landon dowdy it following that on cnbc's business news. landon, good morning. >> tracy, good morning to you. wall street looks to build on wednesday's big rally. futures are pointing to a sharply higher open. and the markets had their best day of the year as stocks bounced back, investors also reacting to the fed which is a strong signal that they might start raising interest rates in the middle of next year as long as the economy keeps on improving. look for data on manufacturing and the dow is up 282 points from 17366. the nasdaq up 96. and christmas is actually a week away from today. and retailers trying to reel in the last-minute shopping. amazon is offering free shopping if you get your order in by 10:00 al. target is keeping most stores open from now until new years. and customers can get same-day pick upwith online orders as late as 6:00 p.m. on christmas eve. >> a lot of people offering free shipping today. landon dowdy with cnbc. thanks. >>> now, your nbc10 "first alert" weather. >>> a blustery start for the morning. the temperatu

landon dowdy is here with the cnbc news. are they bringing back the mcrib, landon? >> no, they're slimming down the menu, taking eight items from its menu in efforts to take its supersize reputation and boost sales. mcdonald's said the company failed to keep up with customer changing diets and some items getting the boot. >>> it could be worth a whole lot of cash for your ipods. they're selling for as much as $900 on ebay. you happen to have the special edition ipod in 1994 one recently sold for $9400. they have more than any other device. >> i have my own ipod. and it is in my drawer. ipads always throwbacks. i wonder if i could get money for my old walkman? >> you could probably get a lot money for that. >> landon dowdy from cnbc. thanks. >> announcer: now your nbc10 "first alert" weather. >>> tracking some scattered snow showers, a dusting for much of the area. but those snow showers are on the move. and they're making snow in the pocono mountains. that's a live view from blue mountain. most of the area is below freezing. north and west, icy spots, jillian. >> th

tracy, back to you. >> landon dowdy with cnbc. thanks, landon. >>> now your nbc 10 first alert weather. >> all right, we're tof a cold start this morning, temperatures in the 20s in so many spots, almost every spot below freezing. one of those spots in the 20s, 21 in mt. pocono. a live look at camelback mountain. a great day to get skiing. it's going to feel like december. it's going to look like december. and we'll have your full forecast coming up. >>> and good morning. i'm jillian mele. if you're heading out the door and taking mass transit this morning, everything is on or close to schedule, so that's a bit of good news. i also have good news about an accident i've been following in chester county. i'll get you that update coming up in a few minutes. >>> honoring the dead and repairing relations. that's what philadelphia police commissioner charles ramsey says has to happen following the shooting death of two new york city police officers. nbc 10's katy zachry is following these developments this morning. katy? >> reporter: tha

let's check in on this morning's business news with landon dowdy of cnbc. good morning, landon. >> good morning to you, rosemary. it's judgment time for five former employees of bernie madoff. they will find out today how long they will spend behind bars for helping steal $17 billion from investors. all five were convicted in march for aiding and hiding the fraud. as many as 50 victims will have a chance to ask the judge for tougher penalties. prison sentences could range from 8 to 20 years. rosemary, back to you. >> all right, landon dowdy with cnbc, thanks for that. >>> now your nbc 10 first alert weather. >> it's a cold monday morning. the temperatures have dropped into the 20s. it feels like it's in the teens. and they've got snow on the ground in camelback and in blue mountain. live view from blue mountain, where it's nicely groomed. they're waiting for mother nature to bring some snow. we've got a nor'easter on the way, and that's a real possibility for the mountains. 26 degrees here at nbc 10 at 5:25. christine maddela in the traffic center. good morn

landon dowdy is here with details in this morning's "cnbc business news." landon, good morning. >> good morning to you, tracy. a sony pictures lawyer sent a letter to news and media organizations, demanding that information from the recent hack should not be reported on or published. lawyer david boies wrote that any information already downloaded should be destroyed. the letter comes after new reports were released that the hackers obtained an early script of the new james bond movie "spectre," due out next year. >>> and the senate passed a $1.1 trillion bill this weekend, making a government shutdown unlikely. this comes after the bill passed the house on thursday. and now it heads to president obama's desk for signing. the bill will fund government operations through september 2015 with the exception of homeland security, which is only funded until february 27th. and republicans are hoping this will give them the leverage to fight the president's executive action on immigration reform. tracy, back to you. >> landon dowdy with cnbc, thanks. >>> now your nb

landon dowdy is here with this morning's "cnbc business news." good morning, landon. >> good morning, christine. the friendly skies are going to be crowded this holiday season. airlines for america, the industry's trade group, projects 47 million people will fly between december 17th and january 4th, up 2% from last year. airlines are adding more seats by using larger planes, which are expected to be 80% to 90% full. the busiest travel day? friday, december 19th. the lightest could be christmas eve and day and new year's eve and day. christine, back to you. >> all right, landon dowdy from cnbc headquarters. thanks for joining us. >>> now your nbc 10 first alert weather. >> a windy start this morning. gusty winds will be with us through the day. we'll be watching the pocono mountains for developing snow. we've seen a few snowflakes this morning, but later today we'll see some light accumulations. jillian mele is watching traffic in the first alert traffic center. good morning, jillian. >> good morning wednesday morning to you, bill. traveling 76, t

