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Luxury real estate brokers charged in federal indictment with sex trafficking in NYCU.S. stocks rose to records Tuesday after Donald Trump’s latest talk about tariffs created only some ripples on Wall Street, even if they could roil the global economy were they to take effect. The S&P 500 climbed 0.6% to top the all-time high it set a couple weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 123 points, or 0.3%, to its own record set the day before, while the Nasdaq composite gained 0.6% as Microsoft and Big Tech led the way. Stock markets abroad mostly fell after President-elect Trump said he plans to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China once he takes office. But the movements were mostly modest. Stock indexes were down 0.1% in Shanghai and nearly flat in Hong Kong, while Canada’s main index edged down by less than 0.1%. Trump has often praised the use of tariffs, but investors are weighing whether his latest threat will actually become policy or is just an opening point for negotiations. For now, the market seems to be taking it more as the latter. The consequences otherwise for markets and the global economy could be painful. Unless the United States can prepare alternatives for the autos, energy products and other goods that come from Mexico, Canada and China, such tariffs would raise the price of imported items all at once and make households poorer, according to Carl Weinberg and Rubeela Farooqi, economists at High Frequency Economics. They would also hurt profit margins for U.S. companies, while raising the threat of retaliatory tariffs by other countries. And unlike tariffs in Trump’s first term, his latest proposal would affect products across the board. General Motors sank 9%, and Ford Motor fell 2.6% because both import automobiles from Mexico. Constellation Brands, which sells Modelo and other Mexican beer brands in the United States, dropped 3.3%. The value of the Mexican peso fell 1.8% against the U.S. dollar. Beyond the pain such tariffs would cause U.S. households and businesses, they could also push the Federal Reserve to slow or even halt its cuts to interest rates. The Fed had just begun easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high a couple months ago to offer support for the job market. While lower interest rates can boost the economy, they can also offer more fuel for inflation. “Many” officials at the Fed’s last meeting earlier this month said they should lower rates gradually, according to minutes of the meeting released Tuesday afternoon. The talk about tariffs overshadowed another mixed set of profit reports from U.S. retailers that answered few questions about how much more shoppers can keep spending. They’ll need to stay resilient after helping the economy avoid a recession, despite the high interest rates imposed by the Fed to get inflation under control. A report on Tuesday from the Conference Board said confidence among U.S. consumers improved in November, but not by as much as economists expected. Kohl’s tumbled 17% after its results for the latest quarter fell short of analysts’ expectations. CEO Tom Kingsbury said sales remain soft for apparel and footwear. A day earlier, Kingsbury said he plans to step down as CEO in January. Ashley Buchanan, CEO of Michaels and a retail veteran, will replace him. Best Buy fell 4.9% after likewise falling short of analysts’ expectations. Dick’s Sporting Goods topped forecasts for the latest quarter thanks to a strong back-to-school season, but its stock lost an early gain to fall 1.4%. Still, more stocks rose in the S&P 500 than fell. J.M. Smucker had one of the biggest gains and climbed 5.7% after topping analysts’ expectations for the latest quarter. CEO Mark Smucker credited strength for its Uncrustables, Meow Mix, Café Bustelo and Jif brands. Big Tech stocks also helped prop up U.S. indexes. Gains of 3.2% for Amazon and 2.2% for Microsoft were the two strongest forces lifting the S&P 500. All told, the S&P 500 rose 34.26 points to 6,021.63. The Dow gained 123.74 to 44,860.31, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 119.46 to 19,174.30. In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady following their big drop from a day before driven by relief following Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary. The yield on the 10-year Treasury inched up to 4.29% from 4.28% late Monday, but it’s still well below the 4.41% level where it ended last week. In the crypto market, bitcoin continued to pull back after topping $99,000 for the first time late last week. It’s since dipped back toward $91,000, according to CoinDesk. It’s a sharp turnaround from the bonanza that initially took over the crypto market following Trump’s election. That boom had also appeared to have spilled into some corners of the stock market. Strategists at Barclays Capital pointed to stocks of unprofitable companies, along with other areas that can be caught up in bursts of optimism by smaller-pocketed “retail” investors. ___ AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed. Already bracing for funding cuts under a new Trump administration, With inflation still elevated, Federal Reserve officials expressed caution at U.S. stocks rose to records Tuesday after Donald Trump’s latest Federal authorities have released an update on the investigation into21 niceph 。

