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NFL Week 18 winners and losers: Lions roar heading into playoffs

Once again, it’s that time of the year.

The NFL regular season concluded Sunday, ushering in the start of the playoffs with the wild-card round this coming weekend.

And no team gained more than the Detroit Lions, who earned the NFC’s No. 1 seed after taking down the division-rival Minnesota Vikings, who tumbled to the conference’s fifth seed after their loss in the regular-season finale. That means Detroit will join the Kansas City Chiefs, who already claimed the AFC’s top seed, as the two teams with first-round byes and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

Elsewhere, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (narrowly) took care of business, while the Denver Broncos left no doubt.

Here are the winners and losers from the final NFL Sunday of the 2024 regular season.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

WINNERS

Lions make (more) history, roll to top of NFC

After a close first half, Detroit (15-2) throttled the Vikings (14-3) in the second half to earn its first ever No. 1 seed in the NFC in team history. The victory also extended the team record for most wins in franchise history. It was a typical Lions masterclass: The offense – which took some time to get going – launched explosive plays that built and then extended a lead.

More impressive, however, was the defensive game plan coordinator Aaron Glenn deployed, unleashing relentless pressure to unsettle Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, who posted a season-low completion percentage (43.9%). What’s even more impressive is that the Lions so thoroughly dismantled Minnesota despite losing the turnover battle 2-0.

One reason why the bye is essential: Detroit is among the most banged-up teams, particularly on defense, and the extra time off should help them heal up a bit more.

Broncos prove they’re no fluke, affirm Sean Payton, Bo Nix choices

One season ago, before Sean Payton ever coached a game with the Broncos, he roasted the job his predecessor Nathaniel Hackett did in an interview with USA TODAY Sports’ Jarrett Bell. Payton drew widespread criticism. Now, a year-and-a-half later, although the delivery was perhaps overtly blunt and better left withheld from public consumption, Payton was proven right.

The Broncos (10-7) have snapped an eight-season playoff drought, and Payton’s tutelage of rookie quarterback Bo Nix is a big reason why. While the Chiefs rested their starters, the Broncos absolutely took care of business in a 38-point shutout. Nix had three incompletions and four passing touchdowns, going 26-of-29 for 321 yards. That this happened with Denver’s decision to eat the biggest dead cap hit in NFL history by releasing Russell Wilson shows just how efficient Nix and the Broncos have been under Payton.

By the slimmest of margins, Buccaneers get in

Tampa Bay, for the fourth consecutive season, has won the NFC South. It didn’t come without drama, as the Saints led by 10 at the half and by six at the start of the fourth, but the Buccaneers (10-7), as they have for most of the season, relied on grit, competitiveness, well-timed playmaking in the clutch and resilience.

And no player has embodied the Buccaneers resilience more than quarterback Baker Mayfield, who finished the regular season ranked third in passing yards (4,500), tied for second in passing touchdowns (41) and fourth in QB rating (106.8). At times, however, the Buccaneers do stagnate on offense and they can be inconsistent game-to-game. They can be careless with the ball. For them to make a run in the playoffs, they cannot afford any of that.

Commanders stay in 6-seed, avoid tough matchup – for now

Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Washington (12-5) would “fight like hell” to take the No. 6 seed. He removed quarterback Jayden Daniels from the game, so perhaps that was slightly disingenuous, but a game-winning touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin with three seconds left kept the Commanders from having to face the Eagles (14-3) in the wild-card round.

Instead, Washington will face the Buccaneers, a team whose defense the Commanders can exploit. Tampa Bay installs bodies in the box to stop the run and does that well. But the Buccaneers are a bit banged up in the secondary and struggle to stop the pass.

Bryce Young

When he was benched after Week 2, it looked like Bryce Young’s future with the Panthers – despite his being selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 draft – was in doubt. Yet Carolina (5-12) was forced to turn back to Young, and he has rewarded the Panthers with the best play of his career.

Over the last eight games of the season, Young has completed 62.1% of his throws for 1,709 yards and has scored 17 total touchdowns against three interceptions. The offensive line is still an issue, but Young has developed more confidence and is processing quicker. He has earned a future in Carolina; now it’s incumbent on the team to put talent around him.