landon dowdy joins us with this morning's "cnbc business news." on good morning. >> tracy, good morning to you. the markets look to end the year on a positive note. futures point to a higher open. stocks slipped on tuesday on pressure from overseas and a sharp decline in utility stocks but it's been a great year overall for wall street. the dow is set for six straight years of gains, the longest stretch since ending a nine-year winning streak in 1999. oil is poised for its worst year since 2008 down about 45%. we get data today on unemployment, manufacturing and pending home sales. the dow falling 55 points tuesday to 17,983 the nasdaq shedding 29 to 4,777. >>> snapchat plans to show off a global view of new year's eve. the social media app will edit together videos and photos from users' celebrations around the world, creating a documentary-style look of how people are experiencing the occasion, but items will only be included with the user's permission, and after 24 hours, the content, just like the confetti will disappear. tracy, back to you. ha

landon dowdy is here with that story in this morning's "cnbc business news." od morning, landon. >> reporter: tracy, good morning to you. futures are pointing to a higher open as stocks look to bounce back after a crazy day on tuesday. the dow moving up and down more than 700 points as investors eye oil prices and russia's economic crisis. the dow is down about 900 points since closing at a record high on december 5th. look for data today on consumer prices and earnings from fedex. >>> the fed wraps up a two-day meeting this afternoon with traders looking for clues as to when interest rates may go up. the dow, which was up as much as 247 points, closed down 112 to 17,068, while the dow fell 67. >>> sprint is facing a more than $100 million fine from the fcc for a practice known as cramming. the company allegedly charged cell phone customers for services they didn't even want, such as text message alerts and horoscopes. the fcc is also investigating cramming complaints against t-mobile. so, make sure, tracy, that you're checking your phone bills. back to you. >>

landon dowdy is here now with that story and a survey raising new concerns about our financial futures for your money. landon? >>> that's right, aaron. a new survey finds 80% of older americans failed the basics when it comes to the financial literacy. they were ask about social security, life experience and how bonds work. only one in four have written a foreman plan. many have not tried to the calculate how much they will need to retire securely. >> landon dowdy live at cnbc. thanks. >>> first lady michelle obama is set to welcome military families to the white house to see christmas decorations. children of military members will take part in arts is and crafts with the white house florists. >> also today, you can head out to the shirlington light up the village from 4:00 to 10:00 tonight you could experience traffic delays. >> should be a good time-out there. a nice area to mill about and look at the tree lighting. >> it's looking good. we need more lighting. light it up as much as you can. it is so dark and dismal. we need to get our moods improved. nice to see that. light rain mov

landon dowdy live at cnbc.hanks. >>> as you buy your childrens toys for the holiday, a new study shows you could be putting their safety at risk. nationwide children's hospital in ohio say injuries are on the rise. younger children can choke on small toys. they are warning about children falling off rides like scooters. >> that usually results in the cuts to the face or head and sometimes fractures or broken bones. >> the child is treated every three minutes for a toy-related injury. the toy industry responded saying that "toy related injuries are those associated with but not necessarily caused by a toy." >>> an unruly passenger delayed a plane in connecticut. this passenger apparently had four years. us airways say a woman had to be escorted off after her pig became disruptive last week. there's the pig. another passenger said the pig didn't smell so good, which you would expect for a pig. then it became incontinent. as the owner tried to clean up the mess, the pig began running back and forth. the woman brou

landon dowdy is following headlines for your money. landon good morning. >> reporter: aaron, good morning to you. u.p.s. is launching a new pricing system today. the company will start charging by size of package as a choice to offset fuel costs. fedex announced a similar move earlier this year. impressive opening weekend for "the interview." it took in 18 millions dollars from theaters and online sales. it has been streamed or downloaded 2 million times since wednesday, grossing $15 million. the movie available to rent or buy on itunes. aaron back to you. >> landon dowdy from cnbc thank you. >>> a man is home after a grueling bike ride for charity. >> in seven months he rode through every one of the lower 48 states he is trying to raise $25,000 for make a wish foundation. he raised about 10,000 so far, including a significant amount from co-workers and friends. >> you don't know when you leave a job if you can go back. and they will welcome me back. they kept the fund raising going the whole time i was gone. >> pretty awesome co-worker

. >>> let's get down to business with isis's landon dowdy. good morning, landon. >> good morning, dara. oil prices continue their free fall today to below $63 a barrel. it is weighing on wall street. the biggest dip in six weeks as energy stocks were slammed. oil picked up last month when opec decided not to cut production. >>> amazon is testing one hour delivery in new york city. the wall street journal says the online retailer is using messengers to deliver items from the new space near the empire space building. they will be paid $15 an hour. >>> hackers who struck sony pictures are blaming at tack on the studio's upcoming film the interview. it stars james franco and seth rogan as journalists hired to kill north korean leader kim jong-un. an e-mail says sony must stop showing the movie of terrorism. >>> it is insane. the video 60 million people have now watched. >>> plus, it is the worst putt ever. we'll give him that one. seriously, how did he miss it? the story in sports when "early today" comes right back. >>> this morning on "today," a

