Stock markets hit record highs this week – Stocks rose this week on rising oil prices, better results from retailers, and an upgraded revision in the first quarter GDP. Oil prices which dropped in 2015 and 2016 put pressure on energy stocks in the last couple years. This year they were rising before falling in April. That drop caused OPEC to cut oil production which lifted oil prices. This week OPEC announced that the production drop will last until March 2018 which lifted oil further and caused energy stocks to rise. Several retailers reported first quarter profits that beat estimates this week. Among those were Costco, Best Buy and Tiffany’s. Target and Home Depot also raised outlooks. Earlier in the month Macey’s, JC Penny and others reported disappointing profits which made experts think consumers were slowing down on spending. These new results calmed investors who were worried about retailers. The first quarter GDP was also revised upward from 0.7% to 1.2%. It was a strong week all around. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the week at 21,080.28, up from 20,804.84 last week. The S&P 500 closed the week at 2,414.82, upfrom its close last week of 2,381.73. The NASDAQ closed the week at 6,210.19, up from last week’s close of 6,083.79.
Treasury Bond yields stable this week – The 10-year Treasury bond closed the week at 2.25%, up slightly from 2.23% last week. The 30-year treasury yield ended the week at 2.92% also up slightly from 2.90% last week. Mortgage rates follow treasury bond yields so we watch bond yields carefully. Mortgage Rates down this week – The May 25, 2017 Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that the 30 year fixed mortgage rate average was 3.95%, down from 4.02% last week. The 15 year fixed was 3.19%, down from last week’s 3.27%. The 5-year ARM was 3.07%, down from 3.13% last week. U.S. Existing homes sales pace declines in April – The National Association of Realtors reported that the number of homes sold in April declined 2.3% from March’s sales pace. Sales nationwide were still 1.6% above the number if sales last April. Simply put the number of new listings are not keeping up with the pace of sales. Low inventory also causes prices to rise. The median price of a home rose 6% nationally from last April. April marked the 62nd straight month of year over year price gains. California pending home sales fewer in April – The California Association of Realtors reported that an extremely low supply of homes for sale has caused the number of new contracts signed on existing homes in California to fall for the fourth straight month. The number of new contracts signed decreased 7.4% from the number of pending sales last April. Southern California fared much better that the state as a whole. Southern California pending sales were down 2.8% from last April. Los Angeles pending sales were down 4.7%from April 2016. Author Syd Leibovitch
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After a six-day winning streak, stocks on Wall Street opened lower Friday.
Technology companies, which have led the market’s recent rally, began the day slightly down. After a weak outlook from video game retailer GameStop, Activision Blizzard fell 1.3% and Electronic Arts lost 1.3%. Costco rose 1.6% after reporting a strong quarter. Banks slipped as bond yields moved lower. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index slipped 2 points, or 0.1%, to 2,412, a day after setting its latest record high. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 19 points, or 0.1%, to 21,062. The Nasdaq composite fell 3 points, or 0.1%, to 6,202. Article by Associated Press Image via Fiesta Hermosa
Los Angeles provides no limit of things to do, some awesome and some not so awesome. Since time is precious in this fast paced city, we decided to curate a list of things to do in Los Angeles every week end that’ll help you decide how you want to spend your limited supply of attention (not to mention dollars!). This Memorial Day weekend in L.A. (May 26-29) includes Fiesta Hermosa, La La Land at the Hollywood Bowl, the Los Angeles Vegan Beer & Food Festival, Topanga Days, a free day at LACMA and MUCH more. Also remember you can always go to our L.A. events calendar page to get an updated rundown of what’s happening around the city. Enjoy! Friday May 26th, 2017 1. This weekend the 59th annual Garden Grove Strawberry Festival is back from May 26 through 29 featuring strawberry-themed contests, a strawberry stomp 5K run, parade and games. Come on Friday for the strawberry cake-cutting ceremony and score free strawberry shortcake! 2. Björk Digital is a groundbreaking virtual reality collection of videos, featuring music from Björk’s latest album, Vulnicura, to be shown at Magic Box at The Reef in Downtown L.A. now till June 4. 3. Catch the magic of La La Land during a unique concert experience featuring music played live-to-film at the Hollywood Bowl. Two days of performances start on the final Friday of May. Check for discount tickets, while supplies last. