Stock markets -Stocks soared in the first three weeks of the month but collapsed in the final ten days, as COVID-19 cases spiked in the U.S. and Europe. Stocks dropped drastically after France, and Germany initiated lockdowns. Investors do not feel that the U.S. will go back to shutting down the economy but do fear that the re-opening will stall, and it will take longer than expected to return to normal. They also believe that Europe’s shutdown will severely affect their economy which was recovering from shutdowns earlier in the year. Congress’ failure to pass another round of stimulus also was a drag on stocks this month, but investors still feel certain that a large stimulus package will be passed after the election. This did not have the effect that the increase in COVID-19 cases had. It should be noted that third-quarter corporate profits have been extremely strong, and the third quarter preliminary GDP increased by 33.1% on an annualized basis from the second quarter when much of the country was under shut down. The output is still below one year ago, but we have been on the right track. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the month at 26,501.60, down 4.6% from 27,781.70 last month. It is down 7.1% year-to-date. The S&P 500 closed the month at 3,269.96, down 0.1% from 3,263.01 last month. It is up 1.2% year-to-date. The NASDAQ closed the week at 10,911.59, down 6.5% from 11,167.31 last month. It is up 21.6% year-to-date U.S. Treasury bond yields – The 10-year treasury bond closed the month yielding 0.88%, up from 0.69%, last month. The 30-year treasury bond yield ended the month at 1.65%, up from 1.46% last month. Mortgage rates – The Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey released on October 29, 2020, reported mortgage rates for the most popular loan products as follows: The 30-year fixed mortgage rate average was 2.81%, down from 2.88% last month. The 15-year fixed was 2.32%, down slightly from 2.36% last month. The 5-year ARM was 2.88, almost unchanged from 2.90% last month. The U.S. economy added 661,000 jobs in September – The Department of Labor Statistics reported that employers added 661,000 jobs in September. Analysts expected 800,000 new jobs, so this number was quite a bit below expectations. This represented a slowing in the pace of the job’s recovery, as over 1.3 million jobs were added in August. The unemployment rate dropped to 7.9% in September. It was 8.4% in August. Home sales are released in the third week of the month for the previous month. These are September’s numbers. September California Home Sales Report – The California Association of Realtors reported that existing, single-family home sales totaled 489,590 on an annualized basis in September. That represented a month over month increase of 5.2.% from August and a staggering year over year increase of 21.2%from the number of homes sold in September 2019. Usually, because of seasonal adjustments, home sales begin to cool in September, but this September marked the highest monthly number of homes sold in over a decade. The median price paid for a home in California was $712,430, up 17.6% from the median price last September. Inventory levels were lower than one year ago. There was just a two-month supply of homes for sale in September. On a regional level, the median price paid for a home was sharply higher than one year ago. The year-over-year increases were as follows: LA County’s median price was $747,380, up 12.7% from last September. Ventura County’s median price was $787,500, up 19.5% from last September. Orange County’s median price was $915,000, up 10.2% from last September. U.S. Existing-home sales soared in September – The National Association of Realtors reported that existing home sales in September rose 6.4% month-over-month from August and rose 21% year-over-year from the number of homes sold in September 2019. The median price paid for a home increased 15% from one year ago. The inventory level in the United States was 1.47 million homes, a 2.7-month supply. That is a record low.

With all of us spending Halloween indoors, a great movie with the family with some candy treats sounds like a great alternative to celebrate Halloween and get some themed family time in! Check out these Netflix movies that are fun and entertaining for the kids and the family!

The Addams Family

They’re creepy and they’re kooky, all right! Perhaps the most classic family Halloween film on the streaming platform is The Addams Family, the film about America’s favorite family filled with supremely spooky characters. This supernatural black comedy first brought the 1960s television comedy to the big screen; and with supreme casting choices including Raul Julia as Gomez, Anjelica Huston as Morticia, Christina Ricci as Wednesday and Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester, The Addams Family cements itself as one of the all-time best Halloween movies for people of all ages.

