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
President Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to dampen rising oil prices by telling investors what they’ve been dying to hear: The war with Iran is over. But after hearing that message for weeks, the war continues and with no plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, they continue to repair her. Almost two weeks after … 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
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
Good news: Oil traders are betting the Iran war will end soon. The bad news: They also bet the economic damage from the war could last for years. Crude has soared above $110 a barrel, making $4-a-gallon gas and $5.40 diesel a painful reality in the United States. But when we say “crude is trading … Read more
The US economy is under pressure, and a collapse in oil prices could cause it to collapse. “People are getting ready for the fact that we’re either down now or there’s a very good chance we’ll be in the same place soon,” said Hady Farag, partner and co-director of the Boston Consulting Group. Problem: Recession … Read more