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar) 4. Greenbar Distillery is hosting two cocktail classes in Downtown LA this weekend. This Friday the theme is Prohibition Era cocktails. Saturday is a special weekend edition. 5. The Last Book Review returns to The Last Bookstore in Downtown Los Angeles. Join host Ever Mainard and five comedians as they tell their own personal, funny and often awkward story on stage. The last comedian will then take the audience through a book review. FREE 6. Eat your way through Downtown Los Angeles and hear stories of the city’s early settlers, gossip about Hollywood’s heyday, architectural highlights, cultural changes of L.A. and the food scene. You’ll get plenty of chances to grab a bite along the way while making a few key stops. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar) 7. L.A.’s only live animated comedy show Picture This! is back with a FREE show on Saturday at The Virgil with over a dozen well known comedians and animators. FREE 8. Milk & Honey will grand open in Hollywood this Friday with free wellness bowls and waffle cake from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. One item per guest. 9. Constitution Happy Hour at AMMO at The Hammer continues this Friday with a focus on the question “What are the rights of immigrants under the Constitution?” 10. Tease, If You Please Burlesque Show staged at Globe Theatre spotlights acts from some of the most creative dancers in the business. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar) 11. LACMA’s award winning Department of Music Program provides hundreds of free concerts and musical events every year for Angelenos to enjoy. This Friday their jazz series continues at the BP Grand Entrance. 12. The Alchemist’s Lab is an escape room experience putting you right in the shoes of a junior detective at Scotland Yard in the 19th century. Do you have what it takes to uncover the devious plans of the alchemist? Happening Friday through Sunday. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar) 13. The #1 show in Vegas history (according to the Las Vegas Weekly) is still running strong at L.A. LIVE. Absinthe, an immersive variety show, features comedy, burlesque, aerial and acrobatic acts. Happening throughout the weekend. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar) Saturday May 27th, 201714. Claimed as the “Largest Arts & Crafts Fair in Southern California,” expect over 300 artists, sculptors, photographers and hand crafters to participate at Fiesta Hermosa a three-day affair taking place May 27-29. The festival is free with plenty of fun for all ages from a charity beer and wine garden to a special kiddie carnival area. FREE 15. Topanga Days will take over Memorial Day weekend with live music, food, arts, and a parade at the Topanga Community Club. 16. California Gold Rush Day is returning to Santa Anita Park for another year of refreshing brew in the golden sun on May 27. Attendees will get a chance to watch the races while enjoying a sample of unique craft beers and unique sours from some of the best breweries in California. Check for discount tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar) 17. Street Food Cinema this Saturday features screenings of Back to the Future at Verdugo Park Glendale and and Clueless at Victory Park Pasadena. DISCOUNTED (v ia Goldstar) 18. Eat|See|Hear brings a screening of Pulp Fiction at The Autry Museum. Check for discount tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar) 19. The OG of outdoor movie screening events, Cinespia will screen North by Northwest this weekend at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. 20. The Lincoln will celebrate their one year anniversary throughout Memorial Day Weekend (May 27-28) with selected complimentary specialty cocktails, a BBQ, and live music from LA indie rock band Smoky Knights. 21. The 8th Annual Los Angeles Vegan Beer & Food Festival will take place at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena this Saturday. Get a taste of SoCal’s best vegan eats with unlimited pours of craft beers. 22. Head to Northridge to the Valley Greek Festival (May 27-29) for three days of Greek food, Greek wine, dancing, shopping, cooking demos and more. Taking place at Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church admission is $3, children under 10 are free and folks over 65 are free as well. 23. Catch a Comedy Store headliner show this Saturday that includes a lineup of Dane Cook, Margaret Cho, and more. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar) 24. The 2nd Annual Long Beach Craft Beer & Taco Festival heads to Shoreline Aquatic Park in Long Beach for a day of beer, tacos and music. Check for discount tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar) 25. The Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Festival is set to take over Rancho Santa Susana Community Park this Memorial Day weekend (May 27-28) with music, Cajun-Creole food like jambalaya and crawfish plus dance lessons, kid friendley activities and so much more. 26. There’s an outdoor Disco/New Wave Date Night Party happening at One Colorado in Pasadena. Guests will enjoy a Silent Disco with the addition of KCRW’s Raul Campos spinning between sets. Dress-up in your retro best and take a photo at the photo booth, grab a drink at the pop-up bar and try your hand at the Retro Arcade or see the future with a tarot reading. Tickets cost $10. 