. >>> let's get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. >> good morning. stocks look to rebound today following monday's losses. apple led the declines. a lackluster start to the holiday shopping season. and u.s. factory output slowed less than expected last month. we get the november sales from the automakers today. they're expected to hit levels not seen in more than a decade. boosted by black friday deals and cheaper gas prices. and forecasts are expected to rise as much as 26%. not as many shoppering clicking and buying on cyber monday. it was below estimates by 8% and consumers may have taken advantage of deals taken before and after thanksgiving. the average order -- $129, down 1% from last year. back to you. >>> just ahead a selfie from muhammad ali and odell beckham, jr., does it again. another very impressive move. plus, santa won't be missing this house. a tribute to the envy of nfl fans everywhere. sports is next. >>> the packaging -- >> there morning on "today," a revealing new study showing an increase in the number of toy-related injuries. wh

. >>> let's get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. good morning. >> good morning, dara. investors are waiting on big news of the day, the november jobs report expected to show another solid month of hiring and unemployment holding at a six-year low. but wage growth has been slow. amazon is getting into the diaper business. the web retailer will start selling its own brand of diapers and baby wipes exclusively for prime members tass tries to get more people to sign up for the $99 a year service. starbucks is betting on beer and wine to boost sales. it will add more alcoholic drinks and even snacks to its menu, boosting its lunch offerings and rolling out mobile orders. they also plan to open express stores and coffee trucks and an upscale chain with premium coffee. back to you. >> thank you, landon. >>> just ahead, a legend is set to make his big return and a rare disease strikes the nhl. >>> and it is the play of the day. an insane come from behind last second play to win it all in college football. sports is up next. >>> this morning on "today," preparations are under w

. >>> let's get down to business now with cnbc's landon dowdy. good morning, landon. >> retailers are rolling out deals to lure in the last minute holiday shoppers. amazon is offering same day delivery on christmas eve in cities like new york, l.a. and seattle. if you get your order in by 10:00 a.m. target is keeping most stores open until midnight from now until new year's. customers can get same day in store pickup as late as 5:00 p.m. on christmas eve. >>> starbucks is hoping to cash in on the holiday gift action. the coffee chain expects to sell more than 2 million starbucks cards on christmas eve, that's roughly 1500 per minute. in the past year, more than $4 billion has been loaded on to starbucks cards. >>> avon is paying $135 million to settle charges it violated u.s. bribery laws. the cosmetics company pleaded guilty to giving cash and gifts to chinese government officials in order to win business in that country. angie, back to you. >> a lot of money. thanks, landon. >>> now we switch to sports with my girlfriend frances rivera. good mor

. >>> well, we want to get down to business now with cnbc's landon dowdy. good morning, landon. >> good morning, angie. stock futures pointing higher after last week was the worst so far this year. the dow down more than 300 points on friday. attention will remain on falling oil prices and the fed meeting. the senate passed the $1.1 trillion spending bill that cleared the house last week. the government shutdown is unlikely and next it heads to president obama's desk. >>> the world's wealthy have a new collectible passport. the industry has investors shelling out top dollar for express citizenship around the globe. angie, back to you. >> thanks so much. >>> want to move on over to get the latest in sports and we're going to begin with sunday night football right here on nbc. division rivalry. cowboys, eagles. the visiting team strikes first and then two more times to go up 21-0. the eagles fight back to take the lead 24-21 late in the third. the boys pull this one out, 38-27. >>> the new england patriots clinch the sixth straight afc title as tom brady threw

. >>> let's get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. good morning. >> good morning to you, milissa. stock futures pointing higher after last week was the worst so far this year. the dow down more than 300 points on friday. >>> attention will remain on falling oil prices and the fed meeting. the senate passed a $1.1 trillion spending bill that cleared the house last week, meaning a government shutdown is unlikely but next heads to president obama's desk. >>> the world's wealthy have a new collectible, passports. investors are shelling out top dollar for express citizenship around the globe. milissa, back to you. >> thank you, landon. >>> the wedding proposal that forced a building to be evacuated. >>> why michael jordan is a little jealous of kobe bryant today. you're watching "early today." ♪ >>> one of my favorites coming up on "today." he's been making folks dance since the '70s and shows no signs of slowing down. barry manilow stops by to chat about his latest album, his new tour and, of course, his legendary career. >>> now let's ge

. >>> let's get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. >> good morning, dara. the dow is aiming at 18,000 today after the index closed at a new record high on monday. investors overlooking a big plunge in oil prices and a steep drop in home sales last month. the markets are still cheering the fed's decision last week to be patient on raising interest rates. >>> natural gas prices are sliding to the lowest level in nearly two years. that's due to mild weather across the country. and more good news for consumers already enjoying the benefit of 30% drop in gasoline prices. half of the u.s. homes are using natural gas for heating. >>> the first fully functional prototype of the driverless car. it features upgrades like headlights and upgrades to steering and brakes. google hopes to begin road tests in california next year. back to you. >>> straight ahead, the top sports stories of 2014. first, in australia, mourners gathered to pay their respects to tory johnson. he's one of the victims of the deadly siege in a cafe last week. johnson was the

