Should an AI agent cost more than an employee’s salary? Plus: Tariff refunds, consumer spending, and a conversation about the latest economic headlines.
Tech companies heavily subsidized AI use in the early days. But now, particularly with the advent of AI agents, spending on AI can start to rival employees’ salaries.
The maker of Pampers, Dawn, and other consumer staples reported a 7% net sales increase over last year. That’s not just because of higher prices — consumers also bought more of their products.
Medical marijuana is moving from Schedule I status, reserved for the most dangerous drugs like heroin and LSD, to Schedule III, like testosterone and steroids, which are less strictly regulated.
There’s work people do in this economy that goes untaxed and untracked. Think babysitting, dog walking, and basically any job that involves some kind of informal arrangement.
A survey showed strong business growth in April — but it’s likely from stressed firms stocking up in case of shortages or price hikes related to the war in Iran. Plus: Florida oranges, tariff refunds and a short squeeze.
New survey data from S&P Global shows U.S. manufacturing orders hit their highest level in four years, but the jump isn't driven by strong consumer demand.
“Our labor market is not a fixed pie distributed among immigrant workers and U.S.-born workers,” said economist Chloe East. “Instead it's much more dynamic.”
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New York Times bestselling author Jodi Kantor is out with a new book that says new grads still have agency — if they focus on building “craft” and finding real-world need.
Countries that have their own refineries and reserves, and that can afford to pay, are facing high oil and gas prices but not shortages. Other countries can't get what they need and are rationing fuel.
Developers are having to grapple with communities' pushback on the large centers, says Tony Pipa, senior fellow at the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution.
Perpetual futures allow investors to bet long or short on an asset, often a cryptocurrency, without an end date. Until now, perpetual futures have only been available on offshore markets.
For over a century, many states required new cars to be sold through independent dealerships. Tesla helped crack that open for EV startups by selling direct to customers.
New research shows more than a third of workers and retirees don’t think they have enough money for their retirement years. That’s the highest proportion since 2017.
“I don't think it'll be a bumpy year, but there won't be as much growth as we anticipated,” said Laurie Stewart, CEO and president of Sound Community Bank in Seattle, Washington.
The rise of AI agents means some workers feel pushed to be more productive than ever. Plus: Community banking, shipping insurance, and struggling budget airlines.
At the outset of the war in Iran, the dollar surged, likely because of the typical “flight to safety” behavior. But more recently, it’s been taking a beating.
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Retail spending rose by 1.7% from February to March. Experts said people are spending their tax refunds and increasingly turning to credit — even for groceries.
JD Vance is expected to travel to Islamabad, Pakistan, on Tuesday for potential negotiations with representatives from Iran, but peace talks are still uncertain as the end of the ceasefire approaches.
Experts say new exploration takes more than a decade from decision to market. Research can cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and development can take tens of billions.
In efforts to block AI companies' web crawlers, publishers are also not allowing Wayback Machine to take snapshots of their content, fearing that it could later be scraped from the pages of the archiving library.
Economists warn that as tax refund season ends and the war in Iran pushes prices higher across more categories, the long-running disconnect between how consumers feel and how they spend may finally start to close.
The war in the Middle East is pushing up inflation in the short term, but longer-term expectations are tamer. That’s relieved pressure on long-term bonds, though that could change if the war escalates.
The trucks and farm equipment that keep our economy moving run on diesel. That means small businesses like farms and pet supply companies have to adjust.
Markets were hopeful on Friday after Iran announced that the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened to commercial vessels. Now, escalating tensions are bringing expectations back down.
New York joins a growing number of states and jurisdictions in limiting employers from using credit history to make hiring or job decisions, like compensation.
California became the first state to regulate embodied carbon in its building code. That’s changing the construction industry even beyond the state border.