LOSERS

Vikings tumble to 5-seed, but still lurk as dangerous team

Minnesota (14-3) certainly lost more than any playoff team, missing out on the potential top seed in the NFC and instead settling in at No. 5. The concern for the Vikings is whether Detroit’s constant barrage of pressure provides something of a blueprint for other teams to replicate. That said, not many teams have the athleticism and discipline that the Lions do.

Detroit held the Vikings without a single conversion in three fourth-down tries, four red-zone attempts and three goal-to-goal scenarios. But there’s still a chance for the Vikings to earn the ultimate bragging right; if they beat the Rams in the wild-card round, they will get a rematch against the Lions in two weeks in the divisional round, once again at Ford Field in Detroit.

It wouldn’t have mattered, but Atlanta defense lets the Falcons down, again

Given the optimism with which the Falcons (8-9) entered this season, with the signing of Kirk Cousins and a reworked coaching staff, this year can be considered nothing but a failure. For Atlanta to make it into the postseason, it needed to beat the Panthers and rely on the Saints beating the Buccaneers. Neither happened.

Patriots, long the paradigm of stability, opt for chaos

Perhaps they became so spoiled by the constant continuity of the 24 seasons of the Bill Belichick era, perhaps they impractically thought the first year of a rebuild would be better than this, but the Patriots (4-13) opted for instability by making Jerod Mayo, who had been appointed as Belichick’s successor, a one-and-done.

More may emerge in the coming days about internal friction, and Mayo’s operation was far from perfect, but New England should know better than most teams that coaching instability is the quickest path toward poor performance and irrelevance. The roster has massive holes and the offense lacks elite playmaking ability, particularly at receiver. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye will now almost certainly have three different offensive coordinators in as many seasons, going back to his final season with the Tar Heels. Perhaps the Patriots feel very good about their chances to land a replacement for Mayo whom they feel is a clear upgrade. That’s the only way this can be justified.

Dolphins, Bengals discover the pitfalls of relying on help

Both these squads needed help and both missed out on the playoffs. Cincy (9-8) started miserably slowly, beginning 1-4, including a season-opening loss to the rebuilding Patriots, a team that finished with four wins. Miami couldn’t weather early-season struggles, and its plan at backup quarterback doomed its prospects. The Dolphins couldn’t even top the struggling Jets on Sunday, allowing Aaron Rodgers to throw four touchdowns, the first time he has done so since Week 13 … of 2021.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Who is Pierre Poilievre? Canada’s Conservative leader seeking to become next prime minister after Trudeau exit

With Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement on Monday morning that he will step down as Liberal Party leader, whoever succeeds him will face Official Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre, whose Conservative Party has nearly three times the support of committed voters (47% compared to 18% for the Liberals) in this year’s general election.

First elected to the House of Commons in 2004, 45-year-old, Calgary-born Poilievre, 45, became leader of the Canadian Conservatives in 2022 and has seen his party grow in popularity as Canadians have grown tired of 53-year-old Trudeau, whose Liberals formed government in 2015.

‘Bring home the Canadian dream’ has been one of the Conservatives’ major themes, and Poilievre has cast the Liberals as governing with ‘an extremely radical ideology,’ which he described as ‘basically authoritarian socialism,’ in a recent 90-minute interview with popular podcast host Jordan Peterson.

‘People are sick and tired of grandiosity,’ said Poilievre. ‘Horrendous, utopian wokeism’ serves, he said, ‘egotistical personalities on top,’ rather than ‘common people.’

Trudeau has said that Poilievre wants to ‘make Canada great again,’ comparing the Tory leader to incoming U.S. President Donald Trump and his ‘Make America Great Again’ mantra.

But while Poilievre’s populist messaging has generated comparisons to Trump’s political approach, the Canadian Conservative leader has pushed back the president-elect’s recent comments about making Canada the 51st state.

‘I have the strength and the smarts to stand up for this country and my message to incoming President Trump is that first and foremost, Canada will never be the 51st state of the U.S.,’ Poilievre said in an interview with Canadian broadcaster, CTV News, before Christmas.

The incoming Trump administration will almost assuredly deal with a Poilievre government as the Conservatives are poised to win the next Canadian election, which could come as early as this spring. When the House of Commons resumes sitting on March 24, the opposition parties are likely to defeat the minority Liberal government in a vote of no-confidence, which would trigger a national vote.

In his Peterson interview, Poilievre acknowledged that Trump — who has proposed a 25% tariff against Canadian exports — ‘negotiates very aggressively, and he likes to win.’ But as prime minister, the Conservative leader said that he would seek ‘a great deal that will make both countries safer, richer and stronger.’