Goosebumps

R.L. Stine’s creepiest characters come to life in Goosebumps, the supernatural adventure film based on the hair-raising book series of the same name. Starring Jack Black as Stine himself, the spooky film follows the adventures of a group of teens who accidentally unleash the monsters from the books into the real world, terrorizing the local town. It is up to the kids and Dylan Minnette and Odeya Rush, Goosebumps is a family-friendly flick that perfectly honors the highly-acclaimed novels from which this movie was born.

Hubie Halloween

This year’s Halloween comedy film is Hubie Halloween, a classic Adam Sandler comedy with a timely spooky twist. The movie centers on Hubie (Sandler), an eccentric who voluntarily spends every Halloween dedicated to keeping his fellow townspeople of Salem safe. The constant recipient of both malicious and goodnatured pranks, the skittish Hubie has established himself as the laughingstock of town and a major thorn in the police’s side. So when an inmate at a nearby psychiatric hospital breaks loose, it is up to Hubie to overcome his many fears save the town he loves. Also starring Julie Bowen, Steve Buscemi, Maya Rudolph and more, Hubie Halloween is the fantastically-terrible — or maybe terribly-fantastic — film that Sandler promised he would deliver all those months ago.

The Spiderwick Chronicles

The Spiderwick Chronicles is a fantasy film about three siblings who move with their mother from their home in New York to the dilapidated house of their peculiar great, great uncle. And like every house previously owned by a weird old uncle, it turns out to be the home to mysterious and magical creatures. From trolls to goblins and evil fairies, The Spiderwick Chronicles is film is geared towards children, but we still advise you air on the cautious side and keep the lights on while watching with your little ones.

Paranorman

Fans of the stop-motion animation film Coraline are sure to enjoy ParaNorman, the next movie in the Laika film family. This dark fantasy comedy horror film centers on Norman: a young boy who can see dead people and converses with his grandmother and local ghosts on the regular. But while he uses his supernatural skill to socialize with the dead, he has a very difficult time interacting with the living. So when his wacky old uncle warns him of a 300-year-old witch’s curse that is destined to strike, Norman must convince his friends and family to help him save their Massachusetts town. Filled with witches, ghosts and zombies galore, ParaNorman is a frightening family flick that is well-suited for Halloween festivities.

With Halloween looking a little different this year, we have decided to round up some of our favorite candy shops in LA and the Valley for you and the kids to adventure to this weekend!

Dylan’s Candy Bar

Where: 6333 W 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Whimsical candy shop offering a wide selection of chocolates & novelties plus personalized gifts.

John Kelly Chocolates

Where: 1508 N Sierra Bonita, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Boutique chocolatier specializing in handmade items such as truffle fudge & walnut-caramel clusters.

It’s Sugar!

Where: 1000 Universal City Plaza, Universal City 91608

Colorful retail chain offering classic & oversized candy, plus apparel, accessories & novelty gifts.

Sweet Tooth Fairy Custom Candy Buffets

Where: 12213 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604

The Sweet Tooth Fairy is a fresh daily, gourmet bakery, specializing in all things sweet – from cupcakes to cookies to cakes and just about everything in between!

See’s Candy

Where: 14006 Riverside Dr, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

Candies & chocolates are sold by the piece or box at this old-school chain, in business since 1921.

Godiva

Where: 6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Canoga Park, CA 91303

Veteran chain specializing in gourmet Belgian chocolates, truffles, cocoa & other sweet gift items.

Stranger Things: Drive-Into Experience

Where: Row DTLA

Tickets: https://feverup.com/m/91034

This Stranger Things-themed experience will bring the Netflix series to life with an hourlong adventure that transports visitors to Hawkins and the Starcourt Mall circa 1985. You’ll be able to take it all in from the safety of your own car. Hatched by the UK’s wildly creative Secret Cinema, the experience will take groups of 24 cars at a time through a world of mullets and monster hunts, including sets complete with actors in costume and special effects.

LA Haunted Hayride

Where: Frank G. Bonelli Park, San Gabriel Valley

Tickets: https://losangeleshauntedhayride.com/

For its 12th installment, the annual hayride is pivoting into a “live drive up experience.” All from within the safety of your car, you’ll venture down “All Hallows Lane” for a slew of Halloween-y elements, including a show screened on a 40-foot screen, scenic environments from previous hayrides and live character. The switch to a car-based experience isn’t the only major change: Griffith Park, where the hayride has previously set up, simply couldn’t accommodate a trail of cars, so instead the event is moving a ways east to Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas.

