Farmers across the Midwest are entering planting season under mounting financial pressure, as the Iran conflict drives up diesel and fertilizer prices — deepening an agricultural downturn that some say is the worst since the crisis of the 1980s.
Why it matters: Rising fuel and fertilizer costs threaten to push more family farms out of business, drive up food prices and further strain rural economies already battered by trade disruptions, inflation and extreme weather.
Motor oil could become the next supply-chain headache as major companies warn that Middle East turmoil is squeezing key ingredients used in synthetic lubricants.
Why it matters: Drivers, repair shops and auto suppliers could soon see higher prices, reduced selection and temporary out-of-stocks for some synthetic motor oils.
Bed Bath & Beyond's comeback is entering its next phase with the opening Saturday of its first co-branded Container Store location in Texas.
Why it matters: The new Bed Bath & Beyond is betting shoppers still have an emotional connection to the brand after its last stores closed in 2023 — and that a smaller co-branded format can succeed where its sprawling big-box stores failed.
In his eight years at the helm of America's central bank, Jerome Hayden Powell has guided the U.S. economy through extreme tumult and fought off unprecedented presidential efforts to undermine the Federal Reserve's independence.
But that's not what I'll tell my now-young children about Powell once they're old enough to care about central bankers.
The big picture: It is Powell's approach to duty and public service that is his ultimate legacy as a leader and that will shape his place in history.
We knew the Cerebras IPO would whetpublic market appetite for new AI stocks, ahead of SpaceX next month, but not that it would look more like a nachos platter than an amuse bouche.
Shares opened at $350 — a whopping 89% above its IPO price — and climbed as high as $385 before settling at $311.
For context, it originally filed to price at between $115-$125, and just four months ago sold shares in a Series H round at $89.
Kimmeridge, an energy-focused private equity firm, on Friday announced that its Caturus unit will proceed with construction of its Commonwealth LNG project in Louisiana.
Why it matters: While Commonwealth has been planned for years, the go-ahead arrives as the Iran war is putting fresh focus on gas from outside the Middle East.
College-educated fathers are spending less time doing paid work and more time doing things like child care and chores at home, according to a new analysis of Census data.
Why it matters: Millennial and Gen X men are more involved fathers than previous generations, a pattern that appears to have accelerated in the post-pandemic period.
The stock market and the bond market are telling different stories about the economy: Bonds fear doom, while stocks see boom.
Why it matters: That's a bit confusing for investors and policymakers looking to these markets to make decisions — or for anyone trying to get a read on (waves hands) everything.
A new political thriller is mulling what would happen if the United States had a 17-year-old as president.
The big picture: The premise is meant to challenge young Americans to run for office, taking control away from aging politicians and giving it to those who will live with the government's decisions for decades to come.