27. USS Iowa will host their annual Military Appreciation Day giving active and veteran military members free admission to the party. The Memorial day festival will feature live music, food trucks, vintage vehicles, re-enactors, a Sailor’s Bar, and more. 28. This Saturday night there will be a Grunion Fish-tival at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. Check out the aquarium after hours and see if you can witness this seasonal marvel of nature as silver fish emerge onto land and mate (hopefully!). 29. Santa Anita Park Infield will be transformed into a free three day carnival (May 27-29) with all the classic carnival attractions and indulgences. FREE 30. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s gorgeous Hollyhock House will be used as a theater for the very first time when Fefu and Her Friends plays throughout the month of May in honor of the 150th anniversary of the esteemed architect’s birth. Happening Saturday and Sunday. 31. W Hollywood and Corona will team up this Memorial Day weekend to host “Electric Beach” a party series leading up to EDC Las Vegas. The event is free with an RSVP via Eventbrite. Sunday May 28th, 201732. Zine fans and creators will gather in DTLA for L.A. Zine Fest at the California Market Center for a full-day of discussions, panels and event exhibitors. FREE 33. The 4th Annual MAINopoly is back with another year of food and drink tasting on Sunday May 28. Organized like a classic Monopoly game, 20 locations will be providing stamps for each spot you conquer. Check for discount tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar) 34. Celebrate National Burger Day with a free burger at all participating locations of Bareburger from 3-6 p.m. Choose from a farmstead vegan burger or standard beef burger for dine-in customers only. 35. It’s Burger Day at Smorgasburg LA down at ROW DTLA. Vendors will offer speciality burgers and NYC’s Ramen Burger will make a special appearance! 36. Take a Downtown Los Angeles foodie walking tour and savor what the bustling neighborhood has to offer. The tour is three hours long, participants will stop at six popular spots to eat and the tour guide will take folks through the history of DTLA. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar) 37. Little Tokyo’s Baldoria is celebrating their one year anniversary with $1 Margherita pizzas all day long this Sunday (dine in only.) 38. May 28 is National Hamburger Day and to celebrate the folks at Dog Haus want to upgrade your patty to a double on the Haus! The promotion is availble at all Dog Haus locations. 39. Come celebrate the cultural heritage of the Netherlands and Indonesia (a former Dutch East Indies) during the 28th Annual Holland Festival. Enjoy food, music, family fun and numerous vendors selling Dutch and Indonesian products and food. 40. Spend Memorial Sunday on a three-level a party cruise aboard the Catalina King from mid-afternoon until sunset. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar) 41. Killer Shrimp presents the 6th Annual Killer Rides show this Sunday in Marina del Rey. Check out hotrods, classics, exotics and bikes for free! Iconic hot dog stand, Tail O’ the Pup will be serving up free hot dogs too. Monday May 29th, 201742. Celebrate Memorial Day with Wavey Pool Party at Skybar at the Mondrian. Kicking off the Wavey sessions is live music and DJ performances by Overjoy, January Black, Body Party and more. RSVP here. 43. Celebrating three decades of the Jazz Reggae Festival along with the sweet sounds of Protoje, Daniel Caesar and more. Spend a day enjoying ethnic food options, shopping for handcrafted cultural items and even art. 44. To pay respect to those who lost their lives for American freedom, the 28th Canoga Park Memorial Day Parade features marching bands, patriotic floats and even military aircrafts up in the sky. 45. Santa Anita Race Track will honor former and current service members with a free lunch this Memorial Day. In addition, Monday is Dollar Day with dollar beers, sodas and hot dogs available, all day long. 46. The Queen Mary will offer free admission to all U.S. active and retired military personnel on Memorial Day. 47. LACMA is free for the Memorial Day Holiday! Article by We Like LA. US. stocks were climbing for the sixth day in a row Thursday as strong quarterly results from retailers including Best Buy and PVH give consumer-focused companies a lift. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index and Nasdaq composite were at all-time highs in late-morning trading. Stocks were stretching for their longest winning streak in three months.
