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The Thanksgiving holiday is nearly upon us, which means tens of millions of Americans will be traveling nationwide this week to visit their loved ones and celebrate around the dinner table with them on Thursday. The majority of that travel both to and from Turkey Day destinations is expected to kick off tomorrow, Tuesday, November 25, and run through Monday, December 1, which are the dates the American Automobile Association (AAA) defines as the 2025 Thanksgiving holiday period. Its the busiest travel period for Americans, even beating out holidays like the Fourth of July and Christmas. While several million Americans are expected to make their Thanksgiving journeys by air or train, the overwhelming majoritymore than 73 million this yearare expected to travel by car. If that includes you, youll want to pay attention to the latest data compiled by AAA. It reveals the best times to hit the roads during the upcoming holiday period and the times you should avoid being on the streets if you don’t want to experience the worst of the increased traffic congestion. Best times to hit the roads for the Thanksgiving travel period Except on Thanksgiving Day on Thursday, any other time that you travel during this Thanksgiving holiday period, you are likely to see more road congestion than usual. However, some times of the day are likely to see less travel congestion than others. Here are the best times to be in the car this Thanksgiving period if you want to avoid the worst of traffic, according to information compiled by AAA from transportation data and insights provider INRIX: Tuesday, November 25: Before 12 p.m. Wednesday, November 26: Before 11 a.m. Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving): Minimal Traffic Impact Expected Friday, November 28: Before 11 a.m. Saturday, November 29: Before 10 a.m. Sunday, November 30: Before 11 a.m. Monday, December 1: Before 8 p.m. Worst times to hit the roads for the Thanksgiving travel period INRIX says that Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon are expected to feature the heaviest congestion before Thanksgiving, and the Sunday after Thanksgiving is expected to see the heaviest traffic for return home journeys. The firm says that the worst times to be on the roads due to traffic congestion during the entire holiday period are as follows: Tuesday, November 25: 12 p.m.9 p.m. Wednesday, November 26: 11 a.m.8 p.m. Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving): Minimal Traffic Impact Expected Friday, November 28: 1 p.m.7 p.m. Saturday, November 29: 1 p.m.8 p.m. Sunday, November 30: 11 a.m.8 p.m. Monday, December 1: 12 p.m.8 p.m. More than 73 million people will travel by car this Thanksgiving AAA says 73.28 million people will take to the roads in cars this Thanksgiving holiday period. Thats 1.3 million more than the 71.99 million travelers who took to the roads during the 2024 Thanksgiving periodan increase of about 1.8%. It’s also 2.7 million more than those who took to the road in 2019, the last Thanksgiving before the outbreak of the pandemic. But travelers this week wont only be taking to the roads to get to and from their Thanksgiving festivities. AAA says that while automobile travel will make up 89.6% of all travel in America during this Thanksgiving holiday period, millions of Americans will also be taking to the skies and rails. The association expects 6.07 million travelers to take flights during this holiday period, and another 2.48 million to travel by other modes of transportation, including buses, trains, and cruise ships. In total, AAA expects the number of travelers in America to reach 81.83 million this Thanksgiving holiday travel period. Thats a 2% increase from last year, when 80.22 million people traveled. And its 5.2% more than the 77.78 travelers who took to the road, skies, and rails in 2019.
