david: '1931, that was late. we knew that santa was fat and jolly in the early 1930s. that was a poem and it was german, i thought it was british. before we go, i want to put a little shot of my family there. do we have any christmas pictures? yeah, there's one. there's me and my wife, christmas, i think that was christmas last year. grandson, we got a back shot of my grandson at church and the night before felipe went to the marine core december 29, about 19 years ago. that's it for "varney & co.". see you next time. >> the cry mas travel and shopping rush is on, my friend.

115 million americans set to travel for christmas is staggering. try this on for size. nearly 142 million set to shop till they drop tomorrow, the last saturday they can do that but for the big day itself, it is true, it is staggering, and for many last minute shoppers, it is more than a bit unnerving too. what to do for those who don't think the process meets and cheeses. don't say i didn't offer you advice. to our dana, nick, and reporter: it is so bus eye this morning and people i spoke to are shopping as panicked shopping and it's one of the biggest shopping days of the year and tomorrow is super saturday. they expect millions to show up to the mall and retailers, they're happy because consumers are shopping with record breaking amounts of money. >> we definitely expect to see

christmas hits on a monday so you have the entire weekend to shop. >> i spoke to the national retail federation who said shoppers expect to spend $875 on gifts, holiday decorations and food this year but clothing and gift cards are the most popular items, spending habits are shifting, 74% of holiday shoppers plan to use credit cards to purchase gifts. >> people don't like to think about the fact that you have to pay off the debt in january and one shocking statistic we find every year is that about a third of people who bought their gifts with credit cards are still paying off the debt a year later. >> reporter: with retail sales

exceeding expectations for the season, it is a good time to be a consumer because stores have high inventory levels, unlike recent supply-chain challenges and i can tell you stores opened early, there's even people lining up so it is going to be a busy weekend for the holiday shopping. neil: let's get a read on what is happening for those traveling, at denver international airport. >> reporter: at the world's third busiest airport, denver international there's an ebb and flow we've been watching all day. earlier things were really packed at the tsa checkpoint line. now things are moving along at a nice clip which a lot of travelers do appreciate and i will tell you tsa has some carry-on tips to keep things moving. if you are bringing gifts put them in gift bags or boxes with tissue paper.

wrapped presents are allowed but if your gift triggers their alarms it is going to get unwrapped, go ahead and bring holiday treats. the tsa says syrups, preserves, eggnog, those going your checked bag and your coffee and energy drinks and water before you get in line. check with your airline for updates or delays, download the my tsa apps to help and get to the airline 2 or 3 hours before your flight. we chatted with folks doing their best to keep the spirit during this hectic time. service dog traveling with his companion. even with all the lines it is worth it. >> can't be around family during the holidays. that's the biggest thing. >> you are one of the happiest travelers i think i have ever met. >> got to be happy, got to have fun, got to enjoy. >> reporter: anyone in the

holiday mood? are they handling it well? >> seems difficult. not at all. >> have you saying christmas songs the entire flight from north carolina? >> no. >> who did? >> my brother. >> reporter: her little brother is a good singer who plays with her all the time. the mom said her kids did not sleep the entire flight to denver but they are excited to be here. we've been checking the faa website, we are seeing delays at george bush international in houston, in orlando, miami and seattle so can't say that, check with your ad lines, check check check before you head to the airport. julie: have good-natured people dealing with all that. merry christmas to you. let's go to mark murphy on how to guide us through this. how are things looking from what you are seeing so far?

>> reporter: we see weather across the country. when weather inc. collects one area of the country it can very much impact you in a bright shiny place like arizona. always know where your plane is coming from and you can do that on your airline apps or go to flightaware, a great apps it tells you where your plane is coming from. there's a storm in chicago and that is where you are connecting out of to get to you. there's a chance you will get delayed and alisha gave you some great tips. the other one is my tsa, you can look at where you are traveling and see the length of the lines. if you see it is a 15 minute wait you have a little more confidence and get their later. if they tell you long waits, you have to extend it out. i used to fly out of philadelphia, fort lauderdale, you can go into different terminals, then take the tram to your actual terminal because