KEEPING SCORE: The Standard & Poor’s 500 index advanced 11 points, or 0.5%, to 2,415 as of 11:25 a.m. EDT. It set an all-time high Wednesday. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 87 points, or 0.4%, to 21,099. The Nasdaq composite jumped 41 points, or 0.7%, to 6,203, above the record it notched last week. The Russell 2000 index advanced 5 points, or 0.4%, to 1,387. Unlike the other major indexes, the Russell 2000 has not recouped all of its losses from Wednesday of last week, the stock market’s worst day of the year. The index is composed of smaller and more domestically focused companies, and new challenges to President Trump’s proposed agenda of reduced taxes and regulations have hit those companies harder than the larger and more established companies on other indexes. BUY, BUY, BUY: Electronics retailer Best Buy jumped 17.9% to $59.46 after it issued a strong first-quarter report, including better sales of mobile devices and gaming products. PVH, the owner of brands including Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, climbed 5.4% to $107.48 after it raised its annual forecasts following its own strong report. Jeans maker Guess leaped 15.4% to $11.52 after its announcement. Other retailers including Abercrombie & Fitch and Burlington Stores also made substantial gains. Online retailer Amazon approached $1,000 a share for the first time. Amazon was up 1.6% at $996.09. TECH ON TOP: Technology companies made significant gains as well. Microsoft rose 1% to $69.46, Google parent Alphabet went up 1.1% to $988.14, and Apple advanced 52 cents to $153.86. OIL: Crude oil prices slid for the second day in a row as the members of OPEC and other key oil-producing nations met in Vienna to discuss extending their production cut from last year. Benchmark U.S. crude fell 63 cents, or 1.2%, to $50.74 a barrel in New York, and Brent crude, the international standard, fell 50 cents to $53.46 a barrel in London. Shortly thereafter, the nations agreed to extend their output cuts for an additional nine months. DRINKING ALONE: Jack Daniels maker Brown-Forman slumped 4.5% to $51.90 after it put out a statement saying the company is not for sale and plans to remain a family-controlled company. The stock had jumped Monday on reports that Constellation Brands, which makes Corona and Modelo beers, might try to buy Brown-Forman. Constellation Brands rose $1.57 to $180.40. TALKING TURKEY: Spam maker Hormel Foods sank 5.1% to $33.59 as the company said its Jennie-O turkey business continued to struggle in the second quarter. The company’s income and sales both fell short of Wall Street projections. BONDS: Bond prices edged down. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.26%, from 2.25%. CURRENCIES: The dollar slipped to 111.83 yen, from 111.90 yen. The euro rose to $1.1215, from $1.1195. OVERSEAS: Germany’s DAX was down 0.1% and the French CAC 40 and the FTSE 100 index in Britain were unchanged. The Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo climbed 0.4%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rallied 0.8%. The Kospi of South Korea jumped 1%. Article by Associated Press Don’t print bootleg Super Bowl 2021 t-shirts just yet. Less than a week after the Rams announced their Inglewood stadium will open almost one year later than originally planned, NFL team owners have voted unanimously to give Los Angeles the Super Bowl in 2022—not in 2021, as was initially planned, reports the Los Angeles Times.
The Rams say construction on the stadium—which will be the largest and most expensive in the nation—is delayed due to heavy winter rains. So, the $2.6-billion venue is now set to open for the 2020 football season, not the 2019 season. Until then, the Rams will continue to play at the Coliseum while the Chargers play the 2019 season at the StubHub Center in Carson. Pushing LA’s Super Bowl back makes sense, especially considering that having the Rams’ stadium host the Super Bowl in its first year would be an “unprecedented” move, the Times says. Article courtesy of Curbed. Home prices in Los Angeles County climbed up again in April, according to a new report from CoreLogic. The real estate market tracker finds that the median sale price of homes reached $550,000 last month, tying an all-time high set in August of 2007—immediately before the subprime mortgage crisis sent home values into a tailspin.
