What Is CPI? The Inflation Number That Decides the Fed’s Next Move What is CPI? It’s the closest thing the economy has to a monthly report card on the cost of living — and on Friday, September 11, at 8:30 a.m. sharp, the next one lands with unusual weight. Wall Street, in Fortune’s phrase, is … Read more
Why Is the Penny Going Away? The Coin That Cost 3.7 Cents to Make 1 Cent Why is the penny going away? Because of the single funniest number in American economics: last fiscal year, it cost the US Mint 3.69 cents to manufacture one penny. The government lost money on every single coin — and … Read more
Why Is My Electricity Bill So High? The AI Boom’s Invoice Is Landing in Your Mailbox Why is my electricity bill so high? Millions of Americans have typed that exact question this year — and a growing part of the answer has nothing to do with your thermostat. You may never have used a chatbot … Read more
Why Are Bond Yields Rising Everywhere? The “Most Important Market on Earth,” This week, financial records fell all over the planet — and most people never noticed, because they fell in a market that almost nobody watches. In Japan, the government’s 10-year borrowing rate crossed 3% for the first time since 1996. In the UK, … Read more
Why Oil Prices Are Rising: The Strait of Hormuz, Explained This morning’s market headlines paired two events that, at first glance, belong in different sections of the newspaper: military strikes near a waterway most people couldn’t find on a map — and the price of oil rising around the world. They are, in fact, the … Read more
Is a Fed Rate Hike Coming? What the Jackson Hole Speech Means for Your Wallet On Friday, one man gave a 30-minute speech in a mountain resort in Wyoming — and within minutes, the odds of your borrowing costs going up jumped from roughly one-in-three to better than a coin flip. The man was Kevin … Read more
Unemployment Explained: What the Jobs Numbers Really Tell You Unemployment is one of the most closely watched numbers in the entire economy, appearing in the news every single month and shaping decisions made everywhere from the Federal Reserve to your own kitchen table. It measures how many people want to work but cannot find a … Read more
Supply Chains Explained: The Invisible Journey Behind Everything You Buy Supply chains are the hidden networks that bring almost every object in your life to you, yet most people never think about them until they break. The phone in your hand, the coffee in your cup, the clothes you are wearing — each one completed … Read more