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☆ Small businesses are hurting at the worst possible time
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

That’s because small businesses typically having tighter profit margins compared to behemoths like Walmart and Amazon, so they feel the sting of rising costs more acutely. The Small Business Index shows that 8 in 10 small retail businesses rely on holiday sales to meet their annual profit goals. If only it were that simple for small businesses. John Waldmann, chief executive of Homebase, a payroll software provider for more than 100,000 small businesses, said Enjou Chocolat’s dilemma is something he hears all the time. “Small businesses are really reticent to increase prices, so when they do, it’s because they have to,” Waldmann said.

Persons: Washington CNN — Enjou, Mark Chinsky, “, ‘ that’s, you’ve, ” Chinsky, that, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, we’re, ”, Thomas Barkin, “ Price, Joe Raedle, John Waldmann, Enjou, ” Waldmann, “ They’re, Scott Olson, there’s, Sarah Jordan, ” There’s, Bill Dunkelberg Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, National Federation of Independent Business, Walmart, ” Richmond Fed, Target, “, Board, Wrigley Field Locations: Morristown , New Jersey, America, Miami, Chicago

☆ Extreme heat takes toll on outdoor workers
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

There’s little to no escape from sweltering temperatures for construction workers like Eva Marroquin, who cleans work sites in Austin, Texas, and has worked in the industry for 17 years. Since 2010, she’s worked closely with the Workers Defense Project, an organization that advocates for protections for low-wage, immigrant workers in the Texas construction industry. Slowing down small businessesIt’s barely just now summer, and heatwaves are already slowing down small businesses, according to Homebase, which provides payroll software to more than 100,000 small businesses, covering 2 million hourly workers. “I think anything that impacts small businesses is affecting the economy as a whole,” he said, noting how small businesses account for half the jobs in the country. For herself, the high heat is more of an inconvenience; the car’s hotter and she just needs to pack some extra water.

Persons: Eva Marroquin, ” Marroquin, Christine Bolaños, she’s, Chris Lafakis, ”, Joshua, Gina Ferazzi, Gregory P, Casey, Jenny Schuetz, Brian Snyder, aren’t, “, John Waldmann, They’re, Katie Parent, Joseph Prezioso, Greer, Denise Greer Jamerson, Norman, Greer Jamerson, you’ve, ‘, “ It’s, it’s, Tamara Lovewell, café, panini, Tamara Lovewell “, Lovewell Organizations: CNN, Capitol, Workers Defense Project, Moody’s, Federal Reserve Bank of San, Williams College, Triple, Los Angeles Times, Environmental Protection Agency, Brookings Metro, Reuters, University of California, Stanford University, Getty, National Weather Service, Ruska Coffee Company Locations: Austin , Texas, Washington ,, Texas, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Massachusetts, Joshua Tree , California, Boston, Greater Boston, AFP, Princeton , Indiana, , Maine, United States, Caribou .

☆ Here's what to watch in Friday's big October jobs report
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Don't hold your breath looking for that big of a decline, said Amy Glaser, senior vice president at global staffing firm Adecco. We're still seeing resilience in the market," Glaser said. Indeed, a potentially important trend has been the hiring of part-time workers in recent months. Strike impactClose to half a million American workers have gone on strike in recent months. While a number of those high-profile stoppages have been resolved, some of the activity will show up in the October jobs report.

Persons: you've, payrolls, Dow Jones, Amy Glaser, We're, Glaser, Jerome Powell, Jeffrey Roach, Roach, Homebase Organizations: Labor Department, Federal Reserve, LPL, Employers, of Labor Statistics, United Auto Workers

☆ Charlie Munger praises Warren Buffett’s big bets on Japan on Acquired podcast
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“It was awfully easy money,” Charlie Munger, Buffett’s longtime lieutenant and vice chair of Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA), said in an interview with the Acquired podcast released this week. The firms backed by Berkshire — Itochu, Marubeni, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsui & Co., and Sumitomo — are known as “sogo shosha” or general trading companies in Japan. “These trading companies were really entrenched, old companies, and they had all these cheap copper mines and rubber plantations, and so you could borrow [easily],” Munger added. Buffett’s decision to invest in Japan has buoyed optimism about prospects in the world’s third largest economy. The legendary investor has previously cheered “the future of Japan,” casting more attention to the country from other foreign backers.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Warren, Charlie Munger, Buffett’s, Berkshire Hathaway, Berkshire —, Munger, Warren Buffett, ”, ” Munger, “, Wang Chuanfu, Omaha ”, China’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Japan’s Nikkei, Berkshire, Berkshire — Itochu, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsui & Co, Sumitomo, BYD, Hyundai, Apple Locations: Hong Kong, Japan, Berkshire, United States, “, Munger, Asia, South, TSMC, Omaha, Taiwan, China

☆ B-2 stealth bombers are in Iceland on their first deployment since a fiery mishap grounded the whole fleet
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( David Cenciotti | The Aviationist | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

US Air Force B-2 stealth bombers have returned to Keflavik in Iceland for the first time since 2021. It's the first deployment since B-2 bombers resumed flying after a five-month safety stand down. The deployment is the first one since the stealth bomber fleet returned to normal operations on May 22, 2023, after a five-month safety stand down following the incident in December last year. Two pilots approach a B-2 during Bomber Task Force 24-4 in Keflavik on August 15. A crew chief prepares to marshal a B-2 during Bomber Task Force 24-4 in Keflavik on August 15.

