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UnitedHealth Group has laid off dozens of remote employees in healthcare technology and services marketing from its Optum unit, who were given two weeks notice in November, sources told Health Payer Specialist. Fast Company has reached out to UnitedHealth for confirmation. Those employees were based in “multiple states on the East coast and in the Midwest,” according to that report, and are among UnitedHealth’s roughly 400,000 employees across the U.S. (It is the parent company of UnitedHealthcare, the nation’s largest healthcare insurer.) The healthcare giant is just the latest company in a string of industries to announce layoffs, which have hit almost every sector of the American economy in 2025. The layoffs come amid fierce criticism of the company’s healthcare and insurance practices. UnitedHealth Group and UnitedHealthcare have received backlash and widespread criticism over consumer allegations of costly insurance, overbilling, denial of necessary care, and patient privacy violations, among other complaints. (UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s murder in December 2024 was met with little sympathy by some Americans, as Fast Company previously reported.) On Friday, the company released the first round of results of an independent audit of its business, saying it was committed “to setting a new standard of transparency for the health care marketplace,” and vowing to make improvements through “23 action plans”with 65% to be completed by the end of 2025, and all 100% by the end of the first quarter of next year in March 2026. Those include: enhancing policy governance and maintenance, strengthening processes for ongoing monitoring and tracking progress of corrective actions, enhancing risk, and optimizing manufacturer discount processes. “We hope that you see these assessments as a commitment to setting a new standard of transparency for the health care marketplace, as we believe that you and every person who engages with our health system deserves to understand how we go about our work,” CEO Steve Hemsley said in the statement.
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E-Commerce
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas for the stock market, which may be headed for a “Santa Claus Rally,” according to analysts, including at Goldman Sachs and Citadel Securities. Barring any major shocks, it will be hard to fight the overwhelmingly positive seasonal period we are entering and the cleaner positioning set-up, Goldman Sachs Group Inc.s trading desk team said in a client note, as reported by Bloomberg. While we dont necessarily see a dramatic rally, we do think there is room to go up from here into year end.” Scott Rubner of Citadel Securities agreed, noting: “Following a year of strong portfolio returns and record household wealth, retail participants enter 2026 with both conviction and balance-sheet capacity to increase market participation.” Markets saw a pickup in volatility between November and mid-December, but that volatility appears to be easing, stock strategist at Zacks Investment Research Ethan Feller told Fast Company. “At the same time, major indexes are consolidating just below record highs. Taken together, those conditions tilt the odds toward a Santa Claus rally this year,” he added. Here’s what to know about the so-called “Santa Claus Rally.” What is a Santa Claus Rally, anyway? A so-called “Santa Claus Rally” refers to a rally in the last five trading days of the year, and the first two of the next year. On those days, the S&P 500 Index has gained an average of 1.3% about 79% of the time since 1950, according to Investopedia. With those odds of nearly 80%, the likelihood is pretty good, but not guaranteed. On Wall Street, the saying goes, “If Santa Claus should fail to call, bears may come to Broad and Wall.” Meaning, if there is no rally, that can be a bad sign for the year ahead. Why does the Santa rally occur? There are a few general theories about why this year-end rally exists, including: holiday spending, year-end bonuses that get recirculated into the market, general holiday optimism, and end-of-tax-year considerations. How is the S&P 500 Index performing now? At the close of afternoon trading on Friday, the S&P 500 Index was up nearly 1% at 6,834.50, well above the 6,000 threshold. It closed up 0.8% on Thursday, after four straight days of losses. What are some risk factors this year? There are some reasons for concern. Some analysts told Barron’s it is too early to tell if there will be a “Santa Claus rally” before those five days start on December 24, as they are still assessing how inflation, the labor market, consumer spending, and future Fed rate cuts could pave the way for Santa’s return.
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E-Commerce
Much like how the character Jack Dawson proudly proclaims to be king of the world after boarding the Titanic, film director James Cameron could claim to be king of the box office. Cameron chooses to take a mellower approach, letting the numbers do the talking. His latest film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, hits theaters this Friday and is primed to break even more box office records. Lets take a look at the history of this franchise before we discuss industry projections. A brief history of the ‘Avatar’ films The first Avatar film came out in 2009 and received generally positive reviews. Cameron and his artists have so lovingly imagined the moon of Pandora that every shot of the film contains new wonders. One can lose oneself in this world, gushed Vultures Bilge Ebiri.On both the domestic and world stages, Avatar became the highest grossing film of all time. Domestically, Star Wars: Episode VIIThe Force Awakens dethroned it in 2015, and similarly, Avengers: Endgame took the No. 1 spot worldwide in 2019. However, Avatar fought back in 2021 and retook the title of worldwide highest grossing film of all time thanks to a re-release. Beyond box office records, the first Avatar film also introduced the industry and audiences to new technology. Cameron and his team developed the Fusion Camera System, which shot in 3D. Additionally, the team utilized virtual cinematography to aid in the motion-captured sequences. The release of Avatar: The Way of Water, the second film in the series, was delayed, in part, so even more technology could catch up with Camerons vision. This time around, Cameron created new ways to film underwater to introduce a new group of Navi, the moon-dwelling species at the heart of the franchise. The 2022 release also marked an expansion of the scope of the project. Camerons original idea was to make a trilogy. After establishing a writers’ room in 2013, three movies became five. Camerons gamble paid off as the sequel became the third highest-grossing film of all time globally. [Image: 20th Century Studios] What are critics saying about ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ so far? Ahead of its theatrical release, critics have given Avatar: Fire and Ash mixed reviews. Most praise the films visuals, but lament the thin repetitive storyline. Fire and Ash is sound and fury signifying nothing. Or at least nothing excitingly new, wrote David Rooney of the Hollywood Reporter. Owen Gleiberman of Variety agreed and even posed a hard question. Its fine, but do we actually care about it? On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie had a 67% Tomatometer rating and a 93% Popcornmeter rating as of Friday. What are the box office predictions? Despite the mixed reviews, Avatar: Fire and Ash is still expected to perform well at the box office. Variety predicts the film will make $90 million to $105 million domestically on its opening weekend and an additional $250 million to $275 million around the world. (Deadline makes a similar forecast with a combined global box office of $340 million to $380 million.) The previous Avatar films, Variety further notes, become record breakers not only because of impressive opening weekends but also because of long-running box office dominance. Fire and Ash is expected to follow the same pattern. If it does, the potential is huge. Combined, the previous two films have already generated more than $5 billion at the global box office. Either way, the movie is expected to be a boon for Twentieth Century Studios and parent the Walt Disney Company.
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E-Commerce
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