Consumers, business owners, and policy makers received some good news last week. The Labor Department reported on Wednesday that wholesale prices were down 0.5% in October, their biggest decline in three and a half years. The decline was notably better than expectations as well, as economists had expected a 0.1% increase. This news, coupled with […]
With talk of Thanksgiving increasing in our home, my young son recently asked me, “how did the Turkey become the mascot of Thanksgiving?” Turkey’s role as the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal in the United States may date back to the earliest celebrations of the holiday. Thanksgiving traces its origins to the Pilgrims who arrived […]
With the benchmark 10 year treasury yield recently topping 5.0% for first time in over 16 years, there has been a lot of focus on how higher interest rates impact the general economy. Some of our readers may remember that 10 year treasury yields above 5% are not unprecedented. In fact, for the 30 year […]
The first ten months of 2023 have seen big-name retailers, including David’s Bridal, Bed Bath & Beyond, Party City, and Rite Aid, and many small businesses file for bankruptcy protections. In the 12-month period ending June 30, 2023, bankruptcy filings rose 23% year-over-year according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, and Chapter 11 […]
Over the years, several Big Stories with the same title as this one have explored social and political positions taken by consumer companies. In past instances, brands have issued statements and taken actions on salient topics of the day that their leaders believed align with the values of their customers. In times of domestic upheaval […]