Dow Jones Today: Stocks Mostly Lower to Begin New Year After Major Indexes End 2025 With 4-Session Skids

Investopedia•January 2, 2026•general

Key Points:

Economists led by Joseph Davis at Vanguard accurately predicted 2025's economic outlook, forecasting a 4.4% unemployment rate, 97,500 monthly job additions, and 3% CPI inflation; they expect 2026 to feature persistent inflation, a strengthening job market, and steady growth.
A 2022 report found that 40% of Social Security recipients continued working after claiming benefits, often due to insufficient benefit increases that have lost 20% purchasing power since 2010; early claimants working post-benefits tend to have lower education and poorer health.
The IRS has discontinued its Direct File free tax software program, citing better private-sector alternatives, despite favorable user reviews; the Free File program by private companies remains