>> announcer: this "nightly busi wit hot! for now, at least. stocks heat up on the last trading day of the year. could january bring a chill to investors? not too late. there is still time to perfect your portfolio for 2018. we've got some last minute tips. and scam school. there are many different schemes out there to take your money or your information. expert advice tonight on spotting what's real and what's not. all that and more tonight on "nightly bus" f good evening, everyone, and welcome. sue herera has the night off. one day left, that is all that remains this year on wall

street. and today was like many others this year, not spectacular, but lovely and steady. at the end of penultimate trading day of 2017, the dow had notched its 71st record close of the year and has 25,000 in its sights. also the blue chip average is tracking to end the year with six straight weeks of gains. that would be the first time for that since 1954. here are today's closing numbers. the dow rose 63 points to 24,837. nasdaq added ten. and the s&p 500 tacked on just about five. 2017 will be remembered as one of the better years for u.s. stock investors in a generation. not as good as, say, 95 or 97. still, 20% or more is nothing to scoff at. but next comes january. and many market pros wonder whether that will the month that some investors book

profits, sending the major indexes lower. landon dowdy takes a look. >> reporter: as we close out the final two trading days of the year, the dow was higher by 25% year to date. nasdaq, 29%. the s&p at nearly 20% year to date. will that trend continue into 2018? if history is any indication, we could expect a winter chill to start the new trading year. here is a look at january market performance the last 20 years. spot. the dow down 1.3%. the s&p down 8/10ths of a percent, with january typically the third worst month of the year. tech has the highest return, up 3/4 of a percent on average. western digital a big winner, posting 6% returns on average. you may want to think twice about financials. the sector usually slides more than 2%. fifth third, one of the biggest

laggards with an average lag of 8%. i'm landon dowdy for "nightly busine" as 2017 comes to a close, what should you do to get your finances in order for next year? here to talk about investment strategies and planning is reed fraisa, welcome back, good to have you back. >> thank you, tyler, happy new year. >> happy new year to you. if you were invested in index funds this year, the percentage of your portfolio now represented by technology has risen, because tech stocks have risen in those indexes. if that makes you uncomfortable, what should you do? >> if you're buying large cap indexes like24% of that index is technology. >> a few years ago, it would have been energy. >> exactly, exactly. last year it was also technology, it was just about the same. so it's just a reflection of what is going on in the economy. technology is a huge part of our economy. i don't th it's going to

change. so you only have a few options. well, one of several things can happen. the economy that we've seen the technology doing so well could continue on as we have a little bit of a tidal push from the tax reform act. the economy is looking very good. we have low interest rates. it's very solid. the markets will do well with this push behind it. to think that now this technology growth period that we've been in or this part of the sector of the economy is going to stop or something, there's really no evidence of that. but if you're concerned about the overweighting in the portfolio, that's another matter. >> maybe pull back a little bit. if i want to rebalance my portfolio because some stocks have grown too much or stocks overall have become too big a percentage of my overall asset allocation, should i sell this year, or wait until next year?

and if i sell tomorrow, does that sale get booked in 2017 even if it may not close until 2018? >> it's based on trading day. if you sell to it's a 2017 event for tax purposes. capital gains taxes won't be different next year than this year, none of that changed. so the reason for doing this year next year, you know, you really want to be prudent. you don't want to just because v kafka said most human error is because of impatience. because people think something is going to happen and then act on it, that's where they make a mistake. >> if you want to rebalance your portfolio either now or the first of the year, is it more advisable to do so first in your tax advantaged accounts like 401(k)'s where there is no tax consequence? >> most people with 401 o 01(k'

have bought index fund. your allocation of that sector is really that index. hence you have 24% in technology. 401(k), in an i.r.a., is a great way to say let me sell of this and off. otherwise you'll accrue taxes. >> you'll have to pay taxes. >> and t no losses this year to offset any. >> oh, i could find some losses. reed, thank you so much, and again, happy new year, we appr with highland financial advisers. one sector that has been on a roll has been retail, believe it or not. the etf that tracks the sector is up 3% so far this year, a mini-roll, let's call it. most of it has come since november 1st, the beginning of the holiday season, and it was a strong one for the group. kate rogers take a look at some of the out per

