US Federal Reserve Holds Steady on Interest Rates
The US Federal Reserve opted to keep interest rates unchanged at approximately 3.6% on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, after implementing three rate cuts the previous year, according to Euronews. The central bank indicated in a statement that the job market showed signs of stabilization and that economic growth was "solid," a more optimistic assessment than the "modest" characterization used the previous month.
The decision to hold rates steady came as the economy continued to grow at a healthy pace, with no apparent deterioration in hiring, Euronews reported. When the Fed lowers its key rate, it generally leads to reduced borrowing costs for mortgages, car loans, and business borrowing, although these rates are also influenced by market forces.
Spotify Royalties Reach $11 Billion, Native Instruments Faces Insolvency
In other business news, Spotify announced that it paid out over $11 billion in royalties to the music industry in 2025, The Verge reported. This figure represents an increase of $1 billion compared to the previous year and accounts for roughly 30% of the entire recording industry's revenue, according to Spotify.
However, not all news in the music industry was positive. Native Instruments, the company behind well-known music software and hardware such as Massive, Traktor, Kontakt, and Maschine, entered preliminary insolvency proceedings, according to Hacker News. The company also owns brands like iZotope, Brainworx, and Plugin Alliance. An administrator was appointed to handle restructuring and potentially sell off existing assets. The future of the company and the fate of its hundreds of employees remain uncertain. Francisco Partners, a private equity firm, holds a majority stake in Native Instruments.
Apple's AirPods 4 on Sale, Jeff Bezos's Modest Salary
For consumers, Apple's noise-canceling AirPods 4 were available at one of their best prices to date, The Verge reported. These AirPods offer solid noise cancellation, sound quality, and wireless charging, making them a good budget alternative to the AirPods Pro 3.
In other news, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and the world's third-richest man, capped his Amazon salary at $80,000, according to Fortune. During a 2024 interview at the New York Times DealBook Summit, Bezos stated that he asked the board not to give him any compensation beyond a modest base salary. "I already owned a significant amount of the company, and I just didn’t feel good about taking more," Bezos said. "I just felt, How could I possibly need more incentive? I just would have felt icky about it."
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