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Wall Street is set to open higher on Thursday as strong Microsoft results helped technology stocks recover from their sharp post-Federal Reserve sell-off. Dow Jones futures were up 225 points, or 0.4%, while S&P 500 futures pointed to a 0.6% gain and the Nasdaq was called 1.3%...
July 29 () - GE HealthCare on Wednesday beat Wall Street estimates for second-quarter profit, helped by strong demand for its diagnostic and imaging devices and refunds of tariffs imposed under U. Shares of the medical device maker rose 12% in premarket trading.
July 29 (Reuters) - GE HealthCare on Wednesday beat Wall Street estimates for second-quarter profit, helped by strong demand for its diagnostic and imaging devices and refunds of tariffs imposed
<body><p>STORY: :: New York / July 27, 2026</p><p>:: Dietrich Knauth, Legal Reporter</p><p>"After years of litigation, about 70,000 court cases, and three bankruptcies, Johnson& Johnson has agreed to a $5.5 billion talc settlement. Why are they settling now? </p><p>:: Why did J&J settle after more than a decade of talc litigation?</p><p>"So tens of thousands of women have accused Johnson& Johnson of causing their ovarian cancer. They've alleged that talc-based products, including baby powder, have been contaminated with asbestos and caused them to develop cancer after using these products for a long period of time. Johnson& Johnson has denied that, but these cases have continued to go to trial."</p><p>"And after a couple of attempts to settle these cases through bankruptcy courts, Johnson& Johnson has now reached a deal where they think they can end all of these cases for an overall payment that is about $5.5 billion, although that number could rise depending on how many people participate in the settlement."</p><p>"One of the plaintiff's lawyers told me today that he thinks it's closer to $7 billion. That's not something we're going to know for some time."</p><p>:: Could J&J still face new talc lawsuits in the future?</p><p>:: Johnson & Johnson</p><p>"It does not fully close the door on all future talc litigations. Somebody could develop cancer in the future, decide that they want to file a lawsuit against Johnson& Johnson, because they think that company's product caused their cancer. The reason for that is that there's something called a latency period, which is essentially the delay between when you experience the factors that caused your cancer and when that cancer actually shows up."</p><p>"But, you know, this deal basically gets rid of all of the existing cases. That's the idea."</p><p>J&J reached the settlement after a series of wins in court, including victories in individual trials, successful efforts to disqualify plaintiffs' lawyers from the litigation, and court rulings against experts that plaintiffs had used to prove their cases in court. </p><p>J&J won a significant court victory in the long-running legal battle last week, when a federal judge cast doubt on individual plaintiffs' ability to prove that talc specifically caused their ovarian cancer.</p><p>J&J has long denied that its talc products caused cancer, saying that talc was safe and did not contain asbestos. The company stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the U.S. in 2020, switching to a cornstarch product.</p><p>Before the bankruptcy attempts, J&J had a mixed record in talc trials, with a multibillion verdict in favor of 22 women who said baby powder caused their ovarian cancer. The company won some trials outright and had other verdicts reduced on appeal.</p><p>Unlike the proposed bankruptcy settlements, Monday's agreement applies only to existing claims and does not address future lawsuits.</p></body>
The healthcare company said the agreement covers the remaining ovarian talc litigation in federal multidistrict litigation proceedings and related state court cases.
A 2.8% Social Security raise barely covers a trip to the grocery store, so retirees are quietly rebuilding their paychecks around five dividend stocks with track records stretching back through every recession of the past two decades.
Fixed-rate bonds cannot outrun inflation over a 25-year retirement, yet most boomers keep reaching for them anyway. Three companies have raised their dividends for between 50 and 70 consecutive years and may offer a more durable solution, though each carries a hidden transition risk that income investors need to weigh.
Generic drugmakers have much thinner margins, and are less interested in “reshoring” to the US where the costs are higher.
Seventy companies have raised their dividends through every recession and rate shock for at least a quarter century, but a bruising few quarters for some of NOBL's most-watched names put that unbroken record under real pressure heading into mid-2026.
A portfolio paying $55,000 this year feels useful today, but inflation has a way of quietly making that same paycheck feel smaller every year you spend it. The yield you choose right now could either protect your retirement income or slowly hollow it out.
