The bond market is one of the few forces in the world strong enough to get politicians to snap to attention. It also helps dictate how much ordinary people have to pay on their mortgages and car loans, as well as how much they earn from their savings accounts and 401(k) plans. This week rising bond yields forced the U.S. Treasury Department into an unusual
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation for our Cost of Living video series with Devonte Duncan, 27, a software engineer living in Brooklyn, New York City. It has been edited for length and clarity. When I started making six figures, I remember my friends and I would go out to eat, and the
President Donald Trump announced Friday that his administration will allow more beef to be temporarily imported into the U.S. without triggering higher tariffs, which drew swift pushback from cattle producers and conservative rural-state Republicans. Beef prices have climbed to record highs amid a drop in the number of U.S. cattle, consistent consumer demand and limits on cattle from
When the US consumer is weakening, Walmart is usually one of the last dominoes to fall. When economic conditions get tough, low-income shoppers rely on it even more. It’s also become a destination for higher-income consumers looking to cut costs. That’s what made Walmart’s first comparable-sales loss in six years particularly hard to swallow on
This is an as-told-essay based on a conversation with Joslyn Kelly, owner of J’s Breakfast Club in Gary, Indiana, which experienced a major power outage following a derecho, or a widespread, long-lived wind storm, on August 11. As of Thursday evening, over 57,000 customers remained without power, according to Northern Indiana Public Service Co. This
Walmart, America’s largest retailer and one of its most critical economic bellwethers, just sent a worrying message. The firm beat second-quarter earnings estimates and lifted its full-year guidance, but unveiled several worrying figures that suggest US consumers aren’t doing so hot. Shares of the 64-year-old retail giant tumbled as much as 9% to a 2026