sometimes the key terminals get backed up and maybe you can go through the international terminal. as long as you can access the gates you are flying out of behind security, you saved a ton of time, i've done that numerous times. neil: how early to get a domestic flight versus something else? >> it doesn't matter much whether it is domestic or foreign despite the fact they say two hours domestic, 3 plus hours for foreign, you are typically going through the security process so it depends on airline by airline and airport by airport basis but i would say to lower your stress level a lot of these airports have shopping, high end restaurants, take advantage of that. get there 3 or 4 hours early, if you pay for a pass, then you

are not stressed out, you are chill. and your vacation started. julie: what is the protocol for paying people off? >> don't know how they do that. the key is make sure if you are traveling internationally you get global entry, you combine that with tsa pre-check program. the fast track, a lot of airports today there wasn't a lot of opportunity for that. now every airport has that line and most of the time it is faster than going to the same line. it is well worth it. neil: i tell them you know who i am and they do. merry christmas, mark murphy, all of that. new york stock exchange trader, one of the best guys i know on

wall street or main street, he knows what's going on, the way things are going we are looking at the eighth straight weekly advance of stocks. a lot of this going early on by the signal from the federal reserve that rates not only don't go higher but early next year they start going down, do you believe that? >> the federal reserve has been clear about their messaging and everyone at the meetings, and up until this mast meeting did they even toss out the idea of rates being cuts. people have been talking about it for a number of months but never tossed it on the table. this past meeting on wednesday the markets responded aggressively having heard that from him that first of all we are not clear we are done hiking but definitely clear that q 2, q3 of 24 we are definitely looking at 2 to 3 interest rate cuts and i think that definitely contributed to the rally we are seeing, so many positive things going on.

you don't wait in line at the airport. happy holiday. neil: let me get your take on the crowded airports telling us, these vacation spots are telling us into the spring of next year. >> i have always tried to analyze and let the market tell me what it thinks is going on. the year we have had, we've had a banking crisis, three global wars and came back from those. we've had a year and 1/2 of interest rate raises never before seen and all the other challenges the market has seen, yes we are coming in 5 days before the end of the year the market trading at record high, we saw a russell index go from

a 52 week low to a 52-week high in 46 days. what does that mean for your audience, small-cap and mid-cap, the breadth of the rally is not a fabulous seven, people are looking for value in small and mid-cap stocks in the russell. it is telling us sometimes the market and the economy don't go hand in hand and i am sure there are people who are struggling but the market is telling us there's enthusiasm, comfort level, confidence, they were super positive so across the board everything positive is coming out of this. neil: i know there were no one hundred% sure things but usually in a presidential election year it's a good year for stocks. we are coming off a really good year this year so how much chance do you give to 2024 being another 2023?

>> obviously 2020-21 were positive years whether function of stimulus or whatever, 22, really down your, double-digit loss, a function of aggressive interest rate raises. i don't know if we have ever or rarely seen two back to back years of double digit losses, 2023 was bound to be a positive year. i don't think the political cycle is a normal one as we see so much weirdness. the market is more focused on the fact that if finally we start lowering interest rates and the inflation story is under control and people who have been on the sidelines, people who have been holding onto cash, people telling the recession story, people are fearful with no confidence in the market or the whole inflation story, once those people are let loose in the marketplace we will see a bit

of a slingshot and the market continues to go higher but let me say one thing. all of this can be completely dislocated by one or 2 simple economic pieces of data. everyone should take note the market has been up 8 weeks in a row, the market, they ended up selling off 80 handles, whether it was a margin call, or a redemption in hedge funds, whatever it was, we see even though the trajectory of the market seems positive and strong there is so much going on, this world is a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle, so many things could completely -- i can't advise people or make predictions because one thing can happen that could dislocate it but seems like santa claus has come to town. adam: when you look at these markets and the optimism, a lot

of people are rushing and saying i've got to get on this puppy and follow this parade. got to be on it. that approach depends on your perspective, your time horizon, you get to an age like mine, i start thinking long-term, is lunch tomorrow, how do you advise people? i know you try to stay out of that but it does depend a lot on your entire perspective. >> es. from the advisor and long-term investment point it does matter that way but when i speak, my audience is more a social media platform tends to be young, new traders and young investors in the marketplace and i always say there is no bad time to buy the market, it is how you get into the entry point into the marketplace, but we are way beyond the point people should be waiting around for some major event to happen for them

