Companies in the S&P 500 consumer discretionary sector are lagging behind other sectors in earnings due tohigh costs and soft demand, Bloomberg reported Friday (March 6). While 73% of companies across sectors beat GAAP earnings estimates in the fourth quarter, only 56% of those in...
Wholesale used vehicle prices increased by 4% year over year in February, driven by warmer weather and larger-than-usual tax refunds, Cox Automotive reported Friday (March 6). The company’s Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index (MUVVI) reflected this increase, rising by 0.8% month over month. That’s unusual,...
The latest Federal Reserve Beige Book, released on Wednesday (March 4), describes a U.S. economy advancing at a restrained pace, a finding that corresponds with PYMNTS Intelligence data showing that millions of workers remain employed yet financially unsettled, while still opening their wallets to underpin...
The manufacturing sector saw more economic activity in February, marking the second consecutive month of growth and only the third month of growth in the past 40 months, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said Tuesday (March 3). The ISM Manufacturing PMI was gauged at...
A top Federal Reserve official said he sees an increasing divide between low-income and high-income households. John C. Williams, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, signaled a cautious but optimistic outlook for the United States economy Tuesday (March 3) in...
Bank of America Securities economists said the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is more likely to create new kinds of jobs than to simply eliminate jobs, Seeking Alpha reported Sunday (March 1). While the stock market was shaken by predictions that AI disruption could lead to...
A bill introduced in the Senate Thursday (Feb. 26) would strengthen the role of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) in improving capital access and economic development in underserved communities, its supporters say. The “Access to Fair Financing for Opportunity and Resilient Development...
The global tariff environment has shown CFOs and procurement leaders that operational assumptions can be proven wrong at the drop of a hat. And the Supreme Court’s Friday (Feb. 20) 6–3 decision limiting the use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose...
A leading Federal Reserve official says that employment in the U.S. likely declined last year. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showing that job creation dropped to an average of 15,000 new positions a month last year contained an “upward bias,” Fed Governor Chris Waller said at a National...