Persons: Heather Salazar, James Hecker, Andrew Kousgaard, Col Kousgaard, Diego Garcia, Northrop Grumman Organizations: US Air Force, Keflavik, Service, 509th Bomb, Whiteman Air Force Base, Whiteman, Alliance ., Bomber, Tech, RAF Fairford, Force, Naval Air Station Keflavik, US Air Forces, US Air Forces Africa, NATO Allied Command, 393rd Bomb Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Libya Air, Allied Force, ISIS, Lajes, Andersen Air Force Base, Raider, US Air Force's, Northrop Locations: Iceland, Wall, Silicon, Missouri, Keflavik, Mississippi, Europe, U.S, Korean, Libya, Serbia, Fairford, Azores, Portugal, Guam, Ocean Territory

☆ Here's everything you need to look for in Friday's July jobs report
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The prime-age participation rate, for one, focuses on the 25-to-54 age group cohort. watch now"The durability of this labor market largely comes because we simply don't have the people," said Rachel Sederberg, senior economist for job analytics firm Lightcast. They don't even come close to the Baby Boomers who have left the labor market." Those measures include job data from alternative sources, the job openings count from the Labor Department, and the firm's own employer surveys. The trick, said Lightcast economist Sederberg, is for the labor market to be cooling but not crashing.

Persons: Jeff Greenberg, Jeffrey Roach, Roach, —, Covid, Rachel Sederberg, We've, X, Tom Garretson, Garretson, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Spencer Hill, Hill, Sederberg, we've Organizations: Miami, Universal, Getty, Federal Reserve, LPL, Baby Boomers, RBC Wealth Management, RBC, Labor Department Locations: Miami Beach , Florida, Normandy Isle, 7ty, U.S

☆ How the heat wave is hurting your productivity at work
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

There are no federal regulations that protect workers in extreme heat, contributing to losses in productivity. "There's of course the worst case, the risk of death, but there is the risk of injury with the rise in temperature and reduced work hours. How much heat impacts productivityPlenty of studies show that extreme heat can crush economic activity across a variety of sectors. Long-term exposure to extreme heat, the authors write, causes inflammation and cardiovascular pressure. Workers in high-exposure industries worked about an hour less when the temperature was above 85 degrees Fahrenheit compared to the 76-80 degrees Fahrenheit range.

Persons: Algernon Austin, Biometeorology, Austin Organizations: Service, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Center for Economic, Policy Research, Economics, Workers, International Locations: Wall, Silicon, New Orleans, Nashville, California

☆ Extreme heat cuts into US small business, worker hours in July, report shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Safiyah Riddle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Carlos BarriaAug 1 (Reuters) - Record-breaking heat waves across the U.S. forced small businesses to close early in July, according to a report released on Tuesday, and reduced paid working hours for employees as dangerous temperatures reshape consumer behavior. Hundreds of millions Americans dealt with extreme heat advisories in the past two weeks, as temperatures across the South and Southwest hit historic highs. These hazardous conditions have kept consumers inside and forced small businesses to close early - cutting into paid hours for employees - according to a report by the small business payroll company Homebase. Nationally, small business employees worked 0.9% fewer hours in the first two weeks of July compared with the last two weeks of June - a standard seasonal change that is typical of summer months - the report said. Small business employees in New Orleans and Memphis, for example, were on the clock 5.7% and 5.1% less, respectively, than they were in June as business owners shorten hours to adjust for fewer customers and try to protect employees from too much heat exposure.

Persons: Carlos Barria, slowdowns, John Waldmann, Danah Lee, Lee, I've, Travis Parsons, Parsons, It's, Safiyah Riddle, Dan Burns Organizations: REUTERS, Southwest, Homebase, Memphis, Boston, Taco Joint, Weather Service, International Union of, Thomson Locations: Scottsdale, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S, New Orleans, Memphis, International Union of North America, Canada

☆ 3 people who tip for almost everything explain why they do so even if the service is bad — and how much extra they usually leave
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

While many customers don't tip, those who do are helping businesses keep their prices stable. Some people are happy to tip almost every time they are prompted, and they're helping businesses pay their employees more without cutting into profits or raising prices. Farley told Insider that he usually leaves at least a small tip whenever businesses prompt him, even if it's for something that didn't require much "actual service" — like buying a drink at the counter. A similar story is playing out at businesses across the country, Laurence Kotlikoff, an economics professor at Boston University, previously told Insider. Personal experience working in the service industry causes some customers to tip almost every chance they getCamille Rogers, a 25-year-old Manhattan-based publicist, told Insider that she usually tips whenever it's an option.

