her is alexis christoforous with this morning's business brief. >> reporter: most americans say they are worse off since president barack obama took office two years ago. a new poll find 1% of americans think -- finds 51% of americans think their situation has worsened. and about 65% believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. on wall street, stocks were mixed despite news that fewer americans applied for unemployment benefits last week. the nasdaq moved up 7.5. american's wealth grew 2.2% over the summer as people's portfolios surged. the federal reserve household net worth rose to nearly $55 trillion last quarter. it's the value of assets such as homes, checking accounts and investments minus debts. and mortgage rates are at a six- month high. the average for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage stands at 4.61%, above the average seen just a month ago. and ford will hire 1800 workers at a plant in kentucky to build the escape. the automakerrer is investing $600 million to overhaul the factory. late next year, ford says it will be one of the most advanced plants in the company. a

. >> here's alexis christoforous with the business headlines. >>> the federal reserve meets today in washington. wall street is betting the fed will signal it's willing to buy more government bonds if the economy needs the extra stimulus. the fed is committed to buying $600 billion of government debt to keep interest rates low and support job growth. on wall street, stocks finished mixed. the dow rose 18 points ofen the day. the nasdaq down 13. >>> gulf coast residents, affected by the b.p. oil spill, could get a quick payout from the company if they waive their right to sue. the quick pay option is aimed at businesses and people satisfied with the emergency compensation they have received so far or who lack the documentation to file more claims. individuals would receive $5,000 and businesses would get $25,000 within two weeks. >>> orange juice could get more expensive. florida has declared a state of emergency because of the severe cold and damage to crops. there is a concern the weather will damage crops. >>> >>> despite a strong november, a new survey finds shoppers are more relu

in new york, i'm alexis christoforous. >>> twitter is just released their top trends of 2010. the social media site's cofounder, bidstone, sat down with cnet.com's natalie morris, to tell us what the world has been tweeting. >> reporter: the gulf oil spill, fifa world cup, and the movie "inception," were the top trending topics on twitter this year, followed by the haitian earthquake; on monday, twitter released its top trends of 2010. they do this every year. and the results are always surprising. >> one of the things that strike mease about the overall trends, when you look at these things, like the world cup. obviously that's going to trend. it highlights that twitter can make the world seem that much smaller. >> reporter: the question is, how much do these twitter trends reflect what america or the rest of the world is thinking? >> reporter: according to a study, only 8% of americans who are online use twitter. yet the number of people who are on twitter has skyrocketed in the last two years. >> we had about 3 million registered accounts on twitter in 2008. now we have ove

in new york, i'm alexis christoforous. >>> coming up on eyewitness news at 4:00. hundreds of passengers stranded in the heat. who is taking blame for the summer marc train disaster? >>> and... the snow keeps coming down. how much will we get? the first warning weather team is tracking it. wjz is always on. for the top stories on wjz.com, instant updates and first warning weather all the time, click wjz.com. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,, >>> so we're watching first warning live doppler radar. and the progression of this storm. it's moved through pretty quickly. the bulk of it to our south. and as you can see, the thinning of the bands of snow are starting to be apparent. a lot of area that is dry now from annapolis toward d.c., north of the beltway. but the damage for all intents and purposes, the damage is done. the balance of the snow now has pretty much fallen. we still have a winter weather advisory in effect until 9:00. and even after the snow stops, temperatures are still so cold, everything came down as the frozen precipitation. and we're not expecting to see any ch

in new york, i'm alexis christoforous. >>> coming up on eyewitness news at 4:00. quick-thinking security guard. hear from the man who prevented a school board massacre. why he says he's not a hero. >>> i'm mike schuh, wjz eyewitness news. in towson, one day one day after the first snowfall. the county unveils new technology to keep track of how clean the streets are where you live. the story when we return. >>> will maryland get another dose of winter white? wjz is tracking the potential snowfall in the forecast. >>> wjz is always on. for the top stories on wjz.com, instant updates and first warning weather all the time, click wjz.com. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> well, as we take a look at a pretty bright sky. we've seen a breakthrough of the clouds. sun is out. warmed us up to nice 37. we say nicely because we have been down to 27. and without the wind, the 37 is pretty nice. and it's also melted down much of the snow we had yesterday as well. we're now setting our sights on the weekend forecast. down to the bottom of your screen. direct your attention down just to the

