holiday hustle...retailers brace for snowstorms around the nation, as the countdown to christmas continues. in today's cover story....a well known grocery chain is closing stores, and its not by choice. plus.... how to afford the job your parents warned you to avoid. and...a trader spills his "shoulda woulda coulda" investment regret. first business starts now! you're watching first business: financial news, analysis, and today's investment ideas. good morning! it's friday the 13th. i'm angela miles. in today's first look: triple, triple check...concerns are growing the dow may be in for a series of triple digit losses. yesterday the dow plunged 105 the nasdaq 6 and the s&p 6 gold tumbled 31

dollars and oil lost a penney. boeing is expected to respond to union workers latest contract offer that could potentially keeping much of the work on the 777x in the state of washington. freddie mac and fannie mae will give homesowners in foreclosure a break from the threat of eviction during the holidays from december 18th to january 3rd. and, mcdonald's is testing a mobile app for smartphones and tablets in attempt to lure in young diners. deals on meals will e flashed on the app. ben lichtenstein of traders audio joins us on this friday. ben, good to have you back on the show. there was positive news yesterday from the retail sector but a negative response in the stock market. what was going on ben? >>well, it was a bit unusual. i think there was a couple of factors at play. first of all, keep in mind that retail sales ---better than expected results was limited. i think it was

like 1 10th of a percentage better than consensus levels. i think it was up a bit but limited in terms of any real fuel for the market. there's a lot of concern out there about tapering. in addition to that we have a lot of activity developing here throughout the pit as we roll out of the december contract which will expire next thurday and the march contract became the front month today so a lot of focus has shifted to the spreads and to the outrights. and on a day like yesterday what i look for is really the larger broader based representation of the market and for that i look to the russell. and if you looked at yesterday's trading activity throughout the day's session trade you saw the russell was a pillar of strength if you will amidst a weaker nasdaq, a weaker dow, and a weaker s&p. but the russell never traded below the wednesday's low. so again on thursday the russell never traded below the low from wednesday and so that being the broader based representation, i didn't really see much or give a lot of credit or weight to the weakness that we saw yesterday. it was somewhat shortlived and while we spent most of the day trading below

wednesday's low in the s&p's, again, very little follow through, very little conviction at those lower levels. >>frigid temperatures are gripping much of the nation. what's going on with natural gas? >>brrr! in a big way. you saw a big rally in natural gas. i think there's a couple of contributing factors to that. one is that the draw that was expected to come and i think it was expected down 88 bcf yesterday. it came in down 81 as far as i remember. the draw was less than expected. i think there were a lot of natural gas traders considering the trend of the inventories was that we had been seeing larger than expected draws so my guy in the crude actuall was talking to me on wednesday about the fact that he was expecting a large draw considering the cold temperatures. but also the other thing at play is just that these temperatures are going to be somewhat short lived from what i saw. we're going to be back to more normal type temperatures. albeit frigid winter type temperatures not these single digits. so i think there were a few contributing factors there plus the market possibly just a little overextended to the downside on thursday. and so yeah, a big rally and newsworthy as well but multiple contributing factors as well. >>thank you and stay warm. >>thanks. you too as well.

a serious snow storm is forecast for this weekend that could distrupt holiday shoppers and travelers. justin povick of accuweather is here by skype-- justin just how dicey will it get? >>it's going to get very dicey at a time when many people are traveling here on friday and into the coming weekend. somewhat of a quick hitting storm system. a general 3 to 6 inches of snow is what we think starting out in the eastern plains and the midwest on friday. cities such as indianapolis, columbus, and cleveland looking at a healthy heaping of snow and then that moves into the northeast unfortunately for the weekend. >>thank you for that update. chuck coppola tells us what's brewing in dc... angie --the compromise budget is in the senate's hands...the house voted last night to --- the agreement reached between gop house budget chairman paul ryan and democrat patty murray-- extends government spending into 2015 and takes the threat of government shut down off the table. "it's not everything that we wanted but it advances conservative policy and moves us in the right direction." that was speaker of the house john boehner. the bi-partisan bill has the support of president obama. the senate is expected to vote next week. the