Tech review: Gift options for the cord cutter

Monoculars are basically a half pair of binoculars and can be a super compact way for you to enjoy stargazing wherever your travels take you. Because of their small size, monoculars are highly portable, meaning that you don’t have to worry about lagging a heavy telescope to a dark sky site to enjoy some skywatching. Monoculars use a lens and prism system to magnify an image for the user. They are great for beginner stargazers due to their simple operation: point your monocular at your subject, and look through it. Operating monoculars with higher magnification requires a tripod to keep the view from wobbling, but they enable deep-sky viewing. Depending on what you need a monocular for, there are a range of top models on the marke t . They boast a whole range of benefits including night vision, high color fidelity, and rugged durability. Whichever monocular you are using, this guide will help you track down stars in the night sky. How to focus on stars with a monocular Ideally, pick a monocular with a minimum objective lens diameter of 50mm. This will allow enough light to reach the eyepiece. If the device is digital, adjust the shutter speed and exposure length to settings that allow enough light to hit the sensor. Remember that the longer the shutter stays open, the more you need to stabilize the monocular to avoid blurring the image. Consider using two hands to steady the monocular or use surrounding objects like fences or walls to lean against while composing your image. Orientation If your vantage point is in the mid to high-latitude northern hemisphere, which includes the UK and America, then the best find is the Plough (or the Big Dipper in the USA). This group of seven stars never goes below the horizon and is fairly bright, perfect for stargazing on a clear night at any time of year. To locate the Plough, you just need to know where north is from where you are looking. Using a compass is ideal; most smartphones now include a basic compass. The Plough doesn't rise and set like the sun and moon; it is always there 365 days of the year, which makes it one of the best patterns to learn. You can use the Big Dipper to help you find Polaris (the North Star). Once you do this, you will have completed your first star hop. The southern hemisphere has a whole host of bright stars visible with a monocular. These seasonal upside-down constellations include the Milky Way , where Alpha Centauri is the third brightest star in the nighttime sky. As you move into finding more dark sky objects with a monocular, the size of the magnification and objective lens diameter will increase. This, in turn, creates stability issues as bigger magnification amplifies wobble. Using a tripod can help to stabilize things but does introduce other problems. Bending down to view the night sky through a tripod-mounted monocular isn't ideal and can cause neck pain. This is because of the angle desired to observe the night sky. It is a trade-off for stabile-focused images with a tripod or more comfort and flexibility while holding the monocular. The best areas for stargazing are those with low levels of light pollution . If it's not possible to travel to a location, then you can still find out what your location is like for this particular problem using the Bortle scale. This nine-level numeric scale measures the night sky's brightness in a particular location. One is the darkest skies with zero to no light pollution, compared to nine — very high levels of light pollution. Many of the best stargazing apps use this scale, enabling you to work out what number your area has. This can help you work out what stars you should be able to see from any given place. How to find suitable locations for stargazing with a monocular. Remember a few simple things when looking for a good spot for stargazing. These include areas of open space with clear views of the horizon. What season are you in? This affects what you can see relative to your location. The Milky Way is best in the spring if you are in the northern hemisphere, and the northern lights are best in the winter. Weather conditions play a large part in stargazing. Cloudy nights make it difficult to see stars. Find out how much light pollution there is in your area by using one of the many online websites with light pollution maps. There are many great locations for astrophotography and skywatching wherever you are on the planet! Night vision monoculars have seen vast technological improvement over the last few years, but are they worth it for stargazing ? The most recent Gen 3 versions of these devices can now be used for stargazing. The devices can see a far greater spectrum of light than the human eye and are particularly useful in areas of high light pollution. You can now record and store on memory cards with digital night vision monoculars, further enhancing their nighttime ability. If you use spectacles, adjust the eye relief on the monocular so that you have as big a field of view as possible while maintaining comfort. Ideally, the eyecups should have rubber surrounds rather than the plastic ones included on cheaper models. Make sure your tripod has rubber feet to increase stability. It's also a good idea to have a headlamp so that you can safely set up your equipment in the dark. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook .AP Trending SummaryBrief at 6:46 p.m. EST