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E-Commerce
Another home furnishings retail chain has sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it deals with higher costs, reduced sales, a downturn in the housing market, and President Trump’s tariffs. American Signature Inc (ASI), parent company of American Signature Furniture and Value City Furniture, said Sunday that it has secured $50 million in debt financing as it seeks a buyer in an auction process. Here’s what to know. What is ASI and why is it bankrupt? Founded it 1948 and based in Columbus, Ohio, American Signature Inc is the parent company of two home furnishings retail chains: American Signature Furniture and Value City Furniture. Combined, the company has 120 stores across 17 states, it said in a court declaration over the weekend. The Value City brand is spread out across more states, with stores in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. American Signature, meanwhile, has locations in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. Additionally, the company has distribution centers in Ohio, Georgia, Indiana, and California, two of which are owned and two of which are leased. ASI employs roughly 3,000 people. As for why it’s filing for bankruptcy, the retailer noted that it had experienced a period of rapid growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that sales have slipped over the last year. It cites a number of reasons for its dire straits, notably “one of the most severe housing market declines in recent history.” Macroeconomic factors including rising interest rates and inflation have further exasperated the situation for ASI, as have “newly established tariffs.” Which stores are closing as part of this process? The company said in its bankruptcy announcement that it expects stores to remain open throughout the process. However, in court filings it has identified five locations that it plans to close by early next year: Value City Furniture: 2320 Sardis Road North, Charlotte, NC 28227 American Signature Furniture: 1770 Galleria Blvd, Franklin, TN 37067 American Signature Furniture: 2130 Gallatin Pike North, Madison, TN 37115 American Signature Furniture: 2821 Wilma Rudolph Blvd, Clarksville, TN 37040 American Signature Furniture: 2075 Old Fort Parkway, Murfreesboro, TN 37129 Liquidation sales have already begun at these locations and are expected to be completed by the end of January 2026, court filings show. The company has enlisted SB360 Capital Partners to help with store closings and has warned that additional stores may close as the consultation process continues. It was not immediately clear how many job losses are expected. Fast Company reached out to ASI for additional details and will update this post if we hear back. What happens next? ASI has entered into an agreement with a so-called stalking horse bidder owned by the Schottenstein family, whom Columbus Monthly has referred to as the Ohio capital’s “last dynasty.” Holding company Schottenstein Stores Corporation also owns American Signature Inc, meaning the furniture chain could stay in the family. However, American Signature plans to seek a higher bidder during an auction process within about 45 days. American Signature’s bankruptcy follows a similar move by fellow home furnishings retailer At Home, which sought Chapter 11 protection in June and has closed a number of locations this year. This story is developing…
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E-Commerce
World shares and U.S. futures were mixed on Monday after Wall Street was buoyed by revived hopes for an interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve.The future for the S&P 500 was up 0.2% while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was nearly unchanged.Germany’s DAX gained 0.5% to 23,201.85, while the CAC 40 edged less than 0.1% lower to 7,978.77. Britain’s FTSE 100 inched up 0.1% to 9,547.77.Markets in Japan were closed for a holiday.Hong Kong’s benchmark, the Hang Seng, rose 2% to 25,716.50. It got a boost from a 4.7% gain for e-commerce giant Alibaba, which has reported strong demand for its updated Qwen AI app. Alibaba is due to report earnings on Tuesday.The Shanghai Composite index rose less than 0.1% to 3,836.77.Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 1.3% to 8,525.10.In South Korea, the Kospi reversed early gains, falling 0.2% to 3,846.06 on heavy selling of automakers.Taiwan’s Taiex added 0.3% and the Sensex in India shed 0.4%.This week, U.S. markets will be closed Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday, which will be followed by the Black Friday and Cyber Monday retail rushes.After last week’s ups and downs over AI and Nvidia, traders will focus more on “the backbone of U.S. growth, the consumer, whose spending still drives two-thirds of GDP,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.Data on the U.S. economy was scarce during the 6-week U.S. government shutdown, leaving investors struggling to parse trends in the economy.“This makes any sniff of holiday activity foot traffic, discount depth, card authorizations disproportionately important. In a data desert, even a puddle looks like a lake,” he said.On Friday, the S&P 500 gained 1% and the Dow climbed 1.1%. The Nasdaq composite rose 0.9%. Nearly 90% of stocks in the S&P 500 advanced.It was a fitting finish for a week that left the S&P 500 just 4.2% below its record but also forced investors to stomach the sharpest hour-to-hour swings since a sell-off in April. The jarring moves are testing investors following a monthslong and remarkably smooth surge for stocks, and they come down to two basic as-yet unanswered questions.Have prices for Nvidia, bitcoin and other stars of Wall Street shot too high? And is the Federal Reserve done with its cuts to interest rates, which would boost the economy and prices for investments?Markets took heart from a speech by the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, John Williams, who told a conference in Chile that he sees “room for a further adjustment” to interest rates.Other Fed officials have argued against a December cut, saying inflation is still too high.In the bond market, Treasury yields eased Friday on hopes for cuts from the Fed. Traders are now betting on a nearly 72% probability of a December cut, up sharply from 39% a day before, according to data from CME Group. That helped send the yield on the 10-year Treasury to 4.06% from 4.10% late Thursday.In other dealings early Monday, U.S. benchmark crude oil lost 43 cents to $57.63 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, gave up 38 cents to $61.56 a barrel.The U.S. dollar rose to 156.75 Japanese yen from 156.47 yen. The euro climbed to $1.1537 from $1.1516.Bitcoin was up 1.6%, near $86,000. On Friday, it briefly plunged below $81,000 before pulling back toward $85,000. That’s down from nearly $125,000 last month and brought it back to where it was in April, when markets were shaking because of President Donald Trump’s higher tariffs. Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer
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E-Commerce
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