. >>> down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. good morning. >> good morning to you, milissa. if you're done with your holiday shopping, retailers want you to shop some more. today is green monday. it is a term coined by ebay in 2009 to mark its busiest sales day in december. it is the third biggest online shopping day of the season, with $1.4 billion in sales last year. five former employees of bernie madoff will find out how long they'll be behind bars. they were convicted in march of helping steal $17 billion from investors and hiding the fraud. sentences could range from 8 to 20 years. >>> burger king says have it your way and mnow mcdonald's wants you to create your taste. illinois, wisconsin, georgia, missouri, and pennsylvania, customers can use a kiosk to make everything they want on their burger, including the bun, the cheese, and the toppings. milissa, back to you. >>> sports is ahead. we have all your sunday football highlights. >>> plus, the end of an era for soccer star landon donovan. that's next. >>> here in the philippines, a monster typhoon is work its way acr

. >>> time for us to get down to business with landon dowdy. good morning. >> good morning. millennials might save christmas according to bank rate.com. young people aged 18 to 29 are twice as likely as their older counterparts to spend more this holiday season than last year. and get them while they're hot, krispy kreme customers can get a dozen doughnuts for free today only on 12/12. go to the day of the doughnut.com, shprescript print coupon or show it to them on their mobile device. >>> the state produces 95% of avocados. betty, back to you. >> that business report made me hungry. just ahead, the grand canyon vanishes. you have to see this. >>> a soccer shocker. a player hit by lightning during a match. sports is next. >>> no, no, no, no. straight line. hustle back. >> this morning on "today," a single mom with five kids, two jobs and a gig as football coach gets a surprise from her hero. hear her story coming up on "today." >>> right now, sports action. thursday night football, cardinals dream season unravels. arizona loses their second starting quarterback drew stanton

. >>> now, it is time to get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. >> good morning, dara. ford is expanding a recall of vehicles with takata air bags at the request of safety regulators. ford will recall older models of the ranger pickup and gt sports car in states with high humidity conditions. takata says it doesn't know what is causing the air bags to explode in crashes. >>> fast food workers on strike in new york and several other cities. they're calling for a minimum wage of $15 an hour. they'll be joined by baggage handlers and cleaning crews from new york's jfk and laguardia airports. >>> more americans are falling behind on car payments and ex-peer yohn says the balance of loans 60 days overdue are 27%. it comes after a significant increase in lending to people with bad credit and limited means. back to you. >> thanks, landon. >>> sports is just ahead. and we are awaiting the blastoff of nasa's orion spacecraft on the first test flight around the earth. stay with us. disabled. >>> this morning on "today," what happened to shane montgomery? classmates hold a vigil f

. >>> we turn to landon dowdy live at wnbc world headquarters. happy last day of 2014. >> thank you, chris. good morning. the markets look to end the year on a positive note as futures point to a higher open. this clip on tuesday on pressure from overseas and a short decline in utility stocks. ate great year for wall street. the longest stretch a nine-year winning streak in 1999. and down about 45%. data today on unemployment, manufacturing, and pending home sales. 17983. nasdaq, 4777. and get your smartphones ready. snap chat plans to show off a global view of new year's eve. social media app will edit together photos and video from celebrations all over the world take agriculture a documentary look at how people are experiencing the occasion. don't worry. items will only be be used with the user's permission. it will be used on times square. and at midnight, just like the confetti, the content will disappear. today is the day for bubbly. about two-thirds of all champagne come from thanksgiving, christmas, and new year's holidays. more than 18 m

. >>> time now to get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. >> reporter: do you want something other than fries with that? mcdonald's is limiting fries supplies. japan consums more than 300,000 tons with most imported from america. wheat looks to bounce back after a wild day on tuesday. the do you moving up and down 705 points t. dow is down 00 points since closing at record highs on december 5th. mr. sure you are checking your phone calls. sprivent is facing a fine for a practice known as cramming. the company allegedly charged cell phone customers for services they didn't even want. such as text alerts and hor oscopes. back to you. >> thanks so much. in sports, a new nhl record was set between the capitals and the panthers. the game tied at 1-all ended up in a record breaking 21-round shootout. how long is that? 40 shooters, 11 goals. the previous record was 15 t. eventual winner the panthers go to a 2-1 victory. >>> here's something you don't hear every day, a rain delay in the nba, it was halted during the first quarter a. few green roof was installed at the barclays center. aren

landon dowdy is here with that in the cnbc business news.ood morning. >> good morning to you, tracy. ford is expanding a recall of vehicles with takata air bags, the latest automaker to do so at the request of others. chrysler is recalling older dodge ram trucks and honda. with the recall nationwide. takata says it doesn't know what's causing the air bags to explode in the crashes. >>> while americans are falling behind on car payments. the balance of loans at least 60 days overdue rose 26%. and the signs of trouble came from lending to people with bad credit and limited needs. tracy, back to you. >> landon gowdy with cnbc, thanks. >>> good morning. i am tracking a mix of sun and clouds for today. but temperatures stay cold. in the mid-40s, as you head into the rest of your weekend. we are going to see a chance of rain. i'll go over all the details coming up. >>> and good morning, i'm jillian mele taking a live look at 76 right here had route 202 in the king of prussia area. 76 is clear the entire length in both directions. i'm just getting