budget deal does not include extending unemployment benefits. changes are ahead the fed. the senate is expected to vote next week on janet yellen-- president obama's choice to serve as head of the federal reserve. reports say its highly believed she will win senate confirmation.-- it would make her the first female to lead the u.s. central bank. current chair ben bernanke ends his term january 31st. one supermarket chain is on the upswing while a longtime chicago grocer is winding down. it's the battle between mariano's and dominick's in chicago. and caught in the middle--about six thousand dominick's employees who'll be looking for work. a lot of them applied at the rival chain, with no guarantees. dominick's, a chicago-area supermarket chain with links to the 19-20's is closing it's 72- stores---undercut in price by wal-mart, target and costco. and overrun by upscale offerings from whole foods and mariano's. less than a week ago, one of those rivals, mariano's, announced it was hiring and hundreds of applicants lined up

on the first day of interviews. "do you or your colleagues from dominicks expect to make the same pay at mariano's? no, that's what happens when a company closes." mariano's plans to open 16-new stores in the chicago area, next year---the first of those, in late february. some of the roughly six-thousand dominicks employees laid-off say they'd welcome a little extra consideration for the 250-jobs at each store, but that's not happening. "why aren't you giving some preference for dominicks employees who are losing their jobs through no fault of their own? that's not how we run our job fairs. we want to give everyone a chance to get that position." at a nearby hotel, each applicant got 10-to-15 minutes to impress interviewers. "i'm a four-year degree in accounting from chicago state. i've worked other places and am looking for this as a second job." it's an interest turnabout in the chicago grocery business. mariano's boss, bob mariano ran dominicks until safeway

took over in 1998. under safeway, dominicks lost millions. now marianos, is the one doing the expanding. as we mentioned earlier-- consumers are keeping up their end of the bargain when it comes to pumping up the economy... retail sales rose .7% november. the largest increase in 5 months. much of the lift came from car buyers and shoppers snapping up deals on black friday. one retail segment that took a hit-- gas stations. people headed to the mall as gas prices dropped. lululemon shares are dropping after higher earnings on thursday, but a weaker outlook for the year. net income for the company rose 15 percent, beating estimates. it lowered its sales outlook for the year, anticipating fallout from product problems and comments from founder chip wilson, who stepped down as chairman this week. shares fell more than 11 percent thursday. hilton booked plenty of investors on its first day of trading...after the stock priced in wednesday at $20-- shares locked in 7% in gains thursday wtih the stock closing at $21.50. the worldwide hotel

company has a market cap of $2.4 billion. it is the third largest ipo so far this year. also on debuting stock on thursday: kindred biosciences.the biotech companies stock priced at 7 dollars and surged to $11.95 gained 70% and food service company-- aramark--had an ipo that priced at $21 and bounced to $22.70 good for a 13% run. obamacare enrollment has hit the one million mark - and may have a later deadline to sign up. on thursday, the obama administration said it may extend the deadline to december 23. it's asking insurers for concessions to make sure as many people are possible are covered by january first. last month, the president said insurers could temporarily extend health plans to be reinstated into 20-15. insurer aetna has already announced it would not have enough time to reinstate clients.

jp morgan chase is closer to a costly settlement with the justice department connected to the bernie madoff case. authorities reportedly suspect jp moregan served as madoff's primary bank.reuters reports-- the firm could pay roughly $2 billion in penalties for ignoring madoff's ponzi scheme. there may also be fines for inadequate warnings to regulators about madoff and "control weaknesses" within the bank. a portion of the money will go to madoff victims. new technology makes it possible for passengers to use cell phones during flights without interfering with the jets flight plan... it's up to the transportation department and the fcc to decide if people talking on phones on crowded jets is the right route to take. i'm the last person in the world that wants to listen to somebody talking to me while i fly across the country, but we are the technical agency. and we will make the technical rules

that reflect the way the new technology works. sounds like he "gets" what many of us are grappling with ... google is under fire for fuel. from the government. the company is accused of buying fuel for a fleet of private jets at a discount. nasa is calling the situation a misunderstanding, as google is allowed to buy jet fuel at a low rate, but for government business only. the nasa inspector general says the company saved up to 5.3 million dollars. google is reviewing the report. new reports say airlines are on a high. airline profits are expected to hit a record 19 billion dollars in 20-14 due to lower fuel costs, and higher demand. and-- data suggests its getting safer to fly. according to an airline trade group, though airline accidents were up slightly in 20-13, fatality rates associated with those accidents were much lower than in 20-12. the foreclosure crisis is in the home stretch,. in november-- foreclosures were down 37 percent from a year ago.. and, 15% from october according to realtytrac.

