Independent thinking for complex markets and current events
NFIB small business optimism index rose 0.1 points in April to 95.9, holding below the 52-year average of 98.0. Labor quality emerged as the top problem for owners with a record 34 percent reporting unfilled job openings. Nearly 46 percent of firms trying to hire found few or no qualified applicants in the latest survey. …
Small business owners across several states are reducing employee hours and in some cases staff numbers because of sharp increases in liability and health insurance premiums. Many report premiums jumping 20-40 percent in the past year. This is forcing difficult decisions to keep the doors open. Some owners say they are barely breaking even after …
The U.S. eliminated six Iranian small boats attempting to interfere with commercial shipping – CENTCOM Commander Adm Brad Cooper — Faytuks Network (@FaytuksNetwork) May 4, 2026 Right now CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper is on a call with journalists. He says 15,000 U.S. service members are involved in the Project Freedom effort to help commercial …
Early this morning, a massive cargo vessel identified as the MSC Francesca was swarmed and hit by IRGC fast boats near the Omani coast. This escalation comes exactly as Tehran confirms they have received a formal U.S. counter-proposal, turning the Strait of Hormuz into a high-stakes hostage for the upcoming Pakistan-led negotiations. Attack UKMTO #50 “UKMTO has …
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The pilot of a small plane was injured Monday after crashing his aircraft in the parking lot of an auto parts store in Southern California, authorities said. The crash was reported shortly after 11 a.m. by an O’Reilly Auto Parts store in the neighborhood of Pacoima in north Los Angeles, according …
This is what you should be looking at. pic.twitter.com/BPr4C3u7Fl — Travis Rothell (@TRothell62855) April 20, 2026 Nearly 40% of Americans said they have less than $500 in cash savings. pic.twitter.com/3ek6LlBGQ3 — DARWIN (@D4RW1NEXE) April 14, 2026 Nearly 40% of Americans have less than $500 in cash savings, survey shows Nearly 40% of Americans said that …
Past periods of rising small business uncertainty led to hiring slowdowns and reduced capital spending due to weaker demand visibility and tighter credit conditions US small businesses are highly concerned about the economy: The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index dropped -3.0 points in March, to 95.8, the lowest since April 2025. This marks the 3rd …
In Phoenix, a pilot dodged cars and street poles on a normally busy street to make an emergency landing. The two passengers on board were not injured and credited the pilot with a life-saving landing. NBC News’ Tom Costello has more.
Pressure