>> reporter: who are the retail winners and losers this year? year to date, these five stocks are the best performers. khan1 83%. petmed express is up. five below is up 70%. in the bottom five for the index, rite aid, gnc, and then two traditional department stores, jcpenney and sears both down 60% to date. genesco inc. is down nearly 50% for the year. but if you look at the retail season, the naughty and nice list shifts around from november 1st when the shopping season really kicked off. these are the top five now. foot locker, express, abercrombie and fitch, finish line and ingles market. foot locker was one of the worst performers for the year but has really turned around this

holiday shopping season. to the downside, gnc, sears, and liberty trip adviser along with carmax. analysts say in terms of execution, amazon and walmart are the real winners, up nearly 60 and 45% year to date. back over to you. >> that was kate rogers. 2017 is not going out quietly on the weather front. with subzero temps gripping the northern part of country, the cold air has also taken hold in the south as well. the arctic weather up north has set record lows in many locations and dumped feet of snow in others. and with the frigid temperatures expected to linger through the new year, investors might want to keep an eye on heating oil and natural gas. today both commodities were up. but as you see, natural gas popped a lot, almost 7%. the new tax law that goes into effect next week could fundamentally shift the competitive landscape among the

states for business. and that's because new limits on the deductibility for state and local taxes could send workers who are in short supply across the country fleeing from high tax states to lower tax locales. and nowhere are they watching this more closely than in california, where scott cohn re. >> reporter: they make organic baby food at initiative foods outside fresno. the third largest baby food manufacturer in the country, in the heart of california's central valley. but it could be anywhere. after fire destroyed the facility last year, invitations from other states came pouring in. >> probably within two weeks, i would say. we were just sort of figuring out how to take care of the fire, how to take care of our people. an g pho calls. >> reporter: ultimat they decided to stay. after california ponied up $1.5 million in state and local

incentives. a relief to employees like sandra ventura, now back on the job. a single mom, she wanted to stay in california. but pretty much everyone here, including sandra, knows someoo affordable. >> my brother moved, because he said there are more jobs and it's too expensive. >> reporter: it's a case that low tax states have been trying to make for years. now with the new tax law potentially making states like california even more expensive, low tax states like texas and arizona are freshening up their pitches, hoping to attract businesses and workers like francisco ramirez. >> if i can find a better life somewhere el that's less expensive, and i'm working, i'll be happy. if i could find it out of state, i would move. >> reporter: worke like these areost critical piece of all. with companies nationwide having

trouble filling skilled positions. states that can attract qualified workers have an automatic edge. the ceo of san diego-based kanatis pharmaceuticals wor att talent. he's staying put but worries future startups will look elsewhere. >> investors will hesitate even more in putting their investments in california, when the cost of doing business in some other states is going to be a lot less. >> reporter: back in initiative foods, they like another aspect of the tax law which allows them to write off the cost of equipment just as they start to rebuild. installg always, allowing them to stay in california with roughly half the employees they had before. for "nightly business r" i'm scott cohn in sanger, california. > last night we talked about what you needed to do to prepay your local taxes before the new year. with stories of confusion and

surfacing in some states, we sent eric chemi to greenburgh, new york to see how residents there are handling the rush to beat the deadline and save a deduction. >> reporter: homeowners in a handful of states are rush to go visit their local tax collector's office to prepay as much of next year's property taxes as possible. there are long lines with confused residents. >> if we can pay part of it this year to get the deduction which we're not going to allowed to get next year, doesn't that make sense? it wou save money. >> the thing that frustrates me is the sense of havoc that we have. one day to the next, we don't know what to do. >> reporter: in this town, the government rushed to accommodate these last-minute taxpayers. not every town has been quick to adjust to the rules. >> we don't know how the irs would handle this. we were careful, the budget was approved by the town board.

