Hispanolistic | E+ | Getty Images Don’t expect the sofa you buy today to go the distance. “In the last 15 years, there’s been a shift to disposable furniture,” according to David Koehler, chairman of Johnny Janosik, a furniture retailer with stores in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. For most consumers, that’s okay. Attitudes have … Read more
Skynesher | E+ | Getty Images New government data shows a surprisingly strong job market for the month of January. But there are signs of weakness in the labor market, based on tens of thousands of workers who have been laid off since 2024 started. U.S. employers announced 82,307 job cuts in January, up from … Read more
A shopper carries several bags in the Magnificent Mile shopping district of Chicago on Dec. 2, 2023. Taylor Glascock | Bloomberg | Getty Images The U.S. economy has remained remarkably strong but affordability is worse than it has ever been, some social media users say, even when compared to The Great Depression. One of TikTok’s … Read more
Betsie Van der Meer | Getty If you’re a last-minute holiday shopper still checking off the remaining gifts on your list, beware: You could be putting yourself at risk for fraud. “Procrastination is, quite frankly, one of the keys to success for crooks,” Paul Fabara, chief risk officer at Visa, recently told CNBC. “They assume that … Read more
Market optimism over the potential for interest rate cuts next year is dangerously overdone, according to former FDIC Chair Sheila Bair. Bair, who ran the FDIC during the 2008 financial crisis, suggested Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell was irresponsibly dovish at last week’s policy meeting by creating “irrational exuberance” among investors. “The focus still needs … Read more
Black Friday shoppers leave the Nike store as other shoppers wait in line to shop as retailers compete to attract shoppers and try to maintain margins on Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year, at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Central Valley, New York, U.S. November 24, 2023. Vincent Alban | … Read more
3 in 4 of Gen Z would rather have a better quality of life than have extra money in their banks, a report by Intuit shows. Athima Tongloom | Moment | Getty Images For most people, their goal is to work hard, save money and retire early. But a “soft saving” trend is emerging among … Read more
The draw of bargains may be fading. As three of the nation’s biggest retailers kick off a key sales week, former Walmart U.S. CEO Bill Simon warns consumers are starting to buckle for the first time in a decade. He’s blaming a list of headwinds weighing on consumers including inflation, higher interest rates, federal budget … Read more
Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty Pictures Specialists have been pointing to a coming downturn for the U.S. economic system. The query was when. Now, nonetheless, some companies and specialists are strolling again these predictions, calling into query the validity of a once-trusted recession indicator referred to as the yield curve inversion. “Whereas it’s true that … Read more