Persons: Ryan Farley, Farley, They're, Dan Moreno's, Moreno, Laurence Kotlikoff, Camille Rogers, Rogers, KaLyn McCullough, McCullough Organizations: Service, Boston University, Rogers Locations: Wall, Silicon, Austin , Texas, Dan Moreno's Miami, Manhattan, Hartford , Connecticut

☆ TSMC stake sold by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Warren Buffett’s conglomerate has sold its remaining shares in the world’s largest chipmaker, TSMC, after the “Oracle of Omaha” sounded alarms about its homebase of Taiwan. In a Monday filing, Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) disclosed that it was no longer holding a stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM) as of the end of the first quarter. In February, Berkshire revealed it had sold 86% of its shares in TSMC, which were purchased for $4.1 billion just months before. As Berkshire Hathaway revealed its withdrawal Monday, other prominent investors made bets on the stock. According to a regulatory filing, Macquarie has increased its stake in TSMC, while Tiger Global has also bought in.

☆ How to put your best travel foot forward for Earth Day 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

But you don’t have to totally cut out travel or stay super close to home to be a good planetary citizen. You need a city that’s dedicated to getting it right to best enjoy an urban biking vacation. Here, we've curated 30 of our favorite corners, including the Thu Bon River, which flows through central Vietnam. A maze of rivers and caves, the UNESCO World Centre is defined by its craggy limestone facades and jade green water. Bruno De Hogues/Photodisc/Getty Images Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park: A UNESCO World Heritage, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is heaven for spelunkers.

☆ Best Online Stock Trading Platforms of 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +20 min

Luckily, the past few years has seen a profusion of online stock trading platforms. We spent hours comparing more than a dozen stock trading platforms looking for the most intuitive tools, in-depth research and access to guidance and other educational content. We considered all of this when making our picks for the Best Stock Trading Platforms of 2023. How we pickedTo pick Buy Side from WSJ’s best stock trading platforms, we reviewed offerings from more than a dozen companies. Morgan Stanley is the corporate parent of E*Trade, one of the stock trading platforms considered for this story.

☆ Strong U.S. jobs, wages growth expected in December
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

However, job growth would far exceed the pace needed to keep up with growth in the working-age population, comfortably in the 150,000-300,000 range that economists associate with tight labor markets. Household employment decreased in October and November, leading some economists to speculate that overall job growth was overstated. Yet the household survey tends to be volatile and most economists expect household employment would be revised toward nonfarm payrolls. "We would not be surprised to see an even larger rebound in household employment in December or over the coming months." But the trend in employment growth could slow significantly by mid-year.

☆ A couple who are financially independent from their real estate portfolio explain how they bought their first house for less than $2,000 and scaled up to 5 properties that bring in $30,000 a month in
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Jervais, who started with worse credit than Natia, bumped his score up from 524 to the low- to mid-600s, he said. Plus, Natia started working in marketing in 2005 and went from an hourly wage plus tips to earning a salary. The way rental arbitrage works is, you sign a long-term lease and then rent out that property on short-term rental platforms like Airbnb and VRBO. Courtesy of Natia and Jervais SeegarsThey ended up raising about $500,000 from private lenders, they said, which financed their next three properties. They purchased them all within 45 days of each other in late 2021 and immediately listed them on the short-term rental market.

☆ Layoffs mount, and Main Street still can't find any workers to hire for open jobs
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Cheryl Winokur Munk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

"Inflation, supply chain disruptions, and labor shortages continue to limit the ability of many small businesses to meet the demand for their products and services." Meanwhile, the National Federation of Independent Business, the main small business trade group, reported last week the tenth-consecutive month of a confidence decline on Main Street, though little change in the need to hire more workers. When it comes to salary, small business owners generally don't play in the same league as larger companies. For example, don't just offer yoga or meditation apps or gym benefits; offer multiple ways employees can recharge, Lebovits said. Finally, small businesses need to understand what attracts job-seekers in the first place and play up these advantages in all of their communications with candidates.

☆ Best Online Stock Trading Platforms of 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +15 min

Luckily, the past few years has seen a profusion of online stock trading platforms. We spent hours comparing more than a dozen stock trading platforms looking for the most intuitive tools, in-depth research and access to guidance and other educational content. We considered all of this when making our picks for the Best Stock Trading Platforms of 2022. How we pickedTo pick Buy Side from WSJ’s best stock trading platforms, we reviewed offerings from more than a dozen companies. Morgan Stanley is the corporate parent of E*Trade, one of the stock trading platforms considered for this story.

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