. >>> let's get down to business with landon dowdy.nk we're the only ones not there. >> no kidding. what a happy friday. great crew. >>> the market rally looks like it could roll on for a third day. stocks had the best day of the year on thursday. the fed reassured investors they'll be patient about raising interest rates. rising more than 700 points in two days. it's the best in six years. >>> more people are doing their peyton manning with the smartphones and tablets. 35% of all transactions. it's more than at m and the branch visit. they are using it for basic services such as checking balances and depositing checks. >> google is preparing to wire the android software directly to your car. accessing streaming music, maps, and other content without having to plug-in their phones. google could roll it out until the next year or so. back to gryou. >> pretty cool. >>> in sports a battle of the two on thursday night football. jags lead the titans by four in the fourth quarter. jordan breaks free there. down the middle for a 62-yard score

. >>> down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. good morning. >> with one day to go, 2014 has been a good year for the markets. the dow is set for six straight years of gains. the longest stretch since ending a nine-year winning streak in 1999. oil is poised for the worst year since 2008, down 45%. raise your glass. today is the day for bubbly. two-thirds of all champagne and sparkling wine is bought for special occasions and 40% of all sales come during the fourth quarter of the year over the thanksgiving, christmas and new year's holidays. more than 18 million cases were sold in the u.s. last year. >>> and white castle isn't known for its healthy menu options, but that may change. the fast food chain rolled out a veggie slider for 99 cents, but not for dieters. it ranges between 170 and 250 calories versus 150 and 220 for the traditional beef slider. >>> now to sports, maryland faced michigan state in a thriller. >> clock running down. >> shoot it. >> and he hit it! oh, wow! >> maryland's dez wells sends it to overtime with a gam

now it's time to get down to business with landon dowdy. >> good morning to you. it was an impressive opening weekend for the interview. the sony comedy took in $18 million from theaters and online sales. it has been streamed or downloaded more than 2 million times since wednesday and is now available on itunes. sony's playstation network is back online following several days of disruptions. it could still cause issues. a hacker group posted a link on twitter that contains 13,000 user names and credit cards. the dow was at record levels and has risen in the past 7 trading sessions. the dow posting it's best 7 point gain since 2008. back to you. >> thank you so much landon. now it's time for the latest in sports from my friend francis rivera. >> good morning to you. lots going on especially with the nfl regular season that ended and the last playoff spots are filled. the steelers defeated the bengals and clench the number three seed and claim the afc north and the ravens get the final spot after rallying 20-10 and here's a look at the rest of the nfc playoff pick c

for them the rest of the news before the bell, we turn to landon dowdy, that is not encouraging news. good morning. >> no, it's not. good morning to you, sam. survey finds one in five people expect to be in debt for the rest of their lives. credit cards.com says that's double the numbers of those who said so last year. millennials aren't as concerned about it, though many are saddled down with student loans. people over 65 expect to be in debt forever. this may be because they're assuming responsibility for their children's student loans. >>> detroit set to exit bankruptcy as the city's restructuring plan takes effect. detroit filed for the largest municipal bankruptcy in u.s. history last year. it won approving last month to sed shed $7 billion of its $18 billion in debt. >> thank you. >>> the u.s. house approved a controversial bill that would take water from rivers and reservoirs from north california and send it south. they voted on the bill but it's likely the senate won't have time to take it up this year. the bill's designed to help farmers. but those who support the bill say e

. >>> time to get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, todd, happy friday. investors are awaiting big news of the day. the november jobs report. it's expected to show another solid month of hiring, and unemployment holding at a six-year low. the fed could give room holding off on raising interest rates a while longer. amazon is getting into the diaper business. the web retailer will start selling its own brand of diapers and baby wipes exclusively for prime members as it tries to get more people to sign up for that $99 a year service. starbucks is betting on beer and wine to boost sales. the coffee chain will add more alcohol and drinks eechkd snacks to its menu boosting its lunch offering and rolling out mobile orders. starbucks plans to open express stores and coffee trucks and an upscale chain with premium coffee. back to you. >> have a great weekend. >>> what did new jersey governor chris christie know and when did he know? plus, baby, baby. meet mighty miya. details of her shocking arri

landon dowdy is here with that in this morning's "cnbc business news." landon?> tracy, good morning to you. futures are pointing to a mixed open as the markets look to extend the holiday cheer. the dow closing at a record high on friday. it's now posted two straight weeks of gains and is up in the past seven trading sessions. its best seven-day performance since 2008. there's no major economic data today, but local reports this week on home prices, consumer confidence and pending home sales. the dow rising to 18,053. the nasdaq up to 4,806. >>> u.p.s. is launching a new pricing system today. the company will start charging by size of packages for ground of delivery in the u.s. and canada as it tries to offset fuel costs. u.p.s. already charges by weight and size for air shipments, and fedex announced a similar move earlier this year. tracy, back to you. >> landon thanks so much. >>> now your nbc 10 first alert weather. >> tracking some light rain this morning in parts of the area. most of the area's dry, but there have been some on-and-off rain showers in cape m

landon dowdy is here with this morning's "cnbc business news." landon, good morning. >> good morning, tracy. futures are slightly lower ahead of the opening bell and stocks rallied on tuesday with the dow closing at a record high on the back of strong november auto sales and better-than-expected numbers on construction spending. look for data today on private sector jobs, productivity and the services sector. the dow rising 102 points to 17,879, the nasdaq up 28 to 4,755. >>> big changes are coming to the billboard charts. for the first time, the music magazine will factor sales of streaming and downloads into its weekly ratings of the top songs and albums. the move is aimed at providing a better sense of what's popular, reflecting not just sales, but consumption of music. artists that could see a big boost include ariana grande and maroon 5. tracey tracy, back to you. >> makes sense. thanks so much. >>> now your nbc 10 first alert weather. >> temperatures warming into the 50s, above average for us, but we're starting off with foggy skies and also