and, the lowest level since december 2005. however, foreclosures may start to perk up next year in some housing markets. pope francis is sharing his thoughts on wealth inequality. the pope expressed concerns over big bonuses and salaries, and is asking nations to help narrow the wealth gap. he also noted that the recent financial crisis should lead people to rethink their lifestyles. pope francis made headlines this week after being named "person of the year" by time magazine. the rumor mill is in overdrive about the future of ford's ceo. fox business reports ford's board is pressing alan mulally for clarification about his career plans. mulally -- seen here with president obama, has been rumored to be in the running for the ceo job at microsoft. ford officials predict--- 2014 will be its busiest year ever with 11,000 jobs being added to build 23 new vehicles at factories around the globe. still to come: traders get a lesson in why you should never underestimate the buying power of football fans. plus....find out which company ranked as the best place to work in america. here's a hint... its not facebook anymore...

and -- how to "live the dream" even if your dream job doesn't pay big money bill moller steps in next!

here's the challenge so many young careerists are facing. you're outta college - your dream job is something with your passion - it's outside the mainstream - you wanna be an actor or work with horses. how do you pursue what you really want to do "while" being fiscally responsible & have income to pay your bills. kathleen brady is a long time executive & career coach with her company brady & associates career planners. your book is get a job: 10 steps to career success. so dream or reality. is it one or the other? > >it's about finding the balance between the two of them. people who just focus on what's practical end up living a life of unhappiness. people who focus only on their dreams live a life not in reality and usually end up not being fiscally responsible. so it's

finding the balance between those two things. > >in creating or finding a balance, do you have to plan? > >absolutely. you always have to have a plan. so i always start with my clients by saying there are 4 questions you have to ask. what's the dream? why is it the dream? what do you have to do to achieve that dream? that's where your plan comes in. and then are you prepared to do those things. > >so before the plan, let me ask you about 1 and 2. it sounds like you're getting the person to really determine whether or not it's actually their dream. > >absolutely. it's so interesting because i often think when you don't achieve something it's usually because it's what you think you want but if you really do that self reflection, it isn't really truly what you want to do because there are other things that have higher priorities.

> >give me an example. > >i'll give you a personal example. one of the things i always said i wanted to do was write a book and be on the talk show circuit and do corporate events. as i started thinking about what my life would look like if i did that? would i be on a plane all the time? i would be traveling. i would be away from home. i started realizing that is in conflict with another value of wanting to be at home and be with my new husband. so it's not the right time. it's not really the dream. so finding another way---which is what i've done---writing books, and i do some of the interviews and do a little traveling. > >so it's a blending. > >it's a blending of the two. it's what are you willing to do to make your dream a reality? > >so 3 and 4 about actually putting the plan together---how do you get there? what are the elements there? > >the first thing you have to do is a self assessment. you have to know what your skills and talents are. so i might say i want to be a basket ball player but i might not have the talent for that. but i love basketball and i want to be around basketball. so what's the skill and talent that you do have? maybe you're a business major. so maybe there is a way you could work at the front office or for the nba. maybe it's graphic design. you could work for one of the other

companies. >>so you're not fully embracing it but you're getting close to the dream while still doing something that brings in money. >>absolutely. >>kathleen brady, thanks so much. >>thank you thanks for that career advice bill...tech companies tend to be popular with employees. the best companies to work for according to job hunting site glass door. consulting group bain and company-- is number one. while twitter, linkedin, eastman chemical and facebook round out the top five. coming up...is now the best time to go big in the stock market? plus... are you ready for some football! rosebowl hype is sending ticket prices to historic highs. don't miss the action next in traders unplugged.