we're not accepting taxes that haven't been assessed by the the people who live here could not pay everything because the county decided not to provide 2018 bills to quickly. >> i think what we're trying to promise is that the county will act responsibly and in doing so will do the best job to provide the most accurate tax warrants as possible, so when people do get the tax warrants from the county, they can rest assured that this is a good calculation, an accurate calculation. >> reporte that's why the answer is not completely cut and dry. it all depends on where you live. >> the way they financed it was by raiding the blue states. why? because the senate doesn't have any senators from the blue states. so they came up with a very convenient rationale, we'll raise money from the blue states and give it to the red states. so new york, a blue state, california, a blue state, jersey, a blue state, they are

paying a penalty. >> reporter: the irs on wednesday said it would only allow deductions for taxes assessed and paid in 2017. that's why residents here are rushing to pay in person, standing in line. they don't wan to take any chances and they want to make sure they're complyi with all the new rules. for "nightly business r" i'm eric chemi in greenburgh, new york. coming up, our market monitor has three stocks for 2018 she says will grow and bene if california gets ready to legalize recreational marijuana next week, cannabis companies are preparing for what some

estimate will be a $6 billion market opportunity. aditi roy takes us inside one such. >> i would like to get some ithaca. >> reporte robert short has been buying medicinal marijuana here to treat his insomnia. >> it mellows me out so i can sleep. >> reporter: but starting next week, customers like short won't need doctors' notes to get marijuana. california, which legalized medicinal marijuana in 1996, will now legalize pot for recreational use on january 1st. >> i think it's going to be a huge industry, absolutely. >> reporter: buddy's cannabis, which has been selling medical marijuana since 2010, became one of the first cannabis companies to be licensed by the state to sell recreational pot. matt lucero is the owner of

buddy's, a for silicon valley lawyer. he believes this wi be a $6 billion mark2021. >> this will be our opportunity to lose. we will be ready for the crowds. >> reporter: the five states are chock-full of inventory which lucero says is it its highest level ever. they're looking to expand their cultivation are and hire more workers. but others aren't as bullish about the prospects for recreational marijuana. there are the bureaucratic hurdles. the state has only issued about three dozen licenses to sell recreational marijuana. businesses also have to get municipal licenses. the regulations to get those permits are onerous. >> the packaging of a product, the labeling of the products, testing of products, the different operational requirements that we here to make sure that our product doesn't get into the hands of children, for example. >> reporter: and then there's the issue of banking. with marijuana still being illegal under federal law,

companies can't store their revenue at banks, instead relying on armored cars to hold their cash. california's t says it's a big challenge for marijuana businesses. >> when you can't bank, how do you move that money into the system? fear of being robbed, fear of bof burglaries, fear of physical violence, that's major fear four all of them. >> reporter: skeptics say the high tax rates could reach 45% and would hike prices and empower the black market. lucero disagrees. >> there is a concern obviously that if you tax the legal cannabis too much, you'll give an incentive for folks to go to the black market. i feel, though, that the challenge is going to be on the retailers to keep the prices down. >> reporte he says with all of the new taxes and regulations that will go into effect, he expects his prices to go up about 10%, adding that he'll still be absorbing some of the cost.

for "nightly business r m aditi roy, san jose, california. jb hunt forecast a disappointing quarter. that's where we begin tonight's markg focus. the trucking and logistics company gave earnings and sales guidance for the fourth quarter that missed analysts' estimates. the company says it expects the new tax changes to create a one-time benefit for 2017. shares were off a fraction to $115.24. when apple's ceo tim cook needs to get somewhere, he's now required to fly private. the tech giant says cook must, must fly private, even for personal travel, due to security concerns. strong sales at apple this year resulted in a big pay raise for cook. he saw a nearly 75% increase in his annual bonus. so he made about $100 million just in 2017. separately, apple apologized for not being more transparent about slowing down older iphones. the company did that, it says,

to preserve battery life and not, as some customers believe, to push users to newer models. apple shares finished the day up a fraction to $171.08. apple and amazon reportedly have their sights set on saudi arabia. reuters says the two tech heavyweights are in licensing discussions to make a potential investment in the country. apple is looking to open its first retail store there by 2019. amazon's investment timeline has not been established. amazon shares were fractionally higher to 1186.10. now our market monitor has new picks for the new year. last time she was on she recommended texas instruments, look at gain. home depot, nice one. and the spdr consumer staples etf. very nice returns on those stocks and a little less so on

the etf, but 5.25%, i'll take that any day, nancy. give me the ouk for 2018 and then we'll move quickly to your stocks. >> thank you for having me back, tyler. we're optimistic, bullish for the near medium term. but we would like to see a little bit of a correction. that was actually the reason i recommended the consumer staples etf. it's a hedge against a downturn. we think we'll see a 7 to 8% downturn or correction, and then we think stocks will take off again from there. >> let's go to something you like for 2018 and beyond, beginning with fedex which has made no bones about the fact that it sees a big benefit from this new tax law. >> absolutely, tyler. and they raised guidance prior to the tax bill passing. this is hands down the sector leader, the industry leader in ontime delivery and a big beneficiary of e-commerce. with e-commerce at 10% of sales,

