business

Recession talk spikes on S&P 500 earnings calls. CEO survey shows 62 percent brace for slowdown or worse. Small business optimism drops fourth month to 95.8

US executives are getting more concerned about the economy: The share of S&P 500 companies mentioning “recession” during their Q1 2025 earnings calls spiked to 23%, the highest since 2022. This percentage has surpassed levels recorded in all years between 2008 and 2020, except for 2010. Additionally, 62% of US CEOs expect either a slowdown …

READ MORE

Amazon’s highest growth business is now Ads.

Revenue in Amazon’s online ad business rose 19% to $13.92 billion. Amazon has emerged as a force in digital advertising, trailing only Meta and Google in the U.S. Amazon reported a 19% increase in online ad revenue in the first quarter, beating analysts’ estimates. Ad sales climbed to $13.92 billion, while analysts on average were …

READ MORE

We Are Much Closer To A Major War With Iran, And Trump Warns That Anyone That Buys Iranian Oil “Will Not Be Allowed To Do Business With The United States Of America In Any Way, Shape, Or Form”

by Michael 2025 is going to be largely defined by whether there is a major war with Iran or not.  If a verifiable deal with Iran can be reached that prevents Iran from producing nuclear weapons, I will applaud the Trump administration for pulling off the diplomatic coup of the century.  But if negotiations fail, it …

READ MORE

Congress back in session. First order of business: promote music tourism. Second order of business: award gold medals to U.S. hockey team.

Don’t forget about the urgent and pressing need to promote Music Tourism. pic.twitter.com/M2bZ6lcrWs — Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) April 28, 2025 🚨 NOW: After TWO WEEKS of being on vacation, the House is back and focusing on CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDALS for hockey players Not codifying DOGE cuts. Not codifying President Trump’s executive orders But MEDALS FOR …

READ MORE

96% of American toy companies are small and medium-sized. 45% to 46% predict they’ll go out of business in weeks or months due to Trump tariffs

The Toy Association provided insight into the effects of tariffs on the industry through a survey that asked more than 400 member companies to assess the potential business impact of the 145% tariffs on Chinese toy imports. The report revealed that 96% of American toy companies are small and medium-sized and that 45% to 46% …

READ MORE

‘I do business in China. I know these people. They cheat.’ I want 400 percent tariffs on China.

"Xi can only stay the Supreme Leader if people are employed." "America is the #1 economy on earth with all the cards. We will not have that forever. It's time to squeeze Chinese heads into the wall." Kevin O'Leary calls for 400% tariffs on China. pic.twitter.com/8bDrttjsBw — Thomas Hern (@ThomasMHern) April 9, 2025 China vs …

READ MORE

Bessent claims Trump boxed them in, reality tells a harsher story. Allies push back, business stalls, downturn looms

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: Trump has maximum negotiating leverage right here, right now. I think it would be a mistake to think otherwise. Many of our trading partners have not escalated, and they will get priority in the queue. I think it was a big mistake, this… pic.twitter.com/bxJICTGmBd — unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) April 9, 2025 …

READ MORE

Elon Musk thinks robots are a $10 trillion business. He’s got some competition from China

Spinning bright red handkerchiefs and dancing in step to folk music, more than a dozen human-like robots took to China’s biggest stage in January, making a splashy debut at the annual Lunar New Year gala. The remarkable performance, watched by more than a billion people, is a high-profile reminder of how far Chinese humanoid robots …

READ MORE

Canada’s small business confidence collapses to historic low, collapsed nearly -60% in a matter of months.

Canada’s small business sector is grappling with a severe crisis as its confidence plummets. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has reported an alarming decline in the Small Business Confidence Index, which dropped to 23.2 in March 2025. This is a staggering 60% drop from the previous year, highlighting the deepening challenges that small …

READ MORE

When the core business fails, the real money is in financing customers

They’re going to bundle the loans into securities and sell the tranches by food type “Crunchy Wrap Supreme is BBB debt rated with 10 year maturity at 6% coupon. The instruments are non-callable with warrants attached as a sweetener.” https://t.co/TSApyPQItI pic.twitter.com/rO5EYfKcXZ — Roberto Rios (@peruvian_bull) March 21, 2025

Kash Patel Gets to Business, Immediately Shakes Up FBI Wash Field Office ordered 1,000 agents into the field another 500 Redstone Arsenal Alabama

WATCH: Kash Patel's full remarks after being sworn in as FBI Director: "Anyone who thinks the American Dream is dead, look right here. You're talking to a first-generation Indian kid who is about to lead the law enforcement community in the greatest nation on God's Earth." pic.twitter.com/PQrCkme9az — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 21, 2025 …

READ MORE

Luxury homebuilder says more than 70% of business is from wealthy move-ups and empty nesters with years of home price appreciation. The rest are rich millennials

Home prices and mortgage rates are high but haven’t hampered demand for what Toll Brothers calls its “luxury niche.” That niche is made up of empty nesters, rich millennials, and wealthy buyers who are inoculated from housing market swings. “Demand for our homes continues to be supported by our affluent customer base,” Toll Brothers chief executive and chairman …

READ MORE

Senator Rand Paul nailed it—“Can you think of a private business where 80% of the revenue drops and they still hire more people?”