Urban Legends of Southern California

Where: OC Fair & Event Center

Tickets: https://urbanlegendshaunt.ticketspice.com/urban-legends-haunt

Urban Legends of Southern California will roll into the OC Fair & Event Center most evenings in October. The experience will translate bits of spooky folklore into a series of special effects and creature-filled sets, plus three interactive show zones that you can park inside of.

Haunt’oween LA Halloween Drive-Thru

Where: 6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA

Tickets: https://www.hauntoweenla.com/

Trick or treating will look a little different this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get the whole family together for a drive-through experience to get spooky. Event includes jack-o’-lantern tunnels, pumpkin picking, family-friendly sights and even a bit of “door-to-door” trick or treating—all socially distanced, of course.

Nights of the Jack

Where: King Gillette Ranch, Santa Monica Mountains

Tickets: https://www.tixr.com/groups/nightsofthejack

Cruise across the grounds of the scenic King Gillette Ranch as the Santa Monica Mountains hideaway is illuminated with thousands of hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns. Nights of the Jack returns this year with a drive-through edition, with timed tickets required each night. Expect to spend about 25 minutes on the mile-long trail, and just a heads up that there will be no food or beverages for sale, nor will bathrooms be available.

Transforming your home into an autumnal oasis could be as simple as focusing on the small accents you’re bringing into each room of your home. When it comes to the changing of seasons, there is nothing more exciting than when summer fades into fall. The leaves are changing, the weather is cooling down, and your coffee order changes from iced to hot. Fall is a time to put your beach towels back in storage and get back into regular routines. Thus, making it the ideal opportunity to return to your crafting room with these Fall DIY crafts in mind.

Wheat Cluster

For an easy, lightweight decoration that still evokes the glorious fall harvest, try these dried wheat bundles.

Home Décor Craft: Begin by bundling together three to ten stalks of wheat. Then, wrap the stalks of wheat together in twine. Leave about three feet of twine hanging off the bunch in a tail. Next, cut the stalks to approximately three-inches in length. Repeat for as many bundles as desired. Then, push the separate tails on the twines through a chosen bead, loop all at the end, and tie it into a knot. Hang it upside down on your front door as a creative way to say hello to the fall season!

Rustic Woven Lanterns

Thinking of dressing your dinner table with fresh centerpieces this holiday season? Look no further with this eco-friendly and chic way to upgrade your dinner table.

Home Décor Craft: Upcycle old mesh placemats by cutting & rolling them into tubes and stitching them along the seams. Place cylinder-shaped votives around candles. Wax, soy, or electric candles – your guests won’t be able to spy the difference! Candlelight will gracefully flicker through the loose weave of the hurricane lanterns as you entertain over dinner.

Soft Seats

With this DIY craft, dinner isn’t going to be the only warm thing at your table. With these simple slipcovers, you can instantly reinvent dining chairs at your formal dining table over the holidays.

Home Décor Craft: To start, simply drape a finished sheepskin over the back of the chair before securing it with Ultrasuede-tape or cord. Extra fall points for choosing a contrasting cord color. Next, finish securing them to the chair by threading the tie through the sheepskin on each side with a tapestry needle (that will help you create a cuff over the chair’s top). Knot the ends and let them hang loose. Voila!

Harvest Branches

We love how easy these fleeced branches are to put together. Specifically, how they have the power to add a touch of warm color to any setting you place them in.

Home Décor Craft: Simply pull a bit of fleece roving off a ball, and then press the end of the fiber against the branch. Start wrapping tightly, gently pulling the fleece apart (without tearing it) as you go. Wrap the branches until the piece of fleece runs out. Add more fleece as needed to cover the branch. When adding, wrap over the last inch of wrapped fleece with e.

The friction of your fingers on the fibers and the natural oils from your skin helps the fleece stay on the branch and adhere to itself.