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NEW YORK (AP) — An early rebound for U.S. stocks on Thursday petered out by the end of the day, leaving indexes close to flat. The S&P 500 edged down by 0.1% following Wednesday’s tumble of 2.9% when the Federal Reserve said it may deliver fewer cuts to interest rates next year than earlier thought. The index had been up as much as 1.1% in the morning. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 15 points, or less than 0.1%, following Wednesday’s drop of 1,123 points, while the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.1%. This week’s struggles have taken some of the enthusiasm out of the market, which critics had been warning was overly buoyant and would need everything to go correctly for it to justify its high prices. But indexes remain near their records , and the S&P 500 is still on track for one of its best years of the millennium with a gain of 23%. Traders are now expecting the Federal Reserve to deliver just one or maybe two cuts to interest rates next year, according to data from CME Group. Some are even betting on none. A month ago, the majority saw at least two cuts in 2025 as a safe bet. Wall Street loves lower interest rates because they give the economy a boost and goose prices for investments, but they can also provide fuel for inflation. Micron Technology was one of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500 Thursday. It fell 16.2% despite reporting stronger profit for the latest quarter than expected. The computer memory company’s revenue fell short of Wall Street’s forecasts, and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said it expects demand from consumers to remain weaker in the near term. It gave a forecast for revenue in the current quarter that fell well short of what analysts were thinking. Lamb Weston, which makes French fries and other potato products, dropped 20.1% after falling short of analysts’ expectations for profit and revenue in the latest quarter. It also cut its financial targets for the fiscal year, saying demand for frozen potatoes is continuing to soften, particularly outside North America. The company replaced its chief executive. Such losses helped overshadow a 14.7% jump for Darden Restaurants, the company behind Olive Garden and other chains. It delivered profit for the latest quarter that edged past analysts’ expectations. The operator of LongHorn Steakhouses also gave a forecast for revenue for this fiscal year that topped analysts’. Accenture rose 7.1% after the professional services company likewise topped expectations for profit in the latest quarter. CEO Julie Sweet said it saw growth around the world, and the company raised its forecast for revenue this fiscal year. Amazon shares added 1.3%, even as workers at seven of its facilities went on strike Thursday in the middle of the online retail giant’s busiest time of the year. Amazon says it doesn’t expect an impact on its operations during what the workers’ union calls the largest strike against the company in U.S. history. In the bond market, yields were mixed a day after shooting higher on expectations that the Fed would deliver fewer cuts to rates in 2025. Reports on the U.S. economy came in mixed. One showed the overall economy grew at a 3.1% annualized rate during the summer, faster than earlier thought. The economy has remained remarkably resilient even though the Fed held its main interest rate at a two-decade high for a while before beginning to cut them in September. A separate report showed fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week, an indication that the job market also remains solid. But a third report said manufacturing in the mid-Atlantic region is unexpectedly contracting again despite economists’ expectations for growth. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.57% from 4.52% late Wednesday and from less than 4.20% earlier this month. But the two-year yield, which more closely tracks expectations for action by the Fed in the near term, eased back to 4.31% from 4.35%. The rise in longer-term yields has put pressure on the housing market by keeping mortgage rates higher. Homebuilder Lennar fell 5.2% after reporting weaker profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. CEO Stuart Miller said that “the housing market that appeared to be improving as the Fed cut short-term interest rates, proved to be far more challenging as mortgage rates rose” through the quarter. “Even while demand remained strong, and the chronic supply shortage continued to drive the market, our results were driven by affordability limitations from higher interest rates,” he said. A report on Thursday may have offered some encouragement for the housing industry. It showed a pickup in sales of previously occupied homes. All told, the S&P 500 slipped 5.08 points to 5,867.08. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 15.37 to 42,342.24, and the Nasdaq composite lost 19.92 to 19,372.77. In stock markets abroad, London’s FTSE 100 fell 1.1% after the Bank of England paused its cuts to rates and kept its main interest rate unchanged on Thursday. The move comes as inflation there moved further above the central bank’s 2% target rate, while the British economy is flatlining at best. The Bank of Japan also kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged, and Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.7%. Indexes likewise sank across much of the rest of Asia and Europe. AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.Michael Chandler appeared to respond to Paddy Pimblett’s recent video teasing a potential booking between the two UFC stars. Michael Chandler and Paddy Pimblett are two of the biggest names on the UFC roster. After Pimblett dropped an Easter Egg hinting at a fight with Chandler happening soon, it didn’t take long for the latter to respond on social media. Chandler is fresh off a ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate against Charles Oliveira at UFC 309. Despite the unanimous decision loss to Oliveira, Chandler arguably didn’t lose much stock in the lightweight title picture and has a few big names on his radar. One of which is Pimblett, who is targeting a potential return to the Octagon on the UFC’s scheduled return to London on March 22nd. As of this writing, the promotion hasn’t announced bookings for Pimblett and Chandler’s next fights. In reaction to Pimblett’s recent teases, Chandler made a cryptic post amidst all of the speculation regarding his return. READ MORE: Leon Edwards comeback opponent potentially revealed by streaking contender’s one-word social media post Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett rumored for upcoming bout In a recent Instagram post, Chandler made his first public remarks since the Pimblett fight rumors began to circulate. “The new year is fast approaching,” Chandler posted. “Calculating the next moves and reaching for growth. Walk On. See you at the top!” UFC CEO Dana White and the matchmakers haven’t addressed all of the Chandler/Pimblett rumors, although we should get some clarity in the coming weeks. The UFC’s event slate resumes on January 11th. Pimblett last fought in the Octagon at UFC 304, finishing King Green by first-round submission. He’s unbeaten in his UFC tenure and has won eight consecutive fights overall. Chandler was supposed to headline UFC 303 for his long-awaited showdown with Conor McGregor before McGregor withdrew due to injury. The McGregor fight remains on Chandler’s radar despite the increasing uncertainty regarding the former UFC champ’s comeback . READ MORE: Drake names his favorite UFC fighter after betting millions on big MMA events Michael Chandler fuels Paddy Pimblett fight speculation Chandler is searching for his first UFC victory since finishing Tony Ferguson at UFC 274. Despite a 2-4 promotional record after signing in 2020, Chandler is one of the biggest draws in the UFC. Pimblett has defeated the likes of Jared Gordon, Jordan Leavitt, and Ferguson during his UFC tenure. The former Cage Warriors featherweight champion rose into the lightweight Top 15 with the victory over Green. If the fight comes to fruition, the Chandler vs. Pimblett winner would move one step closer to the lightweight title mix. We could be weeks away from getting more clarity on the oncoming matchup rumors surrounding Chandler, Pimblett, and other top names. 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NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge won't be bothered if free agent Juan Soto gets a bigger deal from the New York Yankees than the captain's $360 million , nine-year contract. “It ain’t my money. I really don’t care as long as we get the best players, we get the most that we can, I’m happy with whatever,” Judge said Friday, a day after he was a unanimous winner of his second AL MVP award. “That's never been something on my mind about who gets paid the most.” Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, obituaries, sports, and more.