DAVOS, Switzerland — In an age of populism and growing insularity, the World Economic Forum defied the odds this year by reclaiming its lost currency: relevance.
Why it matters: Thanks to a transformative technology and a hurricane of American power, Davos truly was the locus of global events.
About 10,000 flights have been canceled for the weekend as U.S. cities begin to see snow and ice from what is forecast to be a "catastrophic" winter storm.
The big picture: A sprawling, long-duration storm is forecast to dump more than a foot of snow from the Ohio Valley into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast through Monday, with travel grinding to a halt in broad swaths of the U.S.
Once the dealmaking dust settles, the father and son duo of Larry and David Ellison will face an even bigger obstacle: proving they can run a sprawling media empire.
Why it matters: The Ellisons' portfolio spans CBS News, Paramount Pictures, and a piece of TikTok U.S. — and if they ultimately win the battle for Warner Bros. Discovery, could add CNN and HBO.
President Trump will join Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and philanthropist Michael Dell at a day-long summit in Washington on Wednesday to encourage parents to sign up for Trump Accounts, the new investment vehicle for kids.
Nearly 148 million Americans are bracing for this week's potentially historic winter storm — and if the Waffle House near you closes, that could tell you just how serious it is.
The big picture: After the 2004 hurricane season, former Obama-era FEMA administrator Craig Fugate began discussing the Waffle House index, which suggests that closures of the famously reliable 24-hour chain indicate how bad a storm is in your area.
A lot more people are putting cold, hard cash on the line to back up their Oscars predictions this year.
Why it matters: It's not just the Academy Awards. In the era of prediction markets, entertainment fans can invest their cash to forecast the outcomes of everything from Rotten Tomatoes scores to celebrity divorces.
The winter storm poised to sweep through the U.S. this weekend will cause major disruption, but it might also make some people a few extra bucks.
Why it matters: Everyday Americans are increasingly betting on the weather through prediction markets — an activity long reserved as a tool for businesses and big professional traders.
Verizon on Friday offered to refund millions of dollars to cable TV customers in the Boston and Pittsburgh markets who've been without certain channels for over a month, including those carrying NFL football, due to a carriage dispute with Cox Media Group.
Why it matters: This comes one week after Cox accused Verizon of pocketing customer fees, and days after Axios began asking questions.
Retail investor activity hit a new record high on a rolling monthly basis, JPMorgan says, as the group continues to buy the dip in the stock market.
Why it matters: Novice traders aren't only dip buying. They're also staying invested, making them increasingly formidable participants that Wall Street can't afford to ignore.
We know now the 10 contenders vying for Best Picture at the Academy Awards in March, but it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the idea of watching that many movies.
The Oscars' recent support of foreign-language cinema marks one of the most rapid taste turnarounds for the awards body in recent history.
By the numbers: Before "Parasite" broke the foreign-language barrier and took home Best Picture in 2020, only 11 non-English films were nominated for the top award. In the six years since, 10 have been in contention for Best Picture.
TikTok on Thursday closed a deal to divest its U.S. entity to a joint venture controlled by American investors, the day before the Trump administration's executive order banning the app was set to kick in.
Why it matters: The deal ends a yearslong saga to force TikTok's Chinese parent ByteDance to sell its U.S. operation to domestic owners to alleviate national security concerns.