to suddenly get into the market. we have seen every possible event, this past year did anyone think we would have a major banking crisis will two wars, interest rates up 18 periods in a row, no one would have thought that and no one would of thought the market would be trading off of its record highs so i don't think people should wait around for a major cataclysmic event to get into the market. they should start getting in slowly and participate in this rally we are seeing. neil: you should stick to this market thing, it is really working for you. if it is a career move i highly suggest it. you are the best of the best. >> have a great holiday. neil: economy going to the originals and no matter what is going on, always has confidence in the world around him. not many people like that in or

out. we've got this rally going on, the dow going on here, what could be a straight week coming up here and the un security council decision not so much on a cease-fire which has trouble getting support, boosting aid to gaza a mixed blessing, they are at each other's throats, found a compromised approach to all of this, our ambassador trying to finesse a global sort of discord, how to proceed in the middle east. we really don't know. after this. ♪ ♪

the best advice i ever got was to invest with vanguard for my retirement. the second best? stay healthy enough to enjoy it.

so i started preparing physically and financially. then you came along and made every mile worth it. hi mom. at vanguard you're more than just an investor, you're an owner. helping you prepare for today's longer retirement. that's the value of ownership. they're waiting for you. hey, do you have a second? they're all expecting more. more efficiency. more benefits. more growth. when you realize you can give your people everything, and more. thank you very much. [applause] ask, "now what?" here's what. you go with prudential to protect, empower and grow. with everything you need to deliver,

you guessed it... more. one more thing... who's your rock? learn more at prudential.com (♪♪) my plaque psoriasis was so bad... i couldn't get my hair done. my psoriasis was all over. then my joints started hurting, found out it was psoriatic arthritis. who knew they could be connected? for me, cosentyx works on both. 5 years and counting. did you know people with psoriasis on the scalp have a 4 times higher risk of developing psoriatic arthritis, which if left untreated can lead to permanent joint damage? cosentyx works on all of this and helps stop further joint damage. talk to your doctor. find something that works for you. serious allergic reactions. severe skin reactions that look like eczema and an increased risk of infections, some fatal, have occurred. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to, or if ibd symptoms develop or worsen. cosentyx. still workin' for me.

♪see me♪ find relief that can last. ask your dermatologist about cosentyx. adam: to the un security council, essentially following up, a we are rolling all over

this, abstaining, allowing it to pass because this will lead the way in a separate vote, that's a long way from happening. it only benefits hamas. we've got dave sears, retired navy seal commander. love having dave on. you are used to dealing with the un, tying one hand and lecturing another. it is playing out now. what do you think? >> other resolutions that israel has ignored. the un is a lot of political theater, the us will force its rule so the significance is the us slipping a little bit away taking steps against outright support. neil: i talked to a lot of

israeli officials who come here from our studios, spokesman for the government, benjamin netanyahu acknowledge these, defense secretary austin, before that, it gets heated, the intensity of their campaign in gaza. how nasty it is getting and the box it puts israel in. >> it gets pretty nasty. in the us we are coming into an election year, the political expediency and protests and things like that in the divided democrat party that will cause lots of friction how the us

supports israel which will cause israel lots of consternation and they will look strategically at other partners, this is an ex-substantial threat. they will be talking to russia and china, if they lose us support. neil: could that happen that we would support or cut support because they are not doing that? it never happened. >> you can apply a lot of pressure to israel. you have a very pro-israeli piece of the united states. i don't give a lot of credence to polls but there is some sort of bellwether that they hold. you could see see changes. neil: a look at the red sea issue, to get a task force going to deal with 14 commerce

concerns, extends to oil or bp. around the continent of africa to avoid the red sea and the suez canal. i was reading of figure from each tanker, with travel related costs, for all the stuff they are transporting or picking up or dropping off that will add to their courts, doesn't it? >> who bears the burden of that? you and i, the consumers. the first of the supply-chain goods or the back end, it affects the whole supply-chain. if oil prices begin to rise, they cost more money.

