Growing divide between profits and pay
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Corporate profits are taking the largest chunk of America's total income since a brief period of the early 1950s, as the slice of the pie going to worker pay has shrunk to the thinnest on record.
Why it matters: It's another piece of evidence underscoring the current state of play in the American economy: Surging profits have buoyed stock markets while increasing pressure on an already cranky public.
What they're saying: "The trend predates the AI boom," wrote Wall Street Journal economics commentator Greg Ip. "The causes are complex and the implications sobering. You can be a red-blooded capitalist and still worry about the political stability of an economy in which ever more output flows toward shareholders instead of employees."
What to watch: Whether a rising tide of anti-billionaire sentiment among Americans translates into a political push to divvy up the fruits of the economy differently.
