Latest Stories

Latest Stories

The "wealth effect" could affect consumer behavior — and U.S. politics

Apr 19, 2024
While sizable gains in the value of stocks and real estate has likely boosted spending, it's done less to improve sentiment.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Monday was a big filing day for PACs and other political groups

Earlier this week, political campaigns and PACs had to turn in numbers on spending and fundraising to the Federal Election Commission.
"Having cash on hand becomes an important metric for understanding how much by way of resources a campaign or a PAC has yet to spend," said University of Mary Washington's Rosalyn Cooperman.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

What is the bitcoin "halving"?

Apr 19, 2024
Bitcoin halving happens approximately every four years, and it's a big deal for the philosophical premise of the cryptocurrency.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Smaller banks reveal ripple effects of commercial real estate woes

Apr 18, 2024
Some types of CRE are hurting more than others. A steep downturn could cause pain to regional banks as well as property owners.
Small, local banks might have up to 50% of their portfolios in CRE, says Suri Sharma of  Morningstar. But some subsectors of the field, like industrial property, are strong.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Some small businesses are squeezed between rising costs and customers with other options

Apr 18, 2024
For restaurants and retailers in particular, it can lead to something the Federal Reserve's Beige Book calls "lumpy" pricing.
Restaurants and retailers don’t necessarily have to raise prices to protect their profit margins, says Adrienne Slack at the Atlanta Fed. They can also save money by cutting back.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Netflix looks to drive growth with games after boost from password crackdown

Apr 18, 2024
Netflix has bought game studios and made other investments, but it's playing at a "high-stakes table" with deep-pocketed competitors.
Netflix’s booth at the Gamescom video game fair in Cologne, Germany, last year. It's putting capital into its video game operation, but faces high-powered rivals.
Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

What can the dot-com bubble teach us about the future of AI?

Apr 18, 2024
In the 1990s, Wall Street was very enthusiastic about the internet — and lost a ton of money because of that enthusiasm.
The burgeoning field of artificial intelligence is often compared to the birth of the internet in the 1990s, when many tech companies did too much too quickly and collapsed.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

In the wake of strikes and peak TV, Hollywood’s workforce is shifting away from LA and New York

Apr 18, 2024
States are making tax-break offers that producers can't refuse.
Darwin Brandis/Getty Images

As drive-thrus get bigger, some cities aren't lovin' it

Apr 18, 2024
The rise of online ordering drives restaurant chains to build more drive-thrus, but traffic and walkability concerns have led to bans.
Cars swarm the drive-thrus at a CosMc's in Bolingbrook, Illinois. The brand, owned by McDonald's, only serves customers in drive-thru lanes.
Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images