Poilievre said that he would accelerate approvals to build oil refineries, liquefied natural gas plants and nuclear facilities, and increase its electricity surplus with the U.S.

He also told Peterson that Canada sells its oil and gas to the U.S. at ‘enormous discounts,’ which he characterized as a ‘ripoff,’ in which ‘Canada is ripping itself off.’

A Poilievre-led government would also embark on ‘the biggest crackdown on crime in Canadian history’ and that ‘habitual offenders will not get out of jail anymore,’ the Conservative leader said.

On foreign affairs, the Canadian Conservatives’ 2023 policy document states that it would, as government, ‘take the required steps to renegotiate the Safe Third Country Agreement with the U.S. to close the gaps relating to illegal entries in Canada,’ and that the Conservative Party recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Canada’s embassy in Israel is currently in Tel Aviv.

In a statement released in response to Trudeau’s resignation on Monday, Poilievre said that ‘this changes nothing’ and that a Conservative Canadian government would ‘take back control of our border, take back control of immigration, take back control of spending, deficits and inflation. Take back control of our streets by locking up criminals, banning drugs, treating addiction and stopping gun smugglers.’

The Conservatives, added Poilievre, ‘would secure borders, rearm our forces, restore our freedom and put Canada First.’

Related Topics

Canada
Justin Trudeau
Elections
Trump Transition

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Donald Trump Jr takes personal trip to Greenland after president-elect floats purchasing country

Donald Trump Jr. is expected to travel to Greenland Tuesday after his father, President-elect Trump, signaled an interest in U.S. ‘ownership and control’ of the country, Fox News Digital has learned. 

A source familiar with Trump Jr.’s plans told Fox News Digital that the president-elect’s son, who is traveling in a personal capacity, is set to arrive in Nuuk, Greenland, midday Tuesday for meetings with locals, to visit cultural sites and more. 

‘As someone who has traveled to some fascinating places across the globe as an outdoorsman, I’m excited to stop into Greenland for a little bit of fun this week,’ Donald Trump Jr. told Fox News Digital. 

A source familiar told Fox News Digital that Trump Jr. is ‘popping in for a quick day-long trip to shoot some fun video content for podcasting.’

‘He will not be meeting with any government officials or political figures,’ the source told Fox News Digital. 

The trip comes as President-elect Trump seeks to buy the mineral-rich, geographically important territory. 

American interest in Greenland dates back to the 1800s. 

In 1867, the State Department explored buying both Greenland and Iceland, recognizing their strategic importance, Fox News reported. After World War II, Denmark turned down a $100 million offer from President Harry Truman for the island.

Acquiring the land would mark the largest expansion of American territory in history, topping the Louisiana Purchase.

But Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede said last week that the country is not interested. 

‘Greenland is ours,’ he said. ‘We are not for sale, and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.’

Related Topics

Donald Trump
Trump Transition
Politics

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Mental health disorders attributed to more service member hospital stays than any other ailment: DoD

Mental health disorders are on the rise in the military, now accounting for more hospitalizations than any other ailment, according to a new Defense Department health report. 

Diagnoses of mental health disorders are up 40% over the past five years, from 2019 to 2023, according to a Defense Health Agency report. It found that anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) doubled over the five-year period. 

In 2023, active-duty service members experiencing a mental health disorder made up 54.8% of hospital bed stays, more than every other affliction combined.

From 2019 through 2023, 541,672 active-dutyservice members across all branches were diagnosed with at least one mental health disorder, according to the report. About 47% of those were diagnosed with more than one mental health disorder. In 2023, there were 1.3 million U.S. active duty troops.

The sobering report follows the New Year’s Day vehicle attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people, revealing that the suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was an Army veteran with multiple deployments.  

That same day in Las Vegas, Col. Matthew Livelsberger, an active member of the Army Green Berets, shot himself in the head in a Cybertruck full of explosives. 

‘As service members continue to experience increased rates of mental health disorders after the COVID-19 pandemic, help-seeking behaviors to address psychological as well as emotional well-being should be prioritized to maintain force readiness,’ the report read. 

The Pentagon could not immediately be reached for comment on what’s behind the uptick in diagnoses and whether U.S. forces are mentally prepared to go into combat if needed. 

