staging.rockymountainvoice.com

Menu

Tag: Economy

Survey: Nearly 50% of parents with young children take on debt for Disney trip
No Comments
Fox Business, National

Survey: Nearly 50% of parents with young children take on debt for Disney trip

By Daniella Genovese | Fox Business Nearly 50% of parents with young children are going into debt after taking a trip to one of Disney's theme parks, according to a recent LendingTree report. LendingTree surveyed more than 2,000 consumers, 24% of which have gone into debt for the trip, a 33% increase from its 2022 findings. However, that figure jumped to 45% among parents with children younger than 18, according to the data. Of the parents with young children who have taken on debt, almost all of them, 83%, did so in the past five years. Parents, faced with tighter budgets and persistent inflation, "are more likely to take on debt than before," according to LendingTree. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX BUSINESS
Read More
Your Social Security COLA increase could be smaller than expected next year
No Comments
Fox Business, National

Your Social Security COLA increase could be smaller than expected next year

By Megan Henney  | Fox Business Social Security recipients are on track to receive a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) next year that is smaller than previously expected after inflation moderated more than expected in May. Mary Johnson, a retired Social Security and Medicare analyst, estimated the adjustment could be about 3%, based on May inflation data, which showed the consumer price index was unchanged from the previous month and is up 3.3% from the same time last year. Both figures are lower than expected, suggesting high inflation is loosening its grip on the U.S. economy. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX BUSINESS
Read More
Skilled workers are in demand; these trade jobs pay the most
No Comments
Fox Business, National

Skilled workers are in demand; these trade jobs pay the most

By Breck Dumas | Fox Business Trade jobs in the U.S. are in a renaissance with high demand for skilled workers and waning interest in college among young adults. The shortage of workers in the trades has driven up the pay, making those positions more attractive and the training a better payoff than a four-year college degree, in many instances. Using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, job site Indeed recently reported that the average salary for a trade job in America is $61,900, but several occupations pay much more, even just starting out. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX BUSINESS
Read More
Report: Home foreclosures are on the rise again nationwide
No Comments
Fox Business, National

Report: Home foreclosures are on the rise again nationwide

By  Megan Henney | FOX BUSINESS Home foreclosures rose again in May as Americans continue to grapple with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.  That is according to a new report published by real estate data provider ATTOM, which found that there were 32,621 properties in May with foreclosure filings, which includes default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions. That marks a 3% increase from the prior year, although it is down 7% from the same time last year.  "May’s foreclosure activity highlights nuanced shifts in the housing market," said ATTOM CEO Rob Barber. "While we observed a slight increase in foreclosure starts, the decline in completed foreclosures indicates resilience in certain areas." READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX BUSINESS
Read More
Why Colorado Safeway stores wouldn’t be run by Kroger if merger goes through
No Comments
coloradopolitics.com, Local

Why Colorado Safeway stores wouldn’t be run by Kroger if merger goes through

By Bernadette Berdychowski | Colorado Politics Colorado has been one of the most vocal states against the proposed merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons — the operators of the state’s King Soopers and Safeway stores. Amidst pressure from states such as Colorado and the federal government, Kroger and Albertsons announced in April it would divest 100 more stores than originally planned to ease worries from regulators that their $24.6 billion deal would harm American consumers. But the grocers' had a unique agreement for its stores in the Centennial State. Colorado is one of two states — the other being Arizona — where Kroger plans to license the Safeway brand to another grocer. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Read More
Prices at McDonald’s are up, but fast-food giant wants consumers to know by how much
No Comments
National, The Street

Prices at McDonald’s are up, but fast-food giant wants consumers to know by how much

By Daniel Kline | The Street Perception is not reality and McDonald's  (MCD)  has faced some of the same narrative problems (perhaps without the political overtones) that the gasoline industry has. Addressing the issue, McDonald's President Joe Erlinger wrote an open letter to the chain's customers. McDonald's has faced a situation similar to that of gasoline prices, after a picture of an $18 Big Mac meal went viral. That image was real — but it's also an outlier.  "Recently, we have seen viral social posts and poorly sourced reports that McDonald’s has raised prices significantly beyond inflationary rates. This is inaccurate," Erlinger wrote.  "And for a brand that proudly serves nearly 90% of the U.S. population every year, we feel a responsibility to...
Read More
Under new CEO, major changes could be realized at Costco
No Comments
National, The Street

Under new CEO, major changes could be realized at Costco

By Daniel Kline | The Street Costco has been almost stubborn in how slow it has been to adopt new technology. The company embraced the internet years after rivals like Walmart and Target, and it remains well behind them when it comes to its digital presence. That was due to a longstanding belief by company leadership that members did not want money to be spent on technology that could instead go into keeping prices low. It's not that the warehouse club ignored the internet and advances like guaranteed two-day, then one-day, and now same-day delivery, it just didn't see the need to invest in the required infrastructure. Costco (COST) has been clever in adding features like same-day delivery by partnering with Instacart, and it has slowly improved its website, both in what it sells ...
Read More
Tech glitch may have overcharged Walmart shoppers at self-checkout
No Comments
National, The Street

Tech glitch may have overcharged Walmart shoppers at self-checkout

By Patricia Battle | The Street If you’ve recently used a self-checkout kiosk at Walmart  (WMT) , and felt like your bill was abnormally high, (even amid inflation) then you were probably right. The retail giant has just admitted that it may have overcharged shoppers who opted to use self-checkout machines in March at 1,600 stores across the nation due to a technical issue, according to documents that were seen by Bloomberg News. The documents reveal that the issue began on March 19, and that some customers were even undercharged for items across all categories such as food, apparel, etc. The source of the malfunction was due to an “internal system failure” that halted price data from being updated at self-checkout kiosks. Walmart’s tech staff were still...
Read More
T-Mobile to acquire most of U.S. Cellular in $4.4 billion deal. What it means for customers.
No Comments
National, The Street

T-Mobile to acquire most of U.S. Cellular in $4.4 billion deal. What it means for customers.

By Rebecca Mezistrano and Ross Kohan | The Street T-Mobile, one of the three largest wireless providers in the country, is about to get a little bigger. The company announced plans to acquire U.S. Cellular in a $4.4 billion deal. T-Mobile will gain stores, more spectrum rights, and all of Cellular’s 4-plus million customers. The deal, which includes up to $2 billion of assumed debt, is expected to be finalized by the middle of 2025. T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert said in a statement “As customers from both companies will get more coverage and more capacity from our combined footprint, our competitors will be forced to keep up – and even more consumers will benefit." READ THE FULL STORY AT THE STREET
Read More
Rising price to eat out is ‘benefiting our business’, Walmart CEO says
No Comments
National, The Street

Rising price to eat out is ‘benefiting our business’, Walmart CEO says

By Jena Warburton | The Street If it feels like every time you visit the grocery store you part with a little bit more of your emotional well-being each time, you're probably not alone.  Plenty of goods and staples – food included – are more expensive than they were one year ago, or even one month ago.  The Consumer Price Index shows that, in April, prices increased by 0.3% from March. The CPI ticked up 3.4% on a 12-month basis, about in line with expectations but certainly showing no signs that inflation is coming down anytime soon.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE STREET
Read More