The answer is no. It’s insane. They’ve brought in 190,000 more jobs—jobs that make zero sense in a time when their main service is shrinking fast. This is a level of waste and mismanagement that should not be tolerated. There’s no clear logic behind this, just an endless pile of taxpayer money being funneled into …

READ MORE

SMCI just dropped an absolute disaster of a business update. Earnings? Miss. Revenue? Miss. SEC and DOJ breathing down their necks.

$SMCI business update: 💩Miss on both EPS and revenue (unaudited)💩Confirms receipt of both DOJ and SEC subpoenas💩Still no 10K or 10Q 💩Cut forward guidance 💩$700M of dilution💩Fourteen days away from delisting💩Swears they'll file 10K (which was due last August) by Feb… pic.twitter.com/oY0RJJSbOz — Nobody Special (@JG_Nuke) February 11, 2025 SMCI filed another roll of toilet …

READ MORE

UPS Slashes Jobs, Losing Business to Amazon, What’s Going On?

by Mike Shedlock Amazon says no to UPS. Costs are too high. Union Reality Bites The Wall Street Journal comments Reality Bites UPS and the Teamsters Two years ago Teamsters boss Sean O’Brien touted a “historic” labor agreement with United Parcel Service. Now comes the rest of the story, and it isn’t pretty. UPS shares plunged …

READ MORE

The £50 Billion Business Empire and Bank run from a Terraced house in Bolton UK

And a holding company, with a professional-looking website: pic.twitter.com/AtkTJg6pYq — Dan Neidle (@DanNeidle) February 4, 2025 The audit certificate is a forgery. I've spoken to the audit firm and individual auditor named in these accounts and I'm convinced they have nothing to do with this. They don't even know each other. — Dan Neidle (@DanNeidle) …

READ MORE

Fox Business Eleanor Terrett: “Today Senator Hagerty introduces his stablecoin bill in the Senate. The bill is called the GENIUS

Eleanor Terrett @EleanorTerrett NEW: Today @SenatorHagerty introduces his stablecoin bill in the Senate. The bill is called the GENIUS (Guiding and Establishing National Innovation in U.S. Stablecoins) Act and aims to provide clear regulations for stablecoins. Here are the highlights of the bill which is based off a discussion draft Hagerty rolled out in October. …

READ MORE

Double miss on earnings. 7% operating margins. 25% of $TSLA earnings came from a $1.5b investment? What the heck happened w the rest of their business?

25% of $TSLA earnings came from a $1.5b investment? What the heck happened w the rest of their business? — Kolby Smith (@Kolby_Smith) January 30, 2025 $TSLA 7% operating margins but it's not a car company OK MR MARKET LOL pic.twitter.com/GqkIcjyS36 —  Q-Cap  (@qcapital2020) January 29, 2025 $TSLA double miss on earnings. Could …

READ MORE

TurboTax’s parent company Intuit uses predatory business practices to prevent you from using cheaper tax prep software. Consider using cheaper, better, reputable alternatives this tax season.

from Reddit: Why YSK: TurboTax has been scamming the American public for years, including me. They overcharge for basic tax filing services and pressure users to pay when they don’t need to. They utilize dark patterns in their software and lobby to stop the IRS from building its own public filing system for citizens to …

READ MORE

Public transit as a multi-trillion-dollar business with huge margins? Sounds like televangelists asking minimum wage workers for donations.

So public transit is a multi-trillion biz with magnificent margins, yes (that’s essentially what he’s saying)? These people sound like 1990s televangelist pastors asking for $ on TV from minimum wage workers in the rust belt. https://t.co/9HeqGCbezM — Gordon Johnson (@GordonJohnson19) January 7, 2025 I have a question here, when a robotaxi is going to …

READ MORE

MicroStrategy loses money, raises questions about folding business or selling Bitcoin.

People in replies pointed out this could be due to an impairment loss, which is a paper loss due to Bitcoin price vol. And although counter intuitive this does show up in “operating expenses” So maybe they’re cash flow positive w/o paper loss? On the other hand, Bitcoin was… pic.twitter.com/NBBkNT1AuP — George Gammon (@GeorgeGammon) January …

READ MORE

W.H.O. Academy opens for business — Only global health overlords need apply.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Academy in Lyon, France, officially opened its doors yesterday with a high-profile inauguration ceremony. The event was attended by WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, French President H.E. Emmanuel Macron, alongside dozens of health ministers, international representatives, donors, and local French partners. The WHO Academy is a revolutionary project which …

READ MORE

New Photos of Joe Biden Meeting with Hunter’s Chinese Business Associates Released After NARA Illegally Concealed Records

/1🚨 BREAKING 🚨 AFL has obtained new photos of Joe Biden meeting with Hunter Biden’s Chinese business associates and introducing Hunter to China’s President Xi Jinping. pic.twitter.com/SB13yaXiXv — America First Legal (@America1stLegal) December 23, 2024 https://twitter.c​om/_/status/1871255712946418081 https://twitter.com/_/status/187​1256450024321330 America First Legal obtained new photos of Joe Biden meeting with Hunter’s Chinese business associates and introducing Hunter …

READ MORE

Uh-oh! It looks like you're using an ad blocker.

Our website relies on ads and the generous support of readers like you to keep delivering free, high-quality content. Right now, we are facing serious funding challenges and we need your help more than ever. Disable your ad blocker and this message will vanish. You can also sign up for a membership to enjoy an ad-free experience while supporting our work: https://citizenwatchreport.com/plans/subscriptions/ Your support helps us stay independent, continue our work, and keep content free for everyone. We truly appreciate your understanding and thank you for standing with us.