it is not a good thing. you need to establish the lines of commerce are free and that is a rule the international community has to maintain. neil: the houthi rebels, we know where a lot of their missiles and drones are coming from, yemen, i don't want to be simplistic about it, you are the war hero, not me, why not just take those positions if you know where they are coming from. it's one thing to avoid iran even though these rebels or proxies of iran, don't want to cause that, i get that, but go after them in yemen. >> couldn't agree with you more, you need to go after, the only estimation i can think of is this administration right now talked about it, this fear of a broader regional conflict somehow exploding. i'm not worried about that to

be honest with you. you need to set the precedent. unless we hit these sites and secure that region of the red sea, this is political theater. that is the only reason, the fear of a broader regional conflict. neil: have a safe christmas, thank you for your service. >> you as well. neil: all right. to hear a lot of politicians tell it it is unnerving us steel, iconic name going back to these others could soon be in the hands of a japanese steel company. it was us steel that had the armaments we needed after the japanese invaded pearl harbor. what does the united steelworkers president think of that? after this. ♪

♪ dad, we got this. we got this. we got this. we got this. we got this. yay! we got this. we got this! life is for living. we got this! let's partner for all of it. edward jones

(sfx: stone wheel crafting) ♪ the biggest ideas inspire new ones. 30 years ago, state street created an etf that inspired the world to invest differently. it still does. what can you do with spy? ♪

adam: historic significance of this potential sale of us steel in japan is reverberating, the president believes that sale won serious grouping, this iconic name which used to be one of our biggest companies, the biggest company on planet earth falling into foreign hand is not going well. the japanese are our friends. it is catching people by surprise including my next guest who had very little heads up on it. good to have you.

>> good afternoon. neil: what was your reaction when you heard and how did you hear? >> got a phone call from the ceo of u.s. steel at 6:00 in the morning on monday after they already put their press release, the transaction that violate several provisions of our collective bargaining agreement. it is supposed to be informed of these kinds of transactions, changing control. our concern is about the long-term stability of our facilities, employment security of our members, retiree healthcare. and the collective-bargaining agreement but because u.s. steel surprised automotive and

other important items in the american economy like 10 product sense military grade products as well, has issued national security and domestic supply chain issues. lauren: 1 is weird about it is you got a call that morning, not much more than that. i am curious, have you or any of your representatives talked to anyone at avon? >> we've not spoken to them yet. neil: now? it was days ago this happened? >> not yet. neil: are you surprised? >> we are surprised and disappointed. it's a violation of our collective bargaining agreement. it's a real issue for us. we think we have avenues to make sure we secure the promises that have been made.

neil: mentioned not long ago that we are concerned about a foreign company owning u.s. steel. a lot of other people go back and remember the iconic nature of u.s. steel made its iconic role in american history particularly in rebuilding our defenses after the japanese attacked pearl harbor. that was then, you said it was a long time ago, but still, it raises questions about timing. one of the things i often hear, don't know if you have heard the same, at least it is not china. it is a friend. what do you make of that? >> we think trade is a good thing. our facilities are the most productive facilities, we will talk to anybody on any playing field. we have dozens of duties

against japan. some of those products are illegally traded, subsidized the products within the country or selling below market price. they are an ally but it comes to domestic supply chain issues. neil: senator bob casey, a delegation, the best way i can describe it talking about what their intentions are for workers and that kind of thing. we are efforting him on the show, you would think contract law states that you have to. you take over country, an event agreement have to be honored as well. is that a given?

>> how do you force that? the first question you would ask. whatever their intentions are when they made the call on monday morning, in many cases they transferred work to other nonunion facilities. u.s. steel over the last several years shutdown a lot of those facilities in the us. from japan to us thomistic market, not sure what their intentions are. they haven't spoken to me. neil: we would love to speak to you. hope you have a merry christmas. david mccall, united steelworkers president, to take over u.s.

steel so politicians are cautious about this. it's not a slamdunk. we will keep you up on that and sudden speedbump, all this great news, along comes a report, we give you the latest on that after this. ♪ . need. i promise to put your long-term financial well-being above any short term transaction. everyone has a big picture. my job is to help you invest in yours. [announcer] charles schwab is proud to support the independent financial advisors

who are passionately dedicated to helping people achieve their financial goals. visit findyourindependentadvisor.com

you can't buy great conversations or moments that matter, but you can invest in them. at t. rowe price our strategic investing approach can help you build the future you imagine. t. rowe price, invest with confidence. neil: we saw great news when it comes to the real estate world, not only home prices which had been stabilizing.