. >>> time to get down to bs b bus with cnbc's landon dowdy. >>> amazon is offering same day deliverymas eve and cities such as new york, l.a. and seattle. if you get your order in by 10:00 a.m. target is keeping most stores open until midnight from now until new year's and customers can get same day instore pick up as late as 5:00 p.m. on christmas eve. >>> starbucks hopes to cash in on the holiday gift card action. the coffee chain expects to sell more than 2 million starbucks cards just on christmas eve. that's roughly 1300 per minute. $4 billion has been loaded on to starbucks cards. >>> avon is settling charges. the cosmetics company pleaded guilty to giving cash and gifts to chinese government officials in order to win business in that country. frances, back to you. >> thank you very much. >>> just ahead, the dick cheney holiday gift even a democrat might want. plus, it has the nfl buzzing, a big lose by the chicago bears and a marquis player. sports is up next. this is "early today." it's a sale so big, kohl's is open 24 hours! all day and all night starting 6am friday through

. >>> let's get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. >> millennials might save christmas.ng people aged 18 to 29 are twice as likely as their older counterparts to spend more money this holiday season than last year. >>> and get them while they're hot. christ krispy kreme customers can get a dozen free doughnuts today only on 12/12. go to the day of the doughnuts.com and print out the coupon and show it on your mobile device. >>> if you're a fan of guacamole, stock up. avocados may be hard to come by in the next couple of months. california's drought takes the blame as the state produces 95% of avocados. back to you. >> that business report has me hungry. thank you. >>> bill karins with your weekend weather, that's next. and the incredible scene as police came face to face with the wanted dad involved in a massive amber alert. that's next. before larry instantly transferred money from his bank of america savings account to his merrill edge retirement account. before he opened his first hot chocolate stand calling winter an "underserved season". and before he quit his frien

. >>> let's get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. good morning. >> good morning, milissa.ep its economy from falling into a tail spin. raising interest rates from 10% to 17%. that's aimed at stemming the slide in the ruble which dropped 50% versus the dollar this year. cheaper oil prices have led to less demand for russian oil, meaning russian companies have fewer dollars to turn into rubles, which has hurt the currency. >>> nbc is launching a live stream of its network shows. content will be available on demand and consumers have to prove they have a paid tv subscription. they will launch a mobile live stream next year. >>> keep your eyes on the road. the automaker is testing a virtual windshield giving drivers a 360 degree view. the technology picks out potential hazards such as pedestrians, other cars and signs and projects them on the windshield. milissa, back to you. >>> just ahead, why the director of "frozen" is apologizing to parents. >>> why this nba doll is confusing everyone. you're watching "early today." ♪ when you don't get enough sleep... and your body aches

cnbc's landon dowdy is here with the early numbers in this morning's "cnbc business news." good morning. >> that's exactly right. good morning to you, tracy. early promotions in online shopping took a toll on brick-and-mortar sales this holiday weekend. the national retail federation says total sales fell 11% to $50.9 billion. shoppers spent on average about $381, and that's down 6% from last year. analysts say consumers may be feeling better about their financial situation, so they don't need as many deals. online sales rose 32% on thanksgiving, 26% on black friday. >>> and your true love won't have to get a second mortgage to buy you everything you want this christmas. pnc is out with its christmas price index, which tracks the cost of every item in the 12 days of christmas song. this year's bill, $27,673.22. so, that's up about 1% from last year. the smallest increase since 2002. 8 of the 12 items cost the same as the last year. the six geese a laying rose a whopping 16% while partidge in a pear tree is up, but still reasonable at just $20. make sure you put that our you

landon dowdy is back at cnbc headquarters with the details. landon. >> seema, that's right. good morning. what a year it has been for ipos. they're put ix is the last ipo for this year and it begins trading on the nasdaq today. the biotech firm, which is working on new cancer treatments, price is offering at $24 a share and that is above the expected range which was this week due to demand. at that level, even before it begins trading, juno would have a higher market cap than 80 of the 117 companies in the nasdaq biotech index. a record 71 biotech companies have gone public in 2014 is according to renaissance capital, raising nearly $ 5 billion. that's double the volume and activity from 2013. the sector accounts for about a quarter of u.s. listed ipos this year. shares have received a warm welcome for investors. kite pharma is up about 0.17% for its overall shares. companies have listed in the u.s. this year, raising an estimated $95 billion. that makes 2014 the best year for ipos by the number of offerings since 2000. the u.s. also leads the global rankings, accounting for

cnbc's landon dowdy joins us with how much they are expected to rake in on for your money richard, that's right. it's time to raise your glass. today is the day for some bubbly. about two-thirds of all champad spark wine is bought for special occasions. 40% come during the fourth quarter of the year over the thanksgiving chris and new year's holiday. 18 million cases were sold in the u.s. last year. richar get your glass record. cheers to a good 2015. >> cheers to you, landon. thank you. >> thanks. >> i want in on that. >>> well the last day of practice for the winter classic is today. take a look at this. you are taking a live look outside nationals park in southeast d.c. the caps will skate at 11:30 this morning. you'll be able to see them live on news 4 midday. if you're at work we will stream the show online. the game is tomorrow. live coverage starts at 11:00 a. >>> caps owner ted leonsis is really really kited for the game. he sat down with jim vance to talk about the win. >> we worked really really hard to say that we were building's s hockey capital. and the two teams that are pla

