Change? I love change – Since 1950, the S&P 500 Index has risen by an average of 20.9% in every calendar year following midterm elections. The pattern has held regardless of party. However, 2027 could test that streak: High valuations and 10-year Treasury yields hovering near 5% are creating headwinds that weren’t present in previous post-midterm rallies. (Source: 24/7 Wall Street)

We found Red October – US stocks ended October on a sharp sell-off as disappointing Big Tech earnings renewed concerns about AI spending vs. potential returns. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 5.2% for the month, its worst month since March 2025, while the S&P 500 Index lost 1.2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which has less tech exposure, gained 1.5%. (Source: Yahoo Finance, as of 10/31/26)

A mere pittance, a trifling sum – Apple is planning to raise about $7 billion in a new bond offering, its first since May 2025 (for $4.5 billion). Apple is the latest Big Tech firm to issue bonds this year, with Microsoft, Oracle, and Meta raising a combined $50 billion in just the last few weeks to help fund infrastructure projects. (Source: Bloomberg)

It’s the economy, stupid – The economy was the top concern for voters in the midterm elections, with about nine in 10 voters citing the cost of living as a major factor for how they voted. Food and fuel prices were the most common affordability concerns. (Source: AP News)

Europe’s up the creek – The Rhine River, one of Europe’s major trade routes, is running at record lows: The water level at a key shipping chokepoint is forecast to fall to just 2 inches next week (compared to a five-year average of nearly five feet). Months of drought and heat waves have restricted traffic this year, but now the levels are so low standard barges can’t pass through, driving transportation costs higher. (Source: Bloomberg)

What a lesson in supply and demand – US business schools saw applications to full-time MBA programs drop 27% from the previous cycle, amid a 38% decline in international applications across graduate business programs. The pullback was much milder overseas, with applications to European programs down just 2%. (Source: Bloomberg)

C’s get retirees – The US retirement system earned a C+ in the 2026 Marsh CFA Institute Global Pension Index, which evaluated 55 retirement systems around the world on factors including adequacy, sustainability, and integrity. Researchers cited concerns about Social Security's long-term sustainability, uneven access to workplace retirement plans, and an aging population that’s putting greater pressure on retirement resources. (Source: Moneywise)

Antique car rides next, please? – The 40 candy-colored miniature cars in Disneyland’s Autopia attraction, which are currently powered by 8.5-horsepower gas engines, will be replaced by EVs early next year. The overhaul follows a 2024 settlement with California air regulators that requires Disney to phase out the ride’s polluting gas-powered fleet. (Source: The New York Times)

Use it in a sentence – Dictionary.com named “maxxing” its 2026 Word of the Year after searches for the term and its many spinoffs surged this year. It means optimizing some aspect of your life, whether that’s your appearance (looksmaxxing), AI use at work (tokenmaxxing), or even your inner Italian grandmother (nonnamaxxing). Affordability, data center, odyssey, and unc rounded out the shortlist. (Source: Dictionary.com)

They grow up so fast – The Golden State Valkyries are WNBA champions just two years after joining the league. They defeated the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 of the Finals, capping the first seven-game championship series in the WNBA's 30-year history. (Source: NBC Sports)