Winter might not be here for electric vehicles just yet, but there's frost on the ground.
Why it matters: After years of hype among investors, demands from regulators and buzz among early adopters, the general public remains apprehensive about an EV future.
The job market is chugging along, unemployment remains historically low and wages are rising at a decent clip. Still, consumers aren't spending like they used to.
Why it matters: That's a sharp turnaround from recent years, when shoppers looked unstoppable — even in the face of decades-high interest rates and inflation. Now consumers appear more cautious and spending is weakening, threatening a critical factor that's kept the economy strong.
Coinbase's fresh $1.1 billion convertible bond offering says more about traditional corporate finance than it does crypto.
Why it matters: The U.S.'s largest crypto exchange is drawing more than just bitcoin investors — with its stock surging alongside the world's largest digital asset, the company's gaining traction with a more conservative crowd: bond investors.
American shoppers increased spending in February, but revised figures show retail sales were much weaker at the start of the year than previously thought, the government said on Thursday.
Why it matters: The new figures may raise concerns about the health of the U.S. consumer that had once looked unstoppable and fueled a stronger-than-expected economy.
The all-time high for bitcoin price should not have hit yet, according to an eerily consistent time analysis of its three prior cycles.
The big picture: It's an article of faith among certain bitcoiners that the coin's cycle runs in four-year intervals, triggered primarily by Bitcoin's regularly scheduled halving.
Huge majorities of students in both parties say the government should do more to help them pay off their student loans, a new Axios Vibes survey by The Harris Poll finds.
Why it matters: Among all adults, party ID drives deep differences of opinion on this question. But the gap all but disappears among U.S. students currently enrolled in undergraduate, graduate and professional institutions.
Move over, Stanley cups. Trader Joe's mini tote bags are the latest product to go viral and end up on the resale market for hugely marked-up prices.
The big picture:Trader Joe's confirmed to Axios on Wednesday that the $2.99 mini canvas bags "sold more quickly than we anticipated" and before the retailer promoted them.
Dollar Tree shares plummeted over 14% today after the retailer announced plans to close about 970 Family Dollar stores and 30 Dollar Tree locations over the next several years.
Why it matters: The closures represent a reversal of the retailer's rapid expansion — which included buying Family Dollar in 2015 — and the following scrutiny over product safety issues in recent years, write Nathan and Axios' Kelly Tyko.
Why it matters: Young and several other artists removed their music from Spotify over two years ago to protest the company's handling of COVID-19 misinformation — particularly through Joe Rogan's podcast.
A surge in immigration last year helps explain the economy's striking resilience — and if sustained, could allow the job market to keep booming without stoking inflation in the years ahead.
Why it matters: Immigration policy is deeply politically contentious, but there is a strong consensus among economic policymakers that the immigration increase is a key part of the labor supply surge that helped bring down price pressures last year even amid the economy's robust growth.
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