Economic Data The Chicago Purchasing Manager Index for February is due today. This measures the performance of the manufacturing and non-manufacturing sector in the greater Chicago area. January’s index came in at 65.2, which was up from 64.3 in December. January’s index beat expectations and was the highest recorded in [...]
PlantLab Snags $57 Million in Bid to Expand LED Farming Billions of private equity dollars have been invested into indoor farming ventures in recent years in an effort to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to more local markets. Amsterdam-based PlantLab is the latest firm to announce new fundraising. De Hoge [...]
Industry Leaders Posting Good Numbers Home improvement boomed during the pandemic, bucking the broader economic trend. Since 2019, both Lowe’s (LOW) and The Home Depot (HD) have grown net sales by at least 30%. Before COVID-19 hit, both companies’ annual sales grew by around 5% on average. Sales remained on [...]
The time has come: We’re thrilled to announce SoFi Checking and Savings is now available to everyone! Starting today, members will be able to get 1.00% APY1 on checking and savings with direct deposit, set up automated savings, and enjoy an improved user experience. We’re proud to be making it [...]
99 Problems I went on vacation, and so much happened in markets that I feel like I’ve been gone for six months. As of close on Feb 22, the S&P 500 was officially in correction territory (drawdown of 10% or more) since its most recent high on Jan 3. That’s [...]
How the Russia-Ukraine Crisis May Impact Companies After Russian President Vladimir Putin declared two separatist regions along its border with Ukraine as independent, the US and European nations put new sanctions into place. This has the potential to disrupt operations for several multinational corporations that do business in Russia and [...]
Few HR professionals have it as tough right now as those of you in the restaurant, retail, and hospitality industries. Challenges that existed well before the pandemic — high turnover and trouble finding qualified workers — have only been exacerbated by COVID-19 and the current labor shortage. Consider that at [...]
Rising Home Values Mean More Capital Gains Tax Burdens Rising property values have provided many home sellers with a cash windfall over the past year. The average profit came in at just over $94,000, which is 71% higher than 2019. For many people filing their taxes, those profits come with [...]
Movie Theaters Downturn: Before and During Pandemic The pandemic’s lockdowns caused an economic downturn that drastically affected movie theaters, including reaching a 40-year low in revenue during 2020. Last year’s numbers marked a huge improvement, with revenue up 91%. Still, as case numbers have waned studies show 49% of moviegoers [...]
Motorists Want to Keep Cars Running Longer Inflation is continuing to push up prices throughout the economy, and that’s been especially true for used cars. The average price of a used car in January was 40.5% higher when compared to the same period in 2021. Meanwhile, prices rose 12.6% for [...]