we think the growth rate is pretty robust. their target is to hit 10% plus margins and 10 to 15% earnings growth. they raised the dividend 30% a year for the last three years. we think management is very d some plane orders of the boeing 777. that plus the 40% increase in earnings from tax reform is quite enticing. >> walmart has certainly got its mojo back. but you think it's got more room to run? it's had a very good year. >> it has had a good year, it's outperformed the s&p significantly since doug macmillan took over. but listen, they bought jet.com for $3 billion. they purchased a number of millenial fa bonobos, and they are quick learners. i've used jet.com, and they

expect to grow in sales and the stores look fabulous. when i'm not at saks, i'm at walmart. >> you're ahead of me, i'll have to channel my inner millenial. let's go to facebook, which may or may not be a millenial. that's one of your favorites as well, up 52% in a year. you think it can go higher? >> yes. this company -- so this company does not pay a dividend. this is for investors who are willing to take a little bit more risk, stomach some more volatility. they growing. their market share in ad revenue globally is 20%. so they have plenty of room for growth. total global revenue, ad revenue, not just digital -- i'm sorry, that was the first number i gave you -- is 5%. they don't have he market share. they still can monetize instagram and messenger. and we think that's the story much more than the facebook platform. >> we'll leave it there. happy new year, nancy tangler with heartland financial.

see you next year. >> thank you. ever wonder how to spot a scam? experts give us the tips they use, nex from fake government calls to business e-mail schemes, con artists steal millions of dollars every year. how can you weed out what's real from what's not? andrea day asked some experts to spill the signs and secrets they tell their close friends and family. and she takes us to scam school. >> the attorney. >> don't be so trustworthy. >> the fbi agent. >> don't click on that link. >> when it comes to cons, these guys are the pros. >> we get through e-mails and calls via our bureau-issued cellphones, people trying to solicit information. how they get that number, i have no idea.

>> it goes to show the people we're up against, the bad guys are pretty good at what they do. >> reporter: diane specializes in intellectual property law. there was an invoice sent to one of her clients in the mail that looks like the real deal. >> they say in order for your trademark to get processed, you need to do the following things. they asked for credit card information. but it was just a am the u.s. patent and trademar is warning. did any of them ever fall for it? >> many of them have. so hard that --ent says >> they're not able to believe i'm with the fbi, because they tell them not to believe anyone who says they're from the fbi. >> it's okay to be rude. it's okay to hang up the phone. >> reporter: another growing threat, the business e-mail compromise, where you think an e-mail is from a top exec. >> we get this all the time,

we've had clients be duped. someone in accounting believes that it was the cfo that directed them to send money. and then it gets sent and then we've got a problem. >> reporter: here is what they do to we ofake if it involves money in any way, shape, or form, do not just trust some sort of unsolicited comment that you're getting. >> a red flag is when someone calls you that you've won a sweepstakes you never eve entered. when you see something out of the blue that can't possibly be right. >> reporte the botto line, you know it. but will you listen? >> if it sounds too good to be true -- >> it probably is. >> reporter: even if you don't fall for the con, the fbi wants your call. you never know when that one nugget of information will help them tie the entire case together. i' andrea day for "nightly busine >> one cybersecurity expert said that the scam likely costing

people the most money is fake technical support, where someone tells you something is wrong with your computer. i've had that one. finally tonight, the richest people on the planet got much richer, thanks to strong stock market gains. bloomberg's billionaires index showed the top 500 wealthiest people added nearly a trillion dollar to their stash. the big winner, the world's richest man, amazon's jeff bezos, added $34 billion. he's now worth $100 billion, which qualifies him for free ship prime. that's "nightly business i'm tyler mathisen. than

>> this is "bbc world news america." funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, and kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and now, "bbc world news." sharanjit: this is "bbc world news." i'm sharanjit leyl. our top stories -- supporters of george weah celebrate as the former international footballer wins liberia's presidential election. 41 people are dead and many