time to kick it up a notch with traders unplugged- from the floor of cme group, alan knuckman and scott shellady. good morning guys. >>good morning. angie: topic number one: fat wallets - jpmorgan is talking about doing some virtual cash ala the bitcoin. so, what's the

better deal here? buy jp morgan stock or put your money on your hard drive? alan: bitcoins i don't believe in. obviously i've been wrong. it's gone from 10 cents all the way up to $900. jp morgan has been trading between 57 and 50. looking for a target of 64. still 13% above where we are right now. making money, that's all they do. scott: i would have to say that i'm a big jamie dimon fan. i'd like to back him. i think that what he's done with that bank over the last 5 years is fantastic. alan: maybe the fed helped. but what about bitcoins? if you put 10 thousand dollars in bitcoin in 2008, it would be worth 90 million right now. scott: shoulda, woulda, coulda. i'm not gonna look back on those trades. we look forward. angie: topic number 2: phone home- stolen cell phones are big business for cartels. what would be your favorite phone stock or provider stock? scott: i'm gonna stay away from anything with technology right now. i think we're looking a little bit of a bubble. it reminds me of 1999. and i'm

gonna vote with the drug cartels and buy merck and pfizer. alan: i don't think there's any phone stocks that i like. at&t is up 1% with the dow up 20% this year. it's ridiculous. it looks like dead money. and if you think about the names in that space, you've got sprint, blackberry. you've got a lot of dogs. i think you'd be better off to put your money elsewhere than i phones. i would be with the cartels. they're making money selling those stolen phones because there is technology that you can get to lock your phone now but phone companies don't do that because they want to sell insurance. angie: topic number 3: those rose colored glassesrose bowl tickets are going for all time highs. all the way up to 50 thousand dollars would you believe. is this a sign of greater wealth in the economy and is it a buy signal? alan: well, my friend scott here is a footballer. so he's an expert. but i think it's a healthy sign that people are paying a lot more for tickets now . people have more discretionary money. things are not great but they are getting better and it's just amazing how these ticket prices have inflated and people are paying the money now. scott: clearly with 5% of americans owning 82% of the

stocks alan--- alan: you said that last week. scott: i did say that last week and i'll continue this week because main street has been left behind. the people that are going to these games aren't from main street. so that's not fair. how many people actually went to michigan state or stanford are actually gonna be at this game? alan: all of them! but they're all donors and big money people. but there's a person that's going to the auburn game that actually put down $100 when it was 500 to 1. he's hedging his bet. he bought essentially an option for auburn to win the national championship. he's hedging his bet by going with florida state to actually protect it. so it's interesting how it all comes back to these markets and it's like he has an option with no downside with a big payoff. he can make 50 grand. angie: you will love our bonus round question for today. are the following statements true or false? stanford university has no official mascot, but does use a tree for school spirit. the mascot of the university of california is a banana slug. michigan state university is popular for its sparty. alan: it's gotta be all of the above. obviously i'm not a stanford grad but i did go to michigan state. scott: i'm gonna say true false---true. angie: it was all of the above. great job guys. first business continues right after this.

now on to chart talk with trader dan deming of stutland equities. are there any indications in this market that it's time to go big with people's stock portfolios? should they be buying a lot of stocks here? >>from a technical standpoint, if you look at the s&p 500 the answer would be no given the fact that yesterday we saw the s&p actually break down from basically last month of this sideways to upward trend. and actually broke down---17.75 was the closing low and that's the closing low basically going back to the beginning of november. now at least short term there is a downtrend in the marketplace. >>what is the smart money doing? what are the big institutional players doing? >>i can tell you that we're seeing a lot of repositioning now in the vix particularly. we're seeing a lot of repositioning ahead of the fed announcement next week with the

possibility of some indications on how they're going to handle this tapering and the liquidity provisions moving forward. when you look at what happens in the marketplace we do get some seasonality rally over the course of the last several years. it's really only come in those last 5 trading days before the new year and the first 2 after the new year. that's really the time i think if you want to look to maybe play the seasonal effect, that's the time to do it. >>dan, always a pleasure to have you on the show. have a great weekend. >>thanks angie. you too. that wraps it up for this week. coming up next week--tips on how to end the year with a financial bang instead of a wimper. plus, a morning star analyst will be her with strategies on buying etfs. it's all happening next week on our show. from all of us first business, have a safe and wonderful weekend.

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