home sales are improving, markedly back to figures we had seen last spring and here comes the new home sales figure, month over month, down a little more than 12%. and improving trends, might be an outlier, the regular stock market, how do you assess the conflict of housing data that we have got? >> reporter: housing prices will stay strong. there was a recent report that said home prices would be going down. as we talked before you have so much regulation around land and this massive thing called inflation that i think will keep home prices up to a certain level. it is good news for people that currently own a home. neil: separate study says something to the effect that

housing is overvalued, 88% of the united states, you don't buy that. >> i don't buy that from anything. i think housing prices are the opposite of that report. i can't see them going down tremendously. that doesn't mean they won't have homes that are on tertiary markets on the outskirts of major -- experiencing price declines but generally speaking, you've been in the house the last few years, you will be in good shape. neil: a lot of people thinking of putting their home up for sale and more are doing that, they want things to be like they were. it is unlikely that will happen any time soon that they can unload a house and then they have to buy another house and potentially price of the environment, to your point,

certainly improves the price environment but not the number of buyers. >> you would think so but i will tell you this. one of the things that is happening is homebuilders are taking market share and doing so, what are they doing? actually lowering the interest rates coming up with synthetic interest rates keeping these interest rates very low to allow people to buy these homes. because they are doing a good job they will pass that on to the consumer. these prices are high but you will have attractive incentives. before the spring is went to buy if someone is looking to do it. going into next year into the spring you will see housing prices pick back up in my opinion. neil: have a great christmas, pulte capital ceo.

and the mad dash to get out of town, a lot of that has to do with the weather. it might not hold up. we will explain after this. ♪ ♪ you were always so dedicated... ♪ we worked hard to build up the shop, save for college and our retirement.

but we got there, thanks to our advisor and vanguard. now i see who all that hard work was for... it was always for you. seeing you carry on our legacy— i'm so proud. at vanguard, you're more than just an investor, you're an owner. setting up the future for the ones you love. that's the value of ownership. hi, i'm tali and i lost 85 pounds on golo. (upbeat music) i started golo because i was unhealthy due to my weight. the minute i started taking the golo release, i knew it was working. i was not hungry, and i did not have any cravings. since losing weight with golo, i'm healthier now than i've ever been, and my doctor is thrilled. golo is so much more than weight loss, it's gonna give you your life back. they're waiting for you. hey, do you have a second? they're all expecting more. more efficiency. more benefits. more growth.

when you realize you can give your people everything, and more. thank you very much. [applause] ask, "now what?" here's what. you go with prudential to protect, empower and grow. with everything you need to deliver, you guessed it... more. one more thing... who's your rock? learn more at prudential.com the power goes out, and we still have wifi to do our homework. and that's a good thing? great in my book. who are you? no power? no problem. introducing storm-ready wifi. now you can stay reliably connected through power outages with unlimited cellular data and up to 4 hours of battery back-up. plus, now through december 31st, eligible xfinity rewards members can get 25% off

a storm ready wifi device.

neil: the great exorcists for a lot of folks to go to grandmas. and that's the consensus, rick reichmuth has the latest. what do you have? >> i didn't know that was an option. >> a lot of people traveling but yesterday 275,000 people, and it is a busy time of year, it doesn't mean that much. it is big trouble, it causes rain across southern parts of our california.

this is across arizona. across southern and eastern arizona. it is a likely chance, flash flooding, and the desert southwest, and there is going to be weather for so many ways. there's snow and rain, it's going to be in the rockies towards the northern plains. that starts to kick in saturday and sunday. that potentially causing some big delays across the airports, right across central part of the country. east coast looking good. sunday, west coast looking good as well and toward sunday night, christmas eve, storm pools to the east. to see what santa is doing, we

have snow and rain from wisconsin all the way across part of the deep south. christmas day the storm very slowly moves farther east but is a slow mover. things will look nice across much of the east coast and west coast, much improved, 62 christmas day in tucson, 53 in new york, 60 one with some of that rain and if you want some sunshine go to florida or the caribbean, things will look just fine. neil: anyway, great job. hope you have a merry christmas. gary, i have been looking at apple stock, they are pulling online sales of these apple ultra 2 because of this blood oxygen company saying they stole their technology, they stop selling it and i wonder what you make of that?

