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Amazon is everywhere. Even in economic data.

Aug 15, 2017
Today the retail industry got a small piece of good news in the form of some data from July that was better than expected. The government announced this morning that retail sales last month were up 0.6 percent during the previous month and more than 4 percent from this time last year. Not bad for […]

What went wrong with globalization?

Aug 7, 2017
Opening up borders created economic winners, but the losers were hit disproportionately hard.
Ken Garduno, Illustrator

Why are we increasingly becoming passive investors?

Aug 4, 2017
The search for that one great undervalued company is becoming less common.
Traders work on the floor after the ringing of the opening bell to celebrate the New York Stock Exchange's 225th anniversary on May 17.
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

Kraft's profits may be a victim of price wars

Aug 3, 2017
Kraft-Heinz will release second quarter earnings after the markets close on Thursday. Those profits may be squeezed by an ongoing price war between Amazon and Walmart. Suppliers like Kraft have found themselves caught in the crossfire as the two giant retailers pressure them for lower prices. Click the audio player above to hear the full […]

While the Dow spikes, the dollar falls

Aug 2, 2017
The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit 22,000 for the first time today, thanks in part to strong corporate profits. But while all eyes are on the Dow, less attention is being paid to another measure of the U.S. economy: the strength of the dollar. The greenback has dropped 10 percent since January. Why? And what […]

Keep an eye on bonds, not the stock market

Aug 1, 2017
Alan Greenspan is warning in an interview with Bloomberg that we are in a bubble, a bond market bubble. The former Fed Chairman is concerned that inflation might surprise us and bond prices might fall sharply at some point in the near future. Here’s why that would be a disruptive thing. Click the audio player […]

Corporate profits surprise analysts this earnings season

Jul 31, 2017
Earnings season is well underway, and so far corporate profits for the second quarter have been pretty good. Surprisingly good, actually. Of the companies in the S&P 500 index that have reported results so far, most have exceeded analysts’ expectations. Plenty of earnings news is still to come, including reports tomorrow from biggies like Apple, […]

For public good, not for profit.

As Apple gets ready to announce earnings, analysts look at how the next iPhone might be priced

Jul 31, 2017
Apple’s earnings are out Tuesday amid speculation about its next iPhone offerings. One possibility: that the next iteration will include a souped-up, expensive model that could even break the $1,000 price tag. What features could lure customers to pay that kind of money? And how would phone companies adjust their payment schedules to help customers with […]

How close are we to tax reform?

Jul 28, 2017
Budget Director Mick Mulvaney says the White House and Republicans in Congress are on the same page, but questions remain.
Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, testifies during a Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee hearing on the budget on Capitol Hill in June.
Astrid Riecken/Getty Images

Venezuela votes on new constitutional body

Jul 28, 2017
Venezuelans head to the polls on Sunday to elect members for a “constituent assembly” that would rewrite the country’s 18-year-old constitution. This week, the United States imposed new sanctions on top officials in President Nicolas Maduro’s government to try to stop the rewrite.  Click the audio player above to hear the full story.