CoreLogic analyst Andrew LePage says the high prices are probably due to a strong economy and relatively low inventory to supply the demand of buyers looking to take advantage of interest rates that are expected to rise again as soon as next month. In Orange and San Diego Counties, where median sale prices rose to $675,000 and $525,000, respectively, homes have never been as expensive as they were in April. With prices as high as they are, it might not be surprising that the total number of sales across Southern California dropped 8.4 percent since March. In LA County, sales were down even more—12.6 percent—from the month before. But LePage notes that March had three more business days than April, allowing significantly more time for deals to close. Factoring in that discrepancy, sales were just about equal. Not surprisingly, sales of high-priced homes are continuing to become more common across Southern California. Sales of $800,000 or higher have shot up 7.1 percent since last year, while sales of homes over $1 million ticked up 3.4 percent. Sales below $500,000, on the other hand, dove 11.7 percent in the same time period. While prices region-wide have reached or are approaching pre-recession levels, a Trulia report released earlier this month noted that homes in many neighborhoods have been slower to reach their 2007 values. Article by Curbed. Stocks end the week just slightly down despite volatility – Stocks rose early in the week as oil prices rebounded after OPEC and non OPEC members announced plans to slow production. More disappointing earnings particularly from retailers were released. Political uncertainty was blamed on a steep drop on Thursday, but markets made up most of those losses on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the week at 20,804.84, down from 20,896.71 last week. The S&P 500 closed the week at 2,381.73, down slightly from its close last week of 2,390.90. The NASDAQ closed the week at 6,083.79, down from last week’s close of 6,121.23.
Treasury Bond yields drop this week – The 10-year Treasury bond closed the week at 2.23%, down from 2.33% last week. The 30-year treasury yield ended the week at 2.90%, down from 2.98% last week. Mortgage rates follow treasury bond yields so we watch bond yields carefully. Mortgage Rates down this week – The May 18, 2017 Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that the 30-year fixed mortgage rate average was 4.02%, down from 4.05% last week. The 15-year fixed was 3.27%, down from last week’s 3.29% The 5-year ARM was 3.13%, down slightly from 3.14% last week. Rates dropped late in the week, so next week’s rates should be a little lower. The number of existing homes sold in California decline in April – Prices continue to rise – The California Association of Realtors reported that existing home sales statewide declined 2.4% in April from March to a seasonally adjusted rate of 406,300 in April. That was 1.7% below the sales rate last April. The Southern California region had the largest decline. The number of sales were down 6.5% from April 2016. The decline in sales was attributed to a historically low number of homes for sale. Statewide there was a 3.5-month supply of homes for sale in April. That was the lowest April reading since C.A.R. has been tracking their Unsold Inventory Index. New listings taken statewide have declined for 22 straight months, falling 10.5% from last April. Prices continue to move up. The statewide median price was $536,750. It increased 3.7% from March’s median price of $517,490. Year over year the median price increased 5.4% from $509,240 in April 2016. Author, Syd Leibovitch Photo by Brian Champlin / We Like L.A.
Every week in Los Angeles there are tons of great things to do (even before the weekend gets started) that we think you ought to have on your radar. This week, from Monday, May 15 to Friday, May 19, features free botanical gardens admission, the Malibu Guitar Festival, the Venice Art Crawl, a Constitution Happy Hour, WhedonCon 2017, and LOTS more. Hope you find the rundown useful and, as always, enjoy your week! Monday May 15th, 20171. Ale Academy Beer and Cheese Edition at Angel City Brewery. This week Certified Cicerones Keith and Dan from Angel City Brewery guide guests through a history of Belgian brewing and how those historical styles developed in the Belgian ales. 2.Every week the the team from Smoke and Mirrors aims to add a little razzle-dazzle to your Monday monotony by showcasing a rotating cast of award-winning magicians from the likes of the Magic Castle, Penn & Teller: Fool Us, America’s Got Talent and more during Magic Mondays at The Santa Monica Playhouse. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar) 3. The Basement Comedy Show is performing their one-year anniversary show at The Victorian in Santa Monica. FREE 4. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s gorgeous Hollyhock House will be used as a theater for the very first time when Fefu and Her Friends plays throughout the month of May in honor of the 150th anniversary of the esteemed architect’s birth. 5. Conor Oberst will be live at Amoeba Hollywood with an acoustic mini-set in promotion of his latest album release Salutations. 