This year’s Easter baskets will come with higher prices and slightly less chocolate, even though cocoa prices are lower. Cocoa – a key ingredient in chocolate – has been falling in price from an all-time high in 2024, when cocoa beans were sold for $12,000 a tonne. Today, they are about $3,300 a ton. But … Read more
A version of this story appeared in CNN Business’ Nightcap. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free Here. New York – Until recently, the name Blue Owl Capital was synonymous with Wall Street and the booming private equity business, a lightly regulated financial space where non-banks lend to risky companies. Recently, its … Read more
This is CNBC’s Morning Squawk newsletter. Register here to receive future publications in your inbox. Happy Thursday. It is the anniversary of the first year of President Donald Trump’s tariff unveiling, which the president called “freedom day.” Stock futures are down this morning. The three major indexes will come up on another competitive day. Here … Read more
The March jobs report, due out on Friday morning, could provide a much-needed reality check after two months of turmoil in the US labor market. But even if a baseline can be reached, and there is clarity about the health of the labor market, it’s a whole new ball game now. The conflict in the … Read more
Much of Alabama’s local economy is thriving. Data recently released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis revealed GDP at the county level. In Alabama, things were increasing almost everywhere in 2024 – the last year covered in the release. Some 97% – 65 of the state’s 67 counties – saw an increase in their domestic … Read more
NEW YORK — Consumers increased their spending in February, particularly on cars and clothing, after pulling back earlier in the year due to severe winter storms. Retail sales rose a more than expected 0.6% in February, from a 0.1% decline in January, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. But there is concern that the war in … Read more
The Snow Has Gone – It’s Time for Annual Financial Cleaning After winter clears the snow and controls the weather, spring brings a welcome change. It’s time to open things up and delete the old ones. Just as melting snow reveals what has been hidden all winter, spring is also an opportunity to uncover areas … Read more
New York – The world economy is being held back by the actual closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The prices of petrol, jet fuel and diesel have gone up. Stock markets have fallen, and the possibility of a recession has increased. After weeks of trying and failing to reopen the critical waterway off Iran’s … Read more
Markets are piling up on a common bet: President Donald Trump will be back on the floor again. (It’s not called free TACO Tuesday.) The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq just had their best day since May 2025, rumbling on Tuesday largely due to a report (and half confirmation) that the White House is considering … Read more
This is CNBC’s Morning Squawk newsletter. Register here to receive future publications in your inbox. Happy Tuesday. In a partnership you may not have seen coming, Warren Buffett is teaming up with the NBA’s Stephen Curry to launch his own charity lunch. Stock futures are rising this morning. The S&P 500 finished yesterday’s meeting in … Read more