>> you never want to lose any sales of any kind especially around the holidays. it's just a couple. it is in the united states and i can promise you apple is all ready working on some software deal to fix this or negotiate with massimo which is the company and you have a chance here where the president can veto this and the trade commission, it will be okay. the big story with apple, as i see it, they need to grow sales again. they have been down to flat the last five months. to get going as a stock, you need to grow sales events. neil: i have on me and apple ultra 2 watch. i'm more annoyed at this because it keeps saying you do know that it is 10,000 steps a

day which has a smart alecy approach to it. how much is the watch part of apple store? it is a hard thing to repeat next year. what do you think? >> the wearables is 9:00 or 10%. the nut ball is the iphone and services that really picked up big time. the watch matters and these new watches are pretty popular. i'm sure they are getting cracking on it as we speak, probably have some technicians working over the holidays. i am sure their workers are working overtime. i'm not worried about it too much. i think this will get fixed in short order. . 20 we are looking at our eighth straight positive week which anything could happen as you often reminds me. that is a remarkable run.

the records, 10 or 11 trading days for the dow. what do you make of this? are we getting ahead of our stock skis? next week or early 24, lay it out for me. >> best way i can explain it is before they end of october there were one thousand yearly lows, the russell 2,000 was in bear market lows and new yearly lows, in 8 weeks, new yearly highs. one for the books, interest rates have crashed. when interest rates crash like they have cost of capital goes down, market. profits go up, stocks go up. as long as interest rates behave, notice i'm not talking about that as long as oil prices are down, pretty much finding something new. neil: mentioned, the red sea, who the rebel attack on ships, lower than they were before the

october 7th attacks on israel by hamas. that confounds me. the markets are rallying around the prospect of more rate cuts a van the fed is telegraphing. the fed is hinting up to three of them pricing in double that. i wonder if we are getting ahead of that. i don't want to rain on this parade but i wonder how that figures because when you cut rates or look for rates coming down, the economy is slowing down or worse. >> i hate using the word goldilocks. i always get in trouble but the fed that interest rates plunged while the economy stayed in decent shape has me scratching my head and debt has skyrocketed. for rates to accommodate a

$2 trillion deficit this year, that's why i keep saying watch price. if interest rates can stay down we are in good step. if i can come on the air with you and say interest rates are starting to skyrocket i can promise you the market will have a mallet over its head and start coming down again but so far so good. as broad-based as broad-based can be, cruise lines, new yearly highs, truckers on the move, gm and ford, the worst stocks in the market turned the corner. as long as that continues, i'm a happy guy. watch the new yearly high list, that tells you their leadership in the market so as of the second heading into the end of the year, give me a few more months and i am a happy guy. neil: happy new year to you. they are widening out. the russell 2000, that is what they like to see, something

that goes beyond the s&p and the dow. more after this. ♪

i'm on a journey to discover the human story of gold. how it shapes us... "we're going down?" ... and our world. it's a story... i thought i knew. .. - "it takes your breath away." - ... than i ever imagined.

why choose a sleep number smart bed? because no two people sleep the same. only sleep number smart beds lets you each choose your individual firmness and comfort. your sleep number settings. it's so smart, it actively cools and warms up to 13 degrees on either side for your ideal sleep temperature, and effortlessly responds to both of you. for your best sleep, night after night. and now, save 40% on the sleep number special edition smart bed, ends sunday shop for a limited time and sleep next level. only at sleep number. - [speaker] at first, just leaving the house was hard. - [speaker] but wounded warrior project helps you realize it's possible to get out there - [speaker] to feel sense of camaraderie again. - [speaker] to find the tools to live life better. - [narrator] through generous community support, we've connected warriors and their families with no cost physical and mental health services, legislative advocacy, career assistance, and life skill training for 20 years, and we are just getting started.

i'm so glad we did this. i'm so glad we did this. i'm so glad we did this. i'm so glad we did this. i'm so... ...glad we did this. [kid plays drums] life is for living. let's partner for all of it. i'm so glad we did this. edward jones adam: the avenue of the americas. a lot of shoppers, on sunday for all of that, we will are live with our show tomorrow. let's go to jackie deangelis,