More Travel Problems

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What's Happening Today

Good morning, and welcome back to those who were off this holiday weekend!

How many of you were excited to get 5G on your phones thanks to its promises for faster phone speeds? Well airlines and airports aren't sharing the enthusiasm. Airlines are asking for a delay in the deployment of 5G near airports, citing "safety concerns." According to an airline trade association, 5G could cause "interference" with the equipment on planes. Without a delay in the 5G launch, travelers could expect cancellations of their flights, they say. Shares of several major U.S. airlines, including Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, are falling.

And just how bad could it get? Well according to the airlines, as many as 345,000 U.S. flights could be impacted, affecting 32 million passengers. Yesterday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cleared only 45% of commercial planes to operate once 5G is launched. The deployment of 5G is set to happen tomorrow, Jan. 19. So prepare yourselves for some travel nightmares, and consider buying travel insurance to help protect against losses from cancellations and delays.

Also starting tomorrow, all American households can get four free COVID-19 testing kits sent to their home from the government. To get one, you just need to sign up or make a call. We've broken down just how you can get yours here.

And even though it's a shorter business week because of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, expect a lot of movement in the markets as major companies report earnings this week. We'll be hearing from United Airlines, Netflix, Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley, to name just a few. And speaking of the markets, the yield on the 10-year Treasury popped to 1.85% on Tuesday, hitting a two-year high. Stocks are declining, with the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq, all falling over 1%.

What does this mean? Well the yield is essentially the profit investors can expect on their return for investing in U.S. government bonds. While this doesn't always happen (especially not lately), when investors can expect to make more money from bond investments, stocks can be negatively impacted as investors follow greater returns.

- Kristin

Editors' Picks

Texas, Arizona Have Recovered All the Jobs Lost When COVID-19 Hit (Wall Street Journal)

Here's How To Get Your Free COVID-19 Test Kits (The Balance)

US Airline Officials Warn of 'Catastrophic' Crisis in Aviation with New 5G Service (The Guardian)

Homebuilder Confidence Drops for the First Time In Four Months, As Inflation Hits Materials (CNBC)

It's Not 'Woke' for Businesses to Think Beyond Profit, BlackRock Chief Says (New York Times)

Off the Charts

Grocery bills are relentlessly higher these days, fueling the highest consumer inflation in decades. Here's a look at some of the biggest price increases in the month of December, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Number of the Day

106 - That's how many container ships were waiting to unload at the nation's busiest seaport complex Friday, underscoring the persistent supply chain logjam.

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