6. “Nordic: A Photographic Essay of Landscapes, Food and People” continues for its only L.A. showing at Union Station’s Historic Waiting Room. This unique exhibition document the origins of Nordic cuisine through the eyes of Mangus Nilsson, a top chef who traveled for two years through Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, collecting traditional recipes and photographing the region’s landscapes and people. FREE Tuesday May 16th, 20177. This Tuesday the Last Bookstore presents a live event with New York Times best-selling author Rob Bell as he presents his new book, What is the Bible?: How an Ancient Library of Poems, Letters and Stories Can Transform the Way You Think and Feel About Everything. FREE 8. The Moth storytelling competition is back at Los Globos this Tuesday with a theme of traps. 9. Free admission days this Tuesday for: Los Angeles County Arboretum, South Coast Botanic Garden and Descanso Gardens. FREE Wednesday May 17th, 201710. The 5th Annual Bartending Competition returns to JW Marriott Los Angeles for week three of the month-long event series, with tonight’s mixologists utilizing Hendricks Gin, Milagro Tequila, and Monkey Shoulder. 11. The Crazy Uncle Joe Show, one of L.A.’s longest-running long-form improv shows at The Groundlings’ Theater, has discount tickets available for this week’s performance. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar) 12. Pod Save America, a no-BS conversation about politics will be recording live at the Ace Hotel Theatre with hosts including Jon Favreau, former speechwriter for President Barack Obama. Thursday May 18th, 201713. The Malibu Guitar Festival comes to the beachside May 18-21 for four days of smooth sounds from some of the world’s most talented guitarists. 14. National Geographic Live: Rhinos, Rickshaws & Revolutions will take place at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica on Thursday, May 18, and Friday, May 19. 15. The iconic Queen Mary in Long Beach is now a great place to see local live bands! Stop by every third Thursday of the month for Local Band Hangout happening at the Queen Mary’s Observation Bar. 16. Half comedy show, half live dating app, All My Single Friends: May-ting Season takes place this Thursday at The Copper Still off Beverly Blvd. Tickets are $10. 17. The second Venice Art Crawl of 2017 takes place this Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m. along Venice Boulevard from Speedway near the beach to Lincoln Boulevard. FREE 18. Unconventional Narrative: Films of Oliver Stone is a three day series at American Cinemathique celebrating the work of the iconic filmmaker through select screenings of the director’s work, along with in-person appearances from Stone, himself. The series kicks off with a screening of Nixon, this Thursday. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar) Friday May 19th, 201719. Downtown Dark Nights at L.A. LIVE is a Friday night street party featuring $5 food and drink menus, live music, street performers, and a marketplace featuring eclectic goods from local artisans and vendors. FREE 20. 90’s R&B icon Genuwine will be performing this Friday at the SOL Venue in Carson. DISCOUNTED(via Goldstar) 21. Björk Digital is a groundbreaking virtual reality collection of videos, featuring music from Björk’s latest album, Vulnicura, to be shown at Magic Box at The Reef in Downtown L.A. starting on May 19. 22. The Desert Cahuilla Birdsingers, an ensemble who preserve and perform the storied tradition of Native American “Bird” songs, will make a debut appearance at Los Angeles’ Union Station this Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. in the North Patio. Presented by Metro Art Los Angeles, this program is free and open to the public. FREE 23. Constitution Happy Hour at AMMO at The Hammer continues this Friday with a focus on the question “Can the Constitution save LGBT and gender-based rights?” 24. Any weirdly obsessed Tom Cruise fans out there? Tom Gun LIVE: A Maverick’s Homage brings a raucous interactive parody show to the Regent chalked full of karaoke sing-a-longs, dance offs, audience fueled paper airplane battles, missiles ziplining through the crowd, and much more. Get discount tickets to this Friday’s show, while supplies last. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar) 25. WhedonCon 2017 kicks off this Friday a the Warner Center Marriott with three full days of cosplay, contests, panels, workshops and more. From Firefly to Buffy and beyond! DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar) 26. Free admission days this Friday: Long Beach Museum of Art 27. This week’s edition of the Great Horror Movie Night at Griffith Park’s Old Zoo features a screening of the 1978 classic Halloween. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar) Article courtesy of We Like LA. Stocks mixed this week – It was a very stable week for stocks. Market volatility reached a 24-year low. Investors were encouraged by higher quarterly corporate earnings announcements from many companies, and a rebound in CPI, which surprisingly dropped in March. Also, optimism of pro growth tax reform, and defense and infrastructure spending kept investors optimistic. Markets shrugged off some disappointing news this week like: Falling oil prices, which has caused energy stocks to drop. Oil prices are down 10.8% year-to-date. Some retail companies continue to struggle due to pressure from online retailers. Year-to-date, 9 large retailers have declared bankruptcy, the same amount as all of last year. The dollar strengthened further against most currencies, which could hurt exports in the future. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the week at 20,896.71, down from 21,006.94 last week. The S&P 500 closed the week at 2,390.90, down slightly from its close last week of 2,399.29. The NASDAQ closed the week at 6,121.23, up from last week’s close of 6,100.76.
