Category: Finance

The Federal Reserve – one of the world’s most powerful institutions – affects the U.S. economy in a way that no other part of government can. Interest rates, inflation and bank regulation are all shaped by Fed policy and impact the everyday financial life of Americans, whether they realize it or not. Its decisions can […]

The United States and Canada, historically close allies, are moving further into a full-blown trade war with no end in sight. On Aug. 25, 2026, Canada imposed tariffs of up to 50% on hundreds of U.S. goods after the U.S. placed similar, long-threatened levies on Canadian products. It followed the collapse of trade talks that […]

U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada is getting personal for American farmers. After trade talks between the two longtime allies fell apart in mid-August 2026, Trump imposed 50% tariffs on a wide range of Canadian imports worth roughly US$20 billion (CAD$27 billion). Canada responded on Aug. 25, 2026, by announcing its own plan […]

Meta has agreed to pay up to US$17 billion over 10 years to settle claims brought by a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general. The states argued that the company deliberately designed Facebook and Instagram to hook children into using its apps, misled the public about the harm and improperly collected data from children under […]

Recent population estimates show that Charlotte, North Carolina, is the fastest-growing large city in the United States. The city added more than 20,000 residents between 2024 and 2025 and is rapidly approaching a population of 1 million. Charlotte has become a magnet for businesses and residents seeking opportunities and a lower cost of living. But […]

The Buss family’s 47-year ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers, 17-time NBA champions, could soon come to an end despite their patriarch’s clear wishes before he died. A group of investors that includes former Disney CEO Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner – the brother of Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law – wants to buy […]

Both major U.S. political parties regularly tout their commitment to working-class Americans and claim to be the party of the working class. However, neither the Democrats nor the Republicans nominate many candidates who spent substantial time in working-class jobs. This near-absence of people from working-class jobs in the halls of power matters. According to research […]

The number of Americans who file for bankruptcy is growing. More than 500,000 people took this step in 2025, nearly 50% more than in 2022. And the numbers have kept on climbing, with a 12% jump in June 2026 from a year earlier as many consumers struggled to pay their bills. I am a business […]

In Colorado, a full-time worker must earn US$36.44 an hour to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment without spending more than 30% of their income on rent, according to a recent report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. The state’s minimum wage is $15.16. Someone earning that would have to work 96 hours a week, […]

A record 332 million people visited U.S. national parks in 2024, followed by roughly 323 million in 2025. That’s a lot of love for national parks and lands. You might think that such big numbers of visitors automatically create windfalls for the towns and businesses that serve them. The National Park Service calls towns or […]