Market Performance: January 25, 2024.

Nasdaq 100 futures slid on Thursday evening after Intel issued an outlook that fell short of Wall Street’s expectations.

Futures linked to the tech-heavy index shed 0.5%. S&P 500 futures dropped 0.2%, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipped 81 points, or 0.2%.

In after-hours trading, Intel ’s stock price sunk 10% after the chip manufacturer posted disappointing fiscal first-quarter guidance for the top and bottom lines. Semiconductor stock KLA Corp slid more than 5% after the company posted light revenue and earning per share guidance for its fiscal third quarter.

15 Things I Won’t Spend Money on in 2024

American author and personal finance expert Rachel Cruze recently sat down with Dawn Madsen from Minimal Mom to talk about minimalism and cutting costs — something Madsen has been doing for the past eight years.

Cups

Cruze said she’s going to avoid purchasing cups, mugs and water bottles. She pointed out that it’s all too easy to stock up on these things but then end up in a situation where there’s not enough room for all of them in the cupboards.

Rugs

Madsen said she won’t be buying any new rugs for her home this year. Rugs have to either be vacuumed or specially cleaned, which can take effort. Along with this, pet hair, crumbs and debris can end up underneath area rugs, requiring more maintenance.

Kids’ Clothes

Something else Cruze refuses to buy are unnecessary children’s clothes, especially those from expensive brands. As she pointed out, children’s apparel doesn’t end up getting worn all that much, if at all. This leads to wasted money and closet space.

Together, Cruze and Madsen discussed the top things they refuse to spend money on in 2024 and why. Here’s what they said.

Half of Americans say their personal finances have gotten worse since 2020. Is relief on the way in 2024?

Raquel Alfaro graduated from college in 2019 with big expectations: She’d quickly get a job related to her journalism degree, buy a house and be financially independent. She hadn’t expected to be routinely ghosted by recruiters, struggle with her mental health or lose her first post-grad job during COVID-19.

Now 26, Alfaro lives with her family in Maryland, working as a customer affairs specialist and taking side jobs walking dogs. Between her car payment and gas for her hour-and-a-half commute, groceries, debt repayment and other expenses, she can’t afford to get an apartment in the area, where a one-bedroom apartment is the cost of an entire paycheck.

It’s not the future she had in mind for herself. “At 26, I thought I’d be more financially stable. That’s the narrative people want to put out there,” Alfaro says. “Right now, I don’t feel like that. I still feel like I’m figuring out my life and figuring out my financial situation.”

Despite months of recession fears, nationwide metrics now show the U.S. economy is actually growing. However, while wages are strong and unemployment is low, many Americans still feel inflation is too high to comfortably afford necessities.

Here’s how the broader financial landscape has affected Americans’ wallets since 2020.

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