Consumer prices rebound in April – The Labor Department reported that consumer prices rose 0.2% in April. This followed a surprising decline of 0.3% in March, which scared investors. Year over year consumer prices were up 2.2% in April. That is in line with the Fed’s inflation target. Treasury Bond yields – The 10-year Treasury bond closed the week at 2.33%, down from 2.36% last week. The 30-year treasury yield ended the week at 2.98%, unchanged from 2.99% last week. Mortgage Rates – The May 11, 2017 Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that the 30-year fixed mortgage rate average was 4.05%, almost unchanged from 4.02% last week. The 15-year fixed was 3.29%, almost unchanged from last week’s 3.27%. The 5-year ARM was 3.14%, also almost unchanged from 3.13% last week. Foreclosures at lowest level since 2005 – Foreclosure filings dropped 23% from one year ago. The number of homes in default have hit their lowest level since November 2005. Author Syd Leibovitch This week it’s all about treating that special women in your life. Specifically… mom! And if you’re looking for last minute ideas for Mother’s Day (we know you are) then check out some of our favorite spots to dine on mom’s special day, including multiple brunch deals and buffets that you’ll want to choose from. Bon Appétit! Top picks for Mother’s Days Weekend
Broken Spanish will be hosting it’s first brunch ever, on Mother’s Day. Highlights include 3 Leches French Toast, Chicharron Con Huevos, Huevos Rancheros with Heirloom Tortillas, Chilaquiles, Guajillo-Stewed Chicken and more. Plant-based restaurant Crossroads will host a Mother’s Day Brunch Buffet ($55 per person; $15 for kids under 12 years of age) featuring favorite signature dishes such as Bagel and “Lox,” Chicken and Waffles, the Crossroads Benedict and more. Fresh muddled Blackberry Mimosas and a roving Bloody Mary cart will help you toast to mom and for dessert there’s a “build-your-own” Parfait Bar. There’s a special Mother’s Day Brunch menu at Herringbone Santa Monica in addition to the robust weekend brunch menu. All mothers will get a FREE Purista Margarita at Gracias Madre this Sunday and guests can dine on the organic plant based brunch menufeaturing highlights such as Spring Empanadas and a Raspberry Shortcake. Mother’s Day Brunch at Ocean Prime Beverly Hills will feature a decadent menu of Crab & Eggs, Braised Short Rib Surf & Turf, Blood Orange Mimosa and more. Friends of the Castle Green hold a yearly Mother’s Day Tour of the Historic Castle Green built in 1898. In addition, a full service sit down Mother’s Day Tea presented by Tea Rose Garden Tearoom in Old Town Pasadena and Perfect Equation Catering will take place in the Grand Ballroom serving salad, classic tea sandwiches, pastries, scones, fruit compote and a desert plate along with a pot of seasonal tea. Guests will go home with a jar of Castle Green Marmalade or jam. Tour cost $30 and tea service cost $85 per person. Katsuya’s Mother’s Day specials include a complimentary glass of sparkling wine, dessert and a special brunch menu. Offerings vary depending on the location. See full details here. Michael’s will host a Mother’s Day prix-fixe brunch which includes a three-course menu featuring dishes such as House Ricotta with berries and granola; Soft-Scrambled Eggs with smoked salmon; and Whipped Cheesecake or Blueberry Buttermilk Sorbet for dessert. Toast to mom with a Blood Orange Granita Mimosa or Roasted Tomato Bloody Mary! BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood will offer a buffet for $65 per person. The buffet will include a carving station for their signature 40 day dry aged New York Striploin, and appetizers, a raw seafood bar, eggs to order, dessert table, crepe station and more. Mother’s Day will be celebrated during brunch and dinner at Firefly in Studio City. Choose from a three course meal during both dining times. Napa Valley Grille will be offering a special three-course menu, available for $45 per person. Menu highlights include Soft Shell Crab, Braised Pork Chilaquiles and Tiramisu. Terranea Resort in the Palos Verdes, will host a Mother’s Day Ballroom Brunch buffet featuring bottomless mimosas and bloody Mary’s. Cost $95 per person and $47 for kids 4-10 years old. Article courtesy of We Like LA. |
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