landon dowdy is live at cnbc headquarters with the latest. landon. >> good morning.ives at sony pictures will reportedly leave it up to movie theater owners to decide whether to show the interview. the comedy set to open in the u.s. on christmas day and that comes after threats of violence surfaced on tuesday. reports say the hackers who claim to have carried out the massive cyber attack on the studio last month are threatening physical attacks. in a message posted online, the company reference tess 9/11 terror attacks and the department of homeland security says there's no credible evidence of a plot against movie theaters, but reports say some in the industry are urging sony to cancel the movie release. and such a move is unprecedented. studios and theaters work out when and where a movie will play out months in advance. the hackers have posted more than 30,000 e-mails to and from chief michael linton. they include discussions involving linton and other business executives. several former sony employees have sued the studio this week, alleging the company knew its

landon dowdy has a look at how much they're expect to go rake in. good morning.to you, angie. it's time. raise your glass. today is the day for some bubbly. about two-thirds of all chamd sparkling wine is bought for special occasions. 40% of sales come during the thanksgivingew year's holidays. 18 million cases were sold in the u.s. last year. snap chat pls to show a global view of new year's eve. they added photos and video from users a at celebrations all over the world, creating a documentary style look how people are experiencing the occasions. items will only be included with user permission. it will be shown in the live section and also on screens in new york's times square. angie, happy new year. >> same to you. that's going to be pretty cool. >>> in virginia flags will be lowered to half-staff next monday to honor former congressman herbert harris ii. 88-year-old died christmas eve. he served in congress from 1975 to 1980. he also served on fairfax county board of supervisors. and at one time he was the vice chair of t >> well you might just have a hard t

cnbc's landon dowdy is here with that story and others for "for your money" >> 80% of older americans failed the basics on financial literacy. only one in four have written a financial plan. many never even tried to calculate how much they will need to retire securely. big changes coming to the billboard charts. the music magazine will factor streaming of down loads into its rankings. con assumption of music could see a big boost, including ariana grande and maroon 5 >> a man on death row is scheduled to be executed today. his lawyers are making one last case against it. they say scott peletti is mentally ill and delusional. they say he did not know what he was doing when he killed his wife and daughter in front of his in-laws. think say the execution would not be appropriate punishment. >>> walmart is stalling and refuse to go give information about their safety practices. morgan is suing walmart after one of its drivers slammed into his limo to the jersey turnpike, killing his friend. the comedian suffered a brain injury. the former walmart driver is not named in the lawsuit but fac

cnbc's landon dowdy is here with a look at the minimum wage increases happening january 1st. n. >> reporter: the minimum wage is going up in 21 states on new year's day. this will pay for $2.4 million workers by another dollar average per hour. there's no change in virginia but both maryland and west virginia will see their minimum wage go from $7.25 an hour to $8 an hour and rise again later this year. d.c. has the highest minimum wage at $9.50 an hour. expect that to go up to $10.50 in july. >>> u.p.s. and fed ix got back on time this year. they delivered 90% of the packages after struggling with the surge in last-minute orders last year. fedex was out delivering items still on christmas day. >>> thank you very much. a man is going to prison for transporting mar in the mail. prosecutors say she delivered more than 40 kilos worth as much as $70,000. she'll spend a year in prison followed by six months in detention at home. >>> muriel bowser will fight homelessness in the district. she announced human services appointments while visiting miriam's kitchen in the foggy bottom ne

landon dowdy is here with more on that ing. >> reporter: angie, good morning you. the minimum wage is going up in 21 states on new year's day. average workers will get another dollar an hour. another 2 million people will benefit from cost of living adjustments. but in maryland and west virginia many will see their minimum wage go from $.7.25 an hour to $8 an hour and it will rise again later this year. and in d.c. the wage will rise to $10.50 an hour. >>> and ups and fedex delivered 9 90% of their packages on time. still, high weather forced fedex to deliver items on christmas day. back to you. >> landon thank you. >>> after a disappointing redskins season no word on how much richmond will pay for summer training camps. in 2013 the richmond economic development autho failed to make the school kribscont y fut shortfall would technically give the redskins the right to walk away from the deal. they have not determined yet how to make enough money for the second summer training camp in the city. >>> today we're the national park. watch later today to find out how well

landon dowdy has that and plus how the futures are trading this last day of the year. >> good morning to you. the markets look to end the year on a positive note. and futures point to a higher open. stocks on pressure from overseas. it has been a great year overall for wall street. dow is set for six straight years of gains, the longest stretch since a nine-year winning streak in 1999. oil down about 45%. 2014 may go down as the year of the auto recall. g.m. ignition switches and takata air bags. some of the previous records set in 2004. there have been 700 recall announcements this year, that's two a day. that's the equivalent of 20 percent of the cars on the road. and paying parking tickets with apple pay and bitcoin. new york issues between 8 and 10 million parking tickets a year, generating $30 billion of revenue for fines. guys, back to you. >> that would be interesting to see whether they get their payments faster. i know i probably would if i could do it that way. thank you very much, landon. >>> 5:16 right now. you may think we have 18 hours, 44 minutes away from new year's. >