let's go to new york right now, where alexis christoforous has tonight's cbs money watch update. >> theal reserve did not change interest rates at a final meeting of the year. fed chief ben bernanke and fellow policy makers said while the economic recovery is continuing, it's too slow. they also capped a plan to buy 600 million federal bonds. >>> and retail sales gave stocks to booths. sales rose for the fifth straight month in december. the biggest jump for the holiday season in two years. gave a strong start. >>> shares of best buy fell the most in eight years. down 15%. that's after the largest consumer electronics retailer slashed its annual profit forecast because of increased competition from wal-mart and target. >>> and wholesale prices posted their largest gain in november. that's mostly because of a large increase in the cost of new cars. but there was little sign of inflation in that report, which showed the weak economy is keeping prices in check. and that's your money watch. for more, just stay with cbs money watch.com. in new york, i'm alexis christoforous. >>> still ahead

. >>> here's alexis christoforous with the business headlines. >>> economists predict rates on fixed mortgages will move higher next year. the average rate on a 30-year loan jumped to a six-month high last week and although rates are expected to remain below 5% for sometime, the higher rates go the more unattractive financing will become to some homeowners. >>> attorney general is forcing google to turn over data they say they inadvertently collected with the google mapping service. >>> on wall street the dow added 40 points nile while the nasdaq gained 20 to close at a three year high. employees of ikea can go to work in style. 400 employees were given a silver mountain bike last week, a thank you for a great year. not every business is celebrating a successful year the same way. some wall street banks are asking employees to pay to chip in for their own holiday parties. that's the money watch. for more, head over to cbs."marketwatch".com. >>> a popular dc bargained a new lease on life. a local nonprofit for the blind and those who need help reading may go belly up. >>> good morning

. >> here is alexis christoforous with today's headlines. >> reporter: the house finally gets to vote on the tax cut bill today. democrats are considering changes including a vote to raise the estate tax. the bill which overwhelmingly passed in the senate wednesday would save millions of americans a tax hike next year. it would also reduce social security taxes and extend jobless benefits. the government is suing bp and eight other companies in the gulf oil spill disaster. the lawsuit asks that the companies be held liable for all removal, cost and damages caused by the spill. including damages to natural resources with no cap on the dollar amount. >>> on wall street, the dow jones industrial average lost 19 points giving up an early rally. the nasdaq gave back 10 and a half. >>> top discuss at goldman sachs are getting a big belated payday. the ceo lloyd blankfine is expected to collect $24 million in stock next month. it is a delayed payoff from last year and goldman's record setting 2007 bonuses. >>> holiday travel is expected to rise about 3% during the christmas to new year's per

let's go to alexis christoforous. >> the senate has passed a sweeping tax cut package that would spare millions of americans higher taxes come january. the house is expected to vote on it tomorrow. the government is outlawing drop side cribs after the death of toddlers. all drop side cribs will be banned from being sold or resold. manufacturing and assembly problems have caused the frame to pull away from the mattress. mcdonald's is being sued over the happy meal sues. one mother wants the fast food to stop using the toys to market to children. they claims it targets the child's vulnerability. and dannon will pay $21 million and drop health claims for the dairy drinks. its ads claim it helps relieve irregularity and can help prevent the cold and flu. the federal trade commission said there's not enough evidence to back up those claims. >>> you could soon pay your speepgd tickets on the spot. police have come up with a pilot project in san antonio, texas. you can pull out your credit card and pay what you owe. some drivers who owe money on tickets could go to jail. >>> the startling thi