Rising US prices could widen the divide between haves and have-nots | BBC News

September 16, 2025September 15, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

There’s a divide in the US economy between the haves and the have-nots. And accelerating inflation, driven in part by tariffs, could make it worse.

Government data points to the early stages of businesses passing on the costs of US President Donald Trump’s sweeping import tariffs to consumers.

Still, inflation remains well below its peak, and a debate continues over the extent to which tariffs will lead to a sustained rise in the pace of price hikes.

But Americans like Yanique Clarke are feeling the pinch.

Yanique, a nursing student in Manhattan who identifies as lower-income, said while shopping for groceries at a Target store this week that “prices are really drastically high” for meat, vegetables, and fruit.

“It’s quite a while now, but it’s getting higher,” she said.

Back to Basics: Why Startup Success Demands Fundamentals Over Frenzy | The Startup Magazine

May 22, 2025May 21, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Today’s startup founders are navigating a perfect storm. Factoring inflation, tariff tensions becoming routine, venture funding tightening, and layoffs spreading across industries, the pressure is palpable. Meanwhile, the AI boom dominates headlines, often overshadowing deeper strategic discussions. To grow and thrive in current times, businesses must now more than ever proactively understand the changing policy and regulatory landscape. Expect benefits, hurdles, and both intended and unintended consequences. A company’s ability to adapt to these changes will be a key determinant of its future success. To stay ahead, bookmark these resources, set up news alerts, and keep them on your radar:

The Trump administration brings a policy environment that both empowers and challenges America’s startup ecosystem. A signature deregulation push could be a breath of fresh air for emerging companies drowning in compliance costs. By cutting red tape, startups can redirect precious resources from legal consultations to actual product development and innovation — potentially accelerating growth in ways that matter.

Egg prices remain high during Easter holiday due to avian bird flu and inflation | Fast Company

March 29, 2024March 28, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Egg prices are at near-historic highs in many parts of the world as the spring holidays approach, reflecting a market scrambled by disease, high demand, and growing costs for farmers.

It’s the second year in a row consumers have faced sticker shock ahead of Easter and Passover, both occasions in which eggs play prominent roles.

While global prices are lower than they were at this time last year, they remain elevated, said Nan-Dirk Mulder, a senior global specialist with Dutch financial firm RaboBank’s RaboResearch Food and Agribusiness division. Mulder doesn’t expect them to return to 2021 levels.

Rising Prices on Main Street Erode Small Business Optimism | Small Biz Trends

September 28, 2023September 25, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A decline in optimism among small business owners is evident as the NFIB’s Small Business Optimism Index dropped to 91.3 in August, reflecting 20 consecutive months below its 49-year average of 98.

Inflation remains a significant concern, with 23% of small business proprietors naming it their primary business hurdle, an uptick from last month. Meanwhile, average selling prices are also increasing, suggesting continued inflationary pressures.

Bill Dunkelberg, NFIB Chief Economist, commented, “With small business owners’ views about future sales growth and business conditions discouraging, owners want to hire and make money now from strong consumer spending. Inflation and the worker shortage continue to be the biggest obstacles for Main Street.”

American consumers in no mood to give up daily coffee | Food Truck Operator

August 1, 2023July 31, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Good news for restaurants and food trucks offering a cup of joe — American consumers are in no mood to go without their daily pick-me-up: coffee.

That’s according to the most recent National Coffee Trends Study Specialty Coffee Report sponsored by the National Coffee Association.

“Inflation is on everyone’s mind,” said Samantha Evans, senior research manager at Dig Insights, during a webinar on the study. “It’s impacting everything everywhere, and seemingly all at once, including how Americans drink and purchase coffee.”

While inflation has come down from 7.5% in January of 2022, people remain worried about personal finances, Evans said. This isn’t surprising as interest rates have increased dramatically in the past year.

“It’s really starting to take a toll on consumers and their finances,” she said.

Why You Should Pay Employees to Stop Working for You | Business.com

May 15, 2023May 14, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Learn what voluntary severance is and when you should offer it.

The past few years have been somewhat tumultuous in terms of the labor force. The pandemic led to a massive wave of layoffs, which was followed by a rapid — and somewhat chaotic — rehiring of workers. Now, as businesses face high levels of inflation, a looming recession and economic uncertainty, many employers are rethinking those recent hires and starting to make cuts again.

An obvious and common way to cut labor costs is to lay off workers. According to the Layoffs.fyi database, more than 1,000 tech companies made layoffs in 2022, resulting in more than 150,000 employees being laid off. However, layoffs aren’t business owners’ only option when it comes to reducing their workforce. One alternative is to offer voluntary severance — paying your employees to quit.

The Fed lifts rates by half a point, acknowledging that inflation is easing | CNN Business

December 15, 2022December 14, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The Federal Reserve approved a half-point interest rate hike on Wednesday, a smaller increase than in recent months and an acknowledgment that inflation is finally easing.

The increase marks a shift for the central bank after an unprecedented year that includes seven-straight rate hikes as part of an aggressive campaign to try and bring down the highest inflation since the early 1980s.

While lower than the four consecutive three-quarter-point hikes approved at the Fed’s previous meetings, Wednesday’s rate hike is still twice the size of the central bank’s customary quarter-point increase and will likely deepen the economic pain for millions of American businesses and households by pushing up the cost of borrowing even further.

Best Tips To Protect Your Savings From Inflation | The Startup Magazine

November 7, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The economic situation at the moment is fluctuating all the time and the threat of inflation is an ever-present issue. Of course, inflation isn’t necessarily a bad thing. When prices go up, businesses often need more workers, and that means higher wages. Government benefits may also attract cost-of-living increases. But a lower rate of inflation leads to a lower interest rate, and that means if your money is in a savings account, it’s much more difficult to earn a high yield.

It’s impossible for you to control inflation, however, there’s no need to allow it erode the money you’ve saved. If you’re sensible about where your money is put and watch your expenses, you should find that you manage to have inflation protection and minimize any damage caused by inflation.

If you have savings, you’re probably worrying about how you can best protect your money from rising prices, so below are a few top tips that will help you keep your savings safe. Before we get into the tips, if you want to save money on your next shopping, make sure to check Latest Deals. Their website offers hundreds of new deals daily with the most influential retailers in the world. You will be able to save money and take home a bargain.

Inflation Affecting Business | Getentrepreneurial.com

August 12, 2022August 11, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

In order for a business to succeed, it’s important for its owners to understand the factors that can impact their bottom line. One of these key factors is inflation. The Federal Reserve targets an annual inflation rate of 2%. However, the rate is currently at 8.6%. Inflation is a result of the broader economic trends at play in the market. In this article, we’ll explore how inflation affects businesses and what owners can do to mitigate its impact. Let’s dive in!

Inflation’s Unexpected Dividend: More Entrepreneurs | Inc.com

July 7, 2022July 6, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Up to four million Latino workers are thinking about taking the entrepreneurship plunge to help cope with record-high inflation.

That’s according to a new reading of a December survey from QuickBooks, Intuit’s fintech software arm, which was collected as the nation’s inflation gauges were rapidly escalating. The survey suggests that 15 percent of Latino and Hispanic respondents expressed interest in becoming an entrepreneur in 2022. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the number of Latino and Hispanic workers in the U.S. at 27.1 million.