joining us with more on the story, landon dowdy from cnbc hq. good morning. >> good morning.happy friday. the canadian government has approved an $11 million takeover of tim horton's. the combined company would have about $23 billion in annual sales in more than 18,000 locations. burger king agreed to several conditions. the company will list shares on the toronto stock exchange. there will be no cobranding at any north american stores. the deal sparked fears when it was announced in august. some canadian consumers were upset with what they say as a beloved national brand falling into foreign hands. berger king's executive said the transaction wasn't canada has rejected several foreign takeovers in recent years. it turned down bhp's takeover. berkshire hathaway provided $3 billion for preferred shares that carry a 9% coupon. berkshire previously paired up with 3g capital to buy heinz. >> landon, thank you very much for that. now, starbucks will add wine and peer to its evening menu. it is set to roll out in cafes across the united states. >> i wonder if this will steal market

landon dowdy joins us with more. >> good morning, t.oone pickens has been involved in the oil and gas industry one way or another for about 50 years. so he knows about prognosticating. he expects opec to eventually move to cut production possibly in the first half of next year with saudi arabia leading the charge. pick.soffered his latest on cnbc. >> we've increased production a million barrels a year for the past three years. that is regardble. subsequently, i think you'll probably see opec do something in the first quarter of next year as far as cutting production. but i'm not so sure how much they have to cut to get to where i said you would be in 12 to 18 months. you'll be back at $100 a barrel. >> picken's call comes as data shows permits for new oil and gas wells in the u.s. fell nearly 40% last month. new permits indicate what drilling rigs will be doing three months out. the permian basin and the eagle ford in texas and the bakken shale in north dakota. u.s. oil prices fell 17% between october 31st and november 28th. analysts sa

landon dowdy is at cnbc hq with all the details. >>> wilfred, good morning to you.mm was ordered to pay his ex-wife $1 billion in the divorce last month. at the time, he called the ruling fair and equity whitble. but a lot has changed since then. due to the drop in oil prices, hamm is now saying the settlement is inet whitble. the former mrs. hamm, now going by her maiden name, is appealing the settlement saying it short changes the contributions she has made to continental during their 26-queer marriage. a former attorney at the company, she was part of several issues. harold hamm's wealth is tied up in continental with pioneer production in north dakota. he has a 60% stake in the company which went public in 2007. h amm's decision making during their marriage led to a big surgery in continental stock. when the settlement was announced, continental was trading at $24 per share. but then then, it's fallen by a third. that cut hamm's personal fortune in half. the couple's divorce has dragged on for more than two years and has already cost tens of millions of dollars.

landon dowdy at the cnbc headquarters joins us with the details. it's the first time we've spoken.o see you. >> good to see you, too. let's start with coke. the company says it doesn't expect earnings growth in 2015 to be significantly different than this year when numbers are adjusted for currency. coke expects profit growth of 4% to 5% in 2014 and that's in line with estimates. in october, the company warned it would mix long-term earnings targets to currency fluctuations. it announced cost cutting measures and a timeline to sell its bottling operations. so it doesn't expect sales volumes to improve from the third to fourth quarter as it continues to face challenges in emerging markets brazil and china. earlier on monday, activist investors stepped up its criticism calling for the ceo to be replaced. winter green, run by david winters has been in a battle with coke for much of this year. winters says management along with a board and conversation plan has them taking value of the stock in half. a coke spokesperson says wint winter's claims are without merit. >>> and on to boeing,

landon dowdy is here with more. >> the u.s.s moving to prevent anger with north korea from getting out of control following the hacking attack. the white house is still weighing in on how to punish north korea after the fbi determined the government was responsible. north korea has denied any involvement and vows to strike back against any u.s. retaliation. president obama tells cnn one option could be to return north korea to the u.s. list of state sponsors of terrorism, but he says that sony hacking is not an act of war but rather an act of cyber vandalism. >> we're going to be in this environment, in this new world with both state and non-state actors will have the capacity to disrupt our lives in all sorts of ways. we have to do a much better job of guarding against that. >> sony canceled plans last week to release "the interview" in theaters on christmas, but the new york post expects the studio will still put out the film possibly for free on their streaming video website. "meet the press" is told that the movie will even

with more, let's get out to landon dowdy. good morning, wilfred. renting club, once made the shady business of internet loans into a booming industry is going public today. the company pricing its ipo at $15 a share, above the expected range. far more than gopro's record ipo in june. valuing the largest peer to peer lender at $5.had billion. lenning club will trade on the new york stock exchange under the ticker lc. lending club is the first online lender to go public. it helps match people seeking loans with investors willing to provide them and borroweders than a traditional bank, simultaneously producing greater returns for lenders. lending club has financed more than $6 billion in loans, but the business does face several risks, including more competition from banks and other online lenders. rising interest rates and more regulation. the company has some high profile names on its board, including former u.s. treasury secretary larry summers and former morgan stanley ceo john mac. analysts speculate lending club could use the proceeds from the i