Thursday’s business headlines with Jane King

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Here’s a look at Thursday’s business headlines with Jane King.

Public pessimism about economy hits record high

A record 69% of the public holds negative views about the economy both now and in the future, according to the latest CNBC all-America economic survey.

Just 24% say now is a good time to invest in stocks, also the lowest reading in the survey’s 17-year history.

Despite the negative views on the economy, 63% of employed Americans are not worried about losing jobs, up 5 points from November. And 37% of respondents expect their wages to increase in the next year.

Disney ready to cut thousands of jobs in 2nd wave of layoffs

Disney is reportedly ready to cut ‘thousands’ of jobs in the second wave of layoffs. Bloomberg reports the pink slips could come as soon as April 24.

Meta prepares for layoffs, tells employees to work from home

Meta told its North America-based employees to work from home this week as it began a second round of layoffs that will immediately cut 4,000 jobs — part of a plan to eventually cull 10,000 jobs. The job cuts will affect positions at the flagship social network, Facebook, as well as Instagram, WhatsApp, and the reality labs virtual reality division, according to the Bloomberg report.

Facebook users can now claim settlement money

Facebook users between May 2007 and December 2022 can submit a claim for their share of a $725 million class action settlement related to Facebook’s relationship with Cambridge Analytica, which harvest data from 87 million Facebook users. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement. Facebook users can make a claim by visiting facebookuserprivacysettlement.com.

Stock Update

Stocks were mostly lower Wednesday as investors digested another round of earnings. Interest rates also ticked higher, spooking investors.