Money, Wealth & Power—A Daily Look at the Financial World
The Federal Reserve has quietly produced one of the clearest official looks yet at the trade war’s domestic impact: tariffs are feeding back into the U.S. economy through higher costs for American firms. In a working paper on the 2018–2019 tariff waves, Fed economists link those duties to rising producer prices, driven by more expensive…
Donald Trump is selling a simple story about housing: cut borrowing costs, keep home prices rising, and everyone wins. That story might sound appealing to current homeowners, but the math behind it breaks down the moment you factor in renters and first-time buyers. His own words and his administration’s messaging point to a deeper flaw…
Shoppers keep hearing that inflation is low and stable, yet the checkout total at the grocery store or the monthly bill from the electric company still feels punishing. Official reports say price growth is modest, but many households feel as if their money does not go as far as it used to. The gap between…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture built its authority on the idea that its numbers could be trusted, especially on corn acreage. That confidence has been shaken after massive revisions to 2025 corn acres blindsided farmers and traders, turning what should be a stabilizing data release into a market shock. The scale and timing of the…
Florida Republicans have been handed a blunt warning: solve the affordability crisis or watch the state’s promise of the American dream slip away. Under Gov. Ron DeSantis, the state has drawn wealth and national attention, but the same boom is now squeezing the workers and families who make Florida function. If housing and basic costs…
Market fear around a supposed “sell America” trade has surged again as investors react to policy headlines and geopolitical noise. Yet one of the loudest voices in macro research, Alpine Macro, argues that this story is badly exaggerated and does not match how global capital usually behaves. The firm’s case rests on a simple idea:…
Ripple’s path toward a stock market listing is taking concrete shape, with new investors, major acquisitions, and fresh numbers for traders to digest. A recent private funding round valued the company at about $40 billion, and bankers are now floating an IPO valuation near $50 billion. At the same time, Ripple has agreed to buy…
When Donald Trump signed a proclamation adding a $100,000 annual surcharge to H‑1B visa applications, he turned a long‑running policy debate into an immediate cost crisis for employers that rely on foreign talent. Tech giants, flush with cash and global footprints, are already probing legal workarounds, from shifting hires to overseas hubs to leaning on…
Russian grocery shoppers have faced sharp increases in food prices in recent years, but available international data do not show that these costs have fully caught up with the average level seen across the European Union. Purchasing power parity estimates from institutions such as the World Bank and official Russian statistics indicate that, once adjusted…
In early 2026, California transportation officials launched a formal plan to test a “vehicle miles traveled” fee, or VMT, as a new way to pay for roads. The idea came from the same state agencies that manage the gas tax, and it quickly drew attention from lawmakers, privacy advocates, and drivers worried about higher costs….