Female service members, those who are younger and those in the Army, were most likely to be diagnosed. 

The Navy led all other branches in depressive disorders, bipolar disorders and personality disorders.

Active duty female service members were diagnosed with PTSD twice as often as their male counterparts. 

The medical data came from records accessed via the Defense Medical Surveillance System and Theater Medical Data Store. It analyzed ambulance encounters, hospitalization or outpatient visits to a psychiatric facility, and other factors to define a mental health diagnosis. 

Meanwhile, military suicides ticked up again last year, following a dark trend the Pentagon has struggled to combat. 

Overall, there were 523 reported suicides in 2023, the most recent data available, up from 493 in 2022. The number of active-duty troops who died by suicide increased to 363 from 331 the previous year, up 12%. 

Suicide is by far the biggest killer of service members, killing more than training accidents, illnesses, homicides or combat, according to the Defense Department (DOD). In addition to the sheer number, the rate of suicides per 100,000 also went up last year. 

Suicide deaths by active-duty service members have been on the rise since 2011.

Another troubling sign from the data is how many suicide victims sought help: 67% had a primary care encounter in the 90 days before their death; 34% had been to an outpatient mental health center; 8% had been discharged from an in-patient mental health facility; and 18% were on psychotropic medication at the time of their death. 

Within a year prior to their death, 44% of military suicide victims reported intimate relationship problems, and 42% reported a behavioral health diagnosis. 

Related Topics

Defense
Mental Health
National Security

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Sports

Jaguars fire coach after three seasons, will keep GM

The Jaguars on Monday fired Pederson, the team nnounced, just one day after a 26-23 overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts wrapped up a 4-13 campaign. Pederson posted a 22-29 overall record with the organization.

General manager Trent Baalke will remain with the organization.

I had the difficult task this morning of informing Doug Pederson of my intention to hire a new head coach to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars,’ Khan said in a statement. ‘Doug is an accomplished football man who will undoubtedly enjoy another chapter in his impressive NFL career, and I will be rooting for Doug and his wife Jeannie when that occasion arrives. As much as Doug and I both wish his experience here in Jacksonville would have ended better, I have an obligation first and foremost to serve the best interests of our team and especially our fans, who faithfully support our team and are overdue to be rewarded. In that spirit, the time to summon new leadership is now.’

After Sunday’s loss, Pederson said he was ‘optimistic and hopeful’ that he would return next season.

All things Jaguars: Latest Jacksonville Jaguars news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

‘I’ll find out this week,’ Pederson said. ‘It’s hard to speculate right now. Emotions are running. I hope I’m still here, honestly. I feel like we have the makings of being a good football team. ‘

Jacksonville’s woes served as an extension of the struggles the franchise endured to end the 2023 season, when it dropped five of its final six games to fall out of the playoff picture despite its 8-3 start. Khan made clear in the offseason his lofty expectations for this year’s group, saying it was ‘the best team assembled by the Jacksonville Jaguars ever’ and that he expected to ‘prove it by winning now.’

But things quickly fell apart for Jacksonville. In Week 1, the team saw its 14-point lead over the Miami Dolphins erased in a 20-17 loss sealed by a last-second 52-yard field goal. Following an 18-13 loss to the Cleveland Browns to drop to 0-2, star quarterback Trevor Lawrence declared ‘we suck right now.’

Said Pederson after a 47-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 3: ‘We’re not a very good football team and we’ve got to get it fixed.’

With the team standing at 1-4, Khan stood behind both Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke, backing both in an exclusive interview with the Florida Times-Union and USA TODAY Network.

‘I still believe in them,’ Khan said. ‘I believe in the players, I believe in the coaching staff. I believe in Trent [Baalke]. Obviously, the results are disappointing for all of them, just as well as me or any other Jaguar fan, but, the key thing one has to understand [is] we have evolved and really got to a level. I think we’ve got the players, we’ve got the coaching, we’ve got the facilities.’

The Jaguars also were responsible for the largest losing deficit in franchise history with a 52-6 defeat to the Detroit Lions in Week 11. The Lions, who scored touchdowns on each of their first seven drives, also achieved an all-time organizational best with 645 yards.

While many speculated that Pederson could lose his job after that contest, the Jaguars emerged from their bye without a coaching change.

Pederson, 56, was hired in 2022 to help the Jaguars quickly pivot from Urban Meyer’s disastrous lone season as coach, during which he went 2-11 before being fired. Having led the Philadelphia Eagles to the organization’s lone Super Bowl title as a head coach in 2017, Pederson was hailed by Khan as someone who could ‘replicate that magic’ for another franchise seeking its first title.

The former NFL quarterback and protege of Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid was also tasked with taking over the development of Lawrence, the franchise centerpiece. The No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft was selected to the Pro Bowl in Pederson’s first season, in which he threw for 4,113 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions while leading the Jaguars to their first division title since 2017. But after signing a five-year, $275 million contract extension in June that briefly tied him for the title of the NFL’s highest-paid player, Lawrence made only 10 starts in an uneven season and dealt with a sprained AC joint before landing on injured reserve with a concussion.

The defense, meanwhile, ranked 31st in yards allowed per game (389.9) despite bringing in new coordinator Ryan Nielsen this offseason.

At the trade deadline, the Jaguars opted to trade left tackle Cam Robinson, who had been the franchise’s longest-tenured player, to the Minnesota Vikings for a conditional Day 3 draft pick.

This story has been updated with new information.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Browns QB Deshaun Watson has ‘setback’ in Achilles recovery process

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson ‘had a setback’ in his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon, general manager Andrew Berry revealed Monday.

Berry said it’s still too early in the recovery period from Watson’s Oct. 25 tendon repair surgery to determine if it will impact his availability for the start of the 2025 season.

‘We don’t have all the details and everything yet, but it will obviously extend the recovery process for him,’ Berry told reporters during Monday’s press conference.

Watson, who still has $92 million remaining on a five-year, $250 million contract he signed in 2022, tore his Achilles in the second quarter of Cleveland’s Week 7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. 

All things Browns: Latest Cleveland Browns news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

In his seven games as the starter this season, the Browns went 1-6, with Watson completing 63.4% of his passes with five touchdowns and three interceptions.

He has played in just 19 games for the Browns since being acquired in a trade from the Houston Texans and signing the fully guaranteed deal.

He missed 11 games last season because of multiple shoulder injuries and was suspended 11 games in 2022 for NFL personal conduct policy violations in connection with more than two dozen lawsuits by women in the Houston area alleging sexual assault and/or sexual misconduct during massage appointments.

After finishing 3-14 this season with quarterbacks Jameis Winston, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe all getting starts, the Browns will have the second overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

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Trump reacts to Trudeau resignation: ‘Many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State’

President-elect Trump on Monday reiterated his suggestion that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state, just hours after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his plan to resign.

‘Many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State. The United States can no longer suffer the massive Trade Deficits and Subsidies that Canada needs to stay afloat. Justin Trudeau knew this, and resigned,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

‘If Canada merged with the U.S., there would be no Tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them. Together, what a great Nation it would be!!!’ he added. 

Sources told Fox News in December that Trump brought up the merger idea to Trudeau in person when the pair met at Mar-a-Lago in late November. 

Trudeau jetted to Trump’s Florida residence unannounced that month after the president-elect threatened to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products. Trump is warning of 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico over failures by both nations to curb the flow of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs from those countries into the U.S.  

‘We discussed many important topics that will require both countries to work together to address, like the fentanyl and drug crisis that has decimated so many lives as a result of illegal immigration, fair trade deals that do not jeopardize American workers and the massive trade deficit the U.S. has with Canada,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. 

Trudeau announced earlier this morning that he will resign as prime minister and as the leader of Canada’s Liberal Party. 

‘I intend to resign as party leader, as Prime Minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust nationwide competitive process,’ Trudeau said in a Monday morning address. ‘Last night, I asked the president of the Liberal Party to begin that process. This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I’m having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election.’ 

Trudeau, who has led Canada for nearly a decade, has been grappling for months with significant drops in his approval ratings over mounting frustration relating to issues like the soaring cost of living and rising inflation.  

The long-time prime minister saw an increase in calls for his resignation — from at least seven Liberal Members of Parliament as well as opposition party leaders — following the abrupt departure of his finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, who wrote a scathing letter of resignation mentioning Trudeau’s handling of certain economic policies as well as the threats levied by Trump. 

Fox News’ Michael Dorgan, Caitlin McFall and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report. 

Related Topics

Canada
Donald Trump
Trump Transition
Justin Trudeau
Politics
World

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RFK Jr. ‘wrong’ about vaccinations, GOP senator says

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said during an interview on ‘Fox News Sunday’ that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is ‘wrong’ on the issue of vaccinations.

President-elect Donald Trump tapped Kennedy to serve as Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary. 

Cassidy, a gastroenterologist who is currently serving Louisianans in the Senate, is the incoming chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

The senator, who noted that he is looking forward to meeting with Kennedy in the coming week, said that he agrees with Kennedy on some issues but disagrees with him on others. 

While Cassidy described ultra-processed food as a problem, he said Kennedy is ‘wrong’ about vaccinations.

Fox News Digital inquired about whether Cassidy plans to vote against confirming Kennedy to HHS due to the disagreement on vaccines. 

‘Cassidy does not discuss his votes prior to meetings with the nominees and the Senate process playing itself out,’ a Cassidy spokesman said in a statement. ‘Cassidy explained these are topics he wants to discuss with RFK Jr in his meeting with him this week and he looks forward to having a good dialogue with him.’

Reached by Fox News Digital on Monday, Kennedy declined to comment on Cassidy’s assertion that he is ‘wrong’ on the vaccine issue.

But Kennedy has previously said that he does not want to block people from getting vaccines.

‘Bottom line: I’m not going to take anyone’s vaccines away from them. I just want to be sure every American knows the safety profile, the risk profile, and the efficacy of each vaccine. That’s it,’ he declared in a tweet last year.

Related Topics

Politics
Senate
Trump Transition
Cabinet
Health

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DP Trading Room: Does This Rally Have Legs?

In today’s free DP Trading Room Carl and Erin discuss whether this market rally can get legs and push the market even higher? Mega-caps are looking very positive with the Magnificent Seven leading the charge. Technology is showing new strength along with Communication Services.

Carl starts the trading room off with his review of the DP Signal Tables. He details the market trend and condition. He discusses through his presentation the possibility of a follow-on rally. He also covers Bitcoin, Yields, Bonds, Gold, the Dollar, Crude Oil among others.

Next up was a review of the Magnificent Seven in the short and intermediate terms. Are they positioned bullishly to continue to push the market higher?

Erin jumps in with a complete review of sector rotation. Takes a deep dive into the Semiconductor industry group (SMH) and gives us an “under the hood” look at Biotechnology (IBB) as well.

The pair finish with a look at viewer symbol requests that today included quite a few Semiconductor stocks and a smattering of other Tech and Energy stocks.

01:58 DP Signal Tables

04:44 Market Overview and Analysis

13:48 Magnificent Seven

19:37 Extra Bond Discussion

23:52 Questions

27:12 Sector Rotation

34:22 Semiconductors and Biotechs

38:38 Symbol Requests

Don’t miss out on attending the DP Trading Room LIVE! Register once here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_D6iAp-C1S6SebVpQIYcC6g#/registration

Definitely don’t miss out on our free two week trial of any of our DecisionPoint subscriptions! Try out the new Scan Alert System or amp up your trading with DP Alert and DecisionPoint Diamonds! Just use coupon code: DPTRIAL2 when you subscribe here: https://www.decisionpoint.com/products.html

The DP Alert: Your First Stop to a Great Trade!

Before you trade any stock or ETF, you need to know the trend and condition of the market. The DP Alert gives you all you need to know with an executive summary of the market’s current trend and condition. It not only covers the market! We look at Bitcoin, Yields, Bonds, Gold, the Dollar, Gold Miners and Crude Oil! Only $50/month! Or, use our free trial to try it out for two weeks using coupon code: DPTRIAL2. Click HERE to subscribe NOW!

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The fight over credit card swipe fees enters a new year with no end in sight

Many small businesses are breathing a bit easier as inflation has cooled and the race for workers slows. But consumers’ steady embrace of credit cards is taking a growing bite out of their margins.

Gene-Christian Baca, the owner of Walter’s Hot Dogs in Mamaroneck and White Plains, New York, estimated that he now pays $50,000 a year in costs associated with processing credit card transactions, a sum he says has ballooned with rising card processing rates and more customers paying with cards over cash.

“Every year, 3% of all of our sales is washed away just to credit card processing,” he said.

A Visa credit card inserted into a card reader in Tiskilwa, Ill., on Sept. 18, 2018.Daniel Acker / Bloomberg via Getty Images file

Merchants have long shouldered these “swipe fees,” the catchall term for businesses’ payments to banks and card companies each time customers swipe. While a federal rule caps debit card swipe fees at 21 cents per transaction, those for credit cards can be much higher.

And as many shoppers ditched cash for plastic cards or mobile payment apps, businesses have seen credit card transactions swell. They made up 32% of all U.S. consumer payments in 2023, up from 24% in 2019, according to a Federal Reserve study. Cash shrunk its share to 16% over the same period, down from 26%.

Spending on American Express, Discover, Mastercard and Visa cards in the U.S. soared to $5.25 trillion in the first half of 2024, up from around $4.98 trillion during the same period in 2023, according to data provided to NBC News by the Nilson Report, which covers the payments industry.

These shifts in customer habits have added to many businesses’ costs. Merchants paid an average of 2.26% in swipe fees for transactions using the Visa and Mastercard credit card networks in 2023, the latest year with available data, according to Nilson. The two companies accounted for more than $100 billion of the $172 billion in total U.S. swipe fees in 2023, Nilson said, and Visa accounted for 52% of credit card spending on the four major card networks.

Some of Visa’s fees are now going up. The card network raised two of the credit card swipe fees it charges banks and processing companies on Jan. 1. The move comes amid growing pushback from critics, including some lawmakers, who say swipe fees are excessive and frequently get passed on to shoppers.

“Most likely, higher swipe fees from Visa would mean higher prices for people at the store eventually,” said Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst at LendingTree. “It’s unclear as to how quickly that would happen, but generally speaking, when these fees tend to go up, merchants would tend to pass those extra costs along to consumers.”

The Merchants Payments Coalition, an advocacy organization backed by leading restaurant, retail and other trade groups, estimates Visa’s additional fees will total $100 million per year.

“That seems like not a lot, but it increases the amount of every single transaction, and that really adds up over time,” said Doug Kantor, a member of the Merchants Payments Coalition’s executive committee and general counsel at the National Association of Convenience Stores.

The Merchants Payments Coalition says the $172 billion in swipe fees in 2023 set a record and estimates they cost the average family more than $1,100. The group is pushing for more transparency with credit card fees, more competition among networks and lower fees.

Visa says its changes are meant to make the network better. When confronted by policymakers about some of its swipe fees, the company has said that it “has no incentive to set [them] at levels that are too high or too low.”

A Visa spokesperson told NBC News in a statement: “We are constantly enhancing our network to better serve the businesses and consumers that increasingly choose to transact with us. Everything we do is designed to make paying and being paid with Visa more convenient, secure and reliable.”

The Electronic Payments Coalition, an advocacy group supporting card networks including Visa, says average swipe fees haven’t changed much over the last decade even as sales have increased. The organization has also noted that businesses incur distinct costs by handling cash. Those can range from operating cash registers to paying bank account fees.

Businesses handle swipe fees differently. Some, like Walter’s Hot Dogs, bake the costs into their prices. Others are trying to entice customers to use cash. Patz Deli in Manchester, New Hampshire, charges customers a 4% convenience fee for credit card transactions to cover the costs of processing fees and credit card equipment.

“It’s a cost that we don’t necessarily have to take on ourselves because it’s not our credit card,” said owner Pat Burns. “It’s your choice to use it, not ours, but we’re the ones who get charged for it.”

He said the deli introduced the convenience fee within the last couple of years as it faced mounting pressure from taxes, wages and other expenses.

“At the end of the month, by the time you bring home any type of money, 10 other people have already had their hands in it,” Burns said. “Even just a little bit like on the credit cards, 3, 4% goes a long way helping small businesses stay afloat.”

Consumer experts recommend using cash for small transactions, using rewards cards to make the most of each purchase and paying in person rather than over the phone when possible. Phone transactions often result in a higher fee for businesses due to security risks.

The fight over swipe fees has reached Congress. The Credit Card Competition Act, a bipartisan bill spearheaded by Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Roger Marshall, R-Kan., aims to boost competition among credit card processing companies — something the Merchants Payments Coalition says is essential.

But the bill has stalled. Several groups supporting banks, credit card networks and credit unions are opposing the measure, saying it would harm small businesses and consumers, in part by limiting rewards.

“Swipe fees are definitely a really contentious thing and have been a battlefield between credit card issuers and networks and merchants for a long time,” said LendingTree’s Schulz. “It feels like that battle is really only going to keep going on for the next little while.”

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