The typical American household spent $78,535 in 2024. Headline PCE inflation was running at 4.1% year over year in May 2026, which means the same lifestyle can become thousands of dollars more expensive in a single year. Social Security benefits are rising 2.8% in 2026, but that adjustment may not fully offset the higher cost ... The Portfolio That Lets You Ignore Inflation
Every new tariff headline, rate decision, and earnings miss seems to demand a financial response, and that constant pressure is exhausting. There is a way to build a portfolio so sturdy that the daily news cycle loses its grip on your nerves.
Stocks looked set to rise again on Wednesday, building on gains from the previous session that were powered by a solid start to the second-quarter earnings season and cooler-than-expected inflation data. Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.4%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 81 points, or 0.2%.
Today Earnings: Johnson & Johnson, Morgan Stanley, BlackRock, PNC Financial Services, Conagra, Cintas, United Airlines, Bank of New York Mellon, Elevance Health, J.B. Hunt, ASML Economic data: Producer-price index data for June, Empire State manufacturing survey, EIA weekly petroleum status report, Fed beige book.
Investors are gearing up today for the start of a busy bank earnings season. They’ll also be closely watching the latest inflation data and appearances on Capitol Hill over two days by new Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh.
Social Security benefits come with inflation protection, but the tax formula attached to those benefits does not. For retirees with pensions, IRA withdrawals, taxable investment income, or municipal bond interest, a larger benefit can quietly mean a larger federal tax bill. The result is a tax rule from the 1980s that reaches more retirees every ... How Much of Your Social Security Will You Actually Keep After Taxes?
(Bloomberg) -- A federal appeals court revived lawsuits that claim Kenvue Inc. hid alleged risks that Tylenol could cause autism in children whose mothers took the over-the-counter pain medication while pregnant, a controversy that’s roiled the medical community.Most Read from BloombergLindsey Graham, Senate Hawk Turned Trump Ally, Dies at 71Trump Embraces Australian Retirement System Backed by Larry FinkHormuz Route Open Despite Iran Declaration, Maritime Group SaysOpenAI Engineer’s ‘LOL’ Momen
An $80,000 salary is not the same as $80,000 of spendable income. Federal withholding, FICA taxes, state income taxes where they apply, and retirement contributions all reduce the number that actually reaches checking. For a single filer in a no-income-tax state, 2026 take-home pay on an $80,000 salary would be about $65,100 before retirement contributions, ... Think You’ll Live on $80,000 a Year? Here’s What Actually Lands in Your Checking Account
Big banks kick off earnings season this week, which will also bring reports from GE Aerospace, Netflix, and Taiwan Semi. In economic news, we’ll get the consumer and producer price indexes, and retail sales data.
Two retirees can both pull $100,000 from $2 million income portfolios and still land in very different places after tax. If one stream is mostly qualified dividends and the other is mostly ordinary income, the first retiree may keep about $79,000 after a 15% federal qualified-dividend rate and 6% state tax. The second may keep ... Your Dividend Yield Isn’t Your Income: What You Really Keep After Taxes
U. S. stock futures traded little changed on Friday as investors paused after Thursday’s technology-led rally, shifting their attention toward next week’s corporate earnings reports and key inflation releases.
A long-term care policy does not just protect against a future care bill. It also creates a premium bill that may have to be paid for decades. A healthy 55-year-old buying meaningful inflation protection can face annual premiums in the low-to-mid thousands, and a 55-year-old couple can easily cross $5,000 combined. The planning question is: ... What Would It Take to Permanently Cover Long-Term Care Insurance Premiums?
Fundstrat’s Tom Lee returned to CNBC’s Morning Call Sheet on Thursday, July 9, alongside JonesTrading’s Mike O’Rourke and Vital Knowledge’s Adam Crisafulli, to discuss a market that is simultaneously celebrating the AI build-out while rotating into value and defensive names. Lee argued: “AI is probably one of the most important structural stories in our lifetime.” ... Fundstrat’s Tom Lee: AI Is a Once in a Lifetime Story – Why Easing Inflation in H2 2026 Could Fuel the Next Rally
A 12% yield looks unbeatable on day one. A retiree who wants $60,000 a year needs only about $500,000 at that yield, compared with roughly $1.7 million at a 3.5% yield. But retirement income is not a one-year problem. The better question is which income stream can hold up after inflation, market cycles, and years ... The Dividend Growth Snowball: How Modest Income Today Can Become Serious Income Later
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