem where the National Flood Insurance Program, which covers flood, and your home insurance company, which covers wind, can potentially start to argue over what actually caused the damage to the property,” Porter said.
    You want to make sure you file any claim within three to five days of when the incident occurred, said Martin. As long as you had submitted all of your information in a timely manner for the first incident, if something else arises, you’re able to show the adjuster that it happened from a second event, she said. More

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    Peru has attracted a slew of foreign investors into its credit market. Here’s why

    Molten copper pours into ceramic molds to form plates at the Southern Copper Corp. smelter facility in Ilo, Peru, on Jan. 30, 2017.
    Dado Galdieri | Bloomberg | Getty Images

    After years of political unrest in Peru, the relative calm of recent months has made international investors increasing their appetite for the country’s sovereign bonds.
    Foreign investors now hold 39% of Peru’s sovereign bond market holdings, the highest level across all emerging market countries. This underscores the increasingly positive sentiment surrounding the Peru’s fixed income outlook. Moody’s currently has a moderately stable Baa1 credit rating on Peruvian bonds.

    This comes after years of political unrest made investors wary of the Latin American nation. Lawmakers earlier this year called for President Dina Boluarte’s resignation amid allegations of illicit enrichment. Calls of an impeachment have currently faded and Boluarte and Congress are now at an impasse.
    But now “Peru is a bit ahead of the game,” said Pramol Dhawan, Pimco head of emerging markets portfolio management. “It has recognized the need to provide international investors positive returns on domestic assets, and for central banks to be aligned with international investors and provide positive returns on domestic assets.”
    Fixed income backdrop
    Some of the Peruvian economy’s standout characteristics are its low debt-to-GDP ratio, which is among the lowest within its Latin American peers, and its stable currency, the Sol. According to the International Monetary Fund, Peru’s debt equates to 33% of its GDP. That’s well below Brazil’s 86.7% and lower than Chile’s 40.5%.
    The Central Reserve Bank of Peru also lowered interest rates at its September meeting to 5.25%, the lowest level across Latin America. Peru also holds the steepest yield curve across global and emerging markets, Dhawan highlighted — a stark contrast to the inverted yield curves in the U.S. and many other countries. 
    “The real yields are high and the curve is steep; and as the [Fed] rate cut cycle continues, there is still a lot of potential upside for duration for local Peruvian bonds,” said David Austerweil, deputy portfolio manager for the emerging markets fixed income strategy at VanEck.

    A 2-year Soberano, the country’s local currency bond, is currently yielding 4.661% and the yield on the 10-year Soberano was last at 6.428%. Bank of America is long on Soberanos, the local-currency government bonds.
    Ironically, Peru’s political dysfunction — which has put its Congress at a gridlock and unable to pass meaningful legislation — likely has strengthened Peru’s fiscal health. 
    “In some sense, the lack of a strong executive has led to better fixed income outcomes,” Austerweil added.
    Dhawan also underscored that Peruvian fixed income is a high quality market for foreign investors. Dhawan noted that the political turmoil is not detracting from the country’s debt market outlook. The fixed income backdrop is helped by the relative stability of the Peruvian central bank. 
    “Peru has created an ecosystem which is largely conducive for international investment,” said Dhawan. “The central bank has been viewed as  the grown up in the room … It’s now validating what we think it should be doing, which is normalizing policy in-line with their domestic conditions.”
    What about the stock market?
    The Peruvian equity backdrop is less clear. The MSCI Peru Index has rallied 24.8% in 2024 and 55.8% over the last 12 months. That makes it an outperformer against the MSCI Emerging Markets and World indexes, which are up just 15.2% and 16.7% each on a year-to-date basis, and around 23% and 30% in the past 12 months, respectively. 
    “Whilst the commodity bonus has helped Peru in the short-term, it is hard to see a good longer-term equity story without a proper functioning political system,” Dhawan said. 
    Mining companies are among the largest market-cap stocks in Peru, making the stock market highly exposed to cyclical factors. Peru is one of the world’s largest producers of metals such as copper, silver, and zinc.
    Notably, copper prices have surged 24.5% year to date — and commodities prices are expected to climb higher with the recent China stimulus measures raising hopes for a rebound in economic activity. However, the commodities sector remains highly volatile and subject to external conditions, complicating the equity environment. 
    “Absent a big commodity supercycle, which is not our base case, it’s hard to see sort of sustainable growth, outperformance versus trend without being more conducive,” said Dhawan.

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    Credit card spending growth is slowing — ‘consumers have been in a pretty frugal mood,’ expert says

    Revolving debt, which mostly includes credit card balances, fell 1.2% in August, according to the Federal Reserve’s latest consumer credit report.
    Although credit card spending growth is slowing, it may be too soon to tell if August’s contraction reflects a real shift in consumer behavior.

    In the last year, credit card debt spiked to a record $1.14 trillion. But recent signs show consumers may now be pulling back.
    Revolving debt, which mostly includes credit card balances, fell 1.2% in August, compared to a year earlier, according to the Federal Reserve’s G.19 consumer credit report released on Monday. Nonrevolving debt, such as auto loans and student loans, rose 3.3%.

    After a prolonged period of high inflation and sky-high interest rates rates, spending habits are adjusting, according to Ted Rossman, Bankrate’s senior industry analyst. “Consumers have been in a pretty frugal mood lately,” he said.

    This could be ‘just a blip’

    However, it may be too soon to say whether August’s contraction reflects a real shift in consumer behavior, said Matt Schulz, LendingTree’s chief credit analyst. “It is far more likely that is just a blip.”
    Even though spending has moderated this year, “it isn’t a huge decrease and I don’t think there’s really any reason to think that this is the beginning of a trend,” he added.
    “it will be very interesting to see what the NY Fed debt data says when it is released next month,” Schulz said. “I expect it to show that debts are continuing to climb. I’d be very surprised if it didn’t.”
    Heading into the peak holiday shopping season, lower rates and cooling inflation may encourage more spending in the months ahead, the National Retail Federation’s most recent analysis of retail sales also shows. 
    “Easing inflation is providing added spending capacity to cost-weary shoppers, and the interest rate cuts expected to come from the Fed should help create a more positive environment for consumers in the future,” Jack Kleinhenz, the NRF’s chief economist said in a statement.
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    Your tax bracket may increase after 2025. Here’s how it could affect your brokerage account

    ETF Strategist

    Without action from Congress, trillions of tax breaks enacted by former President Donald Trump will expire after 2025, including lower federal income tax brackets.
    Higher brackets can impact “short-term capital gains,” or assets owned for one year or less, in your brokerage account.
    You can minimize capital gain payouts by investing in assets like exchange-traded funds, experts say.

    Shapecharge | E+ | Getty Images

    If you’re investing in a brokerage account, it’s important to know how assets can impact your taxes, especially with possible rate increases on the horizon.
    Without action from Congress, trillions of tax breaks enacted by former President Donald Trump will expire after 2025, including lower federal income tax brackets, among other provisions.

    Higher rates after 2025 could impact some brokerage accounts since investors pay annual taxes on earnings, experts say.

    More from ETF Strategist

    Here’s a look at other stories offering insight on ETFs for investors.

    If you sell investments that you have owned for one year or less, the profits incur “short-term capital gains,” or regular income taxes. The same rule can apply to mutual fund distributions, depending on how long the fund manager owned the underlying assets.
    “Generally speaking, it’s good to avoid short-term gains as much as you can,” said Samantha Pahlow, wealth management chair of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management in Portland, Oregon, which ranked No. 10 on CNBC’s 2024 FA 100 list. 

    Generally speaking, it’s good to avoid short-term gains as much as you can.

    Samantha Pahlow
    Wealth management chair of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management

    After 2025, short-term gains in a brokerage account could become more expensive, with brackets scheduled to revert to 10%, 15%, 25%, 28%, 33%, 35% and 39.6%, experts say.
    But it’s unclear whether Congress will allow lower brackets to sunset, particularly with control of the Senate, House and White House uncertain.

    Exchange-traded funds are ‘more efficient’ for taxes

    Regardless of future tax law changes, investors should consider the types of assets they use in brokerage accounts, along with the possible tax consequences, experts say.
    Exchange-traded funds “are certainly going to be more efficient than those actively traded [mutual] funds that may have very high turnover rates,” said Shea Abernethy, a Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based investment advisor representative.
    Actively managed mutual funds often trigger capital gains payouts, even when investors haven’t sold shares, which can be a costly year-end surprise. 

    But minimally-traded funds, such as ETFs or index funds, typically offer more year-to-year tax savings, said Abernethy, who is also chief compliance officer for Salem Investment Counselors, which earned the No. 8 spot on the FA 100 list.  
    When aiming for tax efficiency, “mutual funds are kind of the dinosaur of the past,” added Tommy Lucas, a certified financial planner and enrolled agent at Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo in Orlando, Florida.
    However, it’s important to consider more than taxes alone before making an investing decision, experts say. Ultimately, your assets should reflect your risk tolerance, goals and timeline. More

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    Tuesday’s big stock stories What’s likely to move the market in the next trading session

    Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during afternoon trading on October 03, 2024 in New York City.
    Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images

    Stocks @ Night is a daily newsletter delivered after hours, giving you a first look at tomorrow and last look at today. Sign up for free to receive it directly in your inbox.
    Here’s what CNBC TV’s producers were watching as stocks slid on Monday, and what’s on the radar for the next session.

    PepsiCo

    The soda-and-snack giant reports Tuesday before the bell.
    Shares are up 1.7% in three months.
    Pepsi is 8.8% from the 52-week high hit in May.
    It’s not a cola-to-cola comparison, but Coca-Cola is up 8% in three months. It’s 6% from the September high.

    Stock chart icon

    PepsiCo shares in 2024

    Boeing

    The airline maker reports September orders and deliveries on Tuesday at 11 a.m., Eastern time.
    Boeing is down 1% in a month, and it’s down 15.6% in three months.
    The stock is 42% from the December high.

    The insurance stocks

    After many of these names had record runs, insurance stocks fell Monday ahead of another major hurricane approaching Florida. This time it’s a Category 5 monster called Milton.
    Travelers fell 4.3% Monday. It is 7% from the high three weeks ago.
    Progressive fell 3.85%. It is 5.75% from the mid-September high.
    W.R. Berkley lost 3.47% Monday. It is 8% from the September high.
    Hartford lost 3%. The stock is 4% from the high hit last week.
    Hanover Insurance dropped 2.8% Monday. The stock is 4% from the Sept. 19 high.

    Stock chart icon

    Traverlers Cos. in 2024

    The bonds

    Super Micro’s super jump

    The stock was up nearly 16% on Monday as Super Micro Computer said sales are still going strong.
    It remains 61% from the 52-week high hit back in March.
    The stock closed at $47.74. The all-time high is $122.90.

    Stock chart icon

    Super Micro Computer’s performance in 2024

    Amazon and Apple

    Both giants were hit with analyst downgrades on Monday.
    Wells Fargo took down its rating on Amazon to equal weight from overweight. Jefferies dropped Apple to hold from buy.
    Both stocks lost about $5 a share Monday. That’s a 3% decline for Amazon, and a 2.25% decline for Apple.
    Amazon is now 10% from the July high.
    Apple is 6.5% from the July high.

    Nuclear

    The White House’s national climate advisor Ali Zaidi said Monday that the administration is working to restart more nuclear reactors in the U.S.
    He mentioned the two projects CNBC has previously reported on. One is in Michigan, and the other is in Pennsylvania. It’s unclear if more are coming soon.
    Vistra dropped 5% Monday.
    NextEra fell 4.25%. It is 6.75% from last week’s high.
    Uranium Energy fell 3.46% Monday. It is now 20% from the Feb. 1 high.
    The Sprott Uranium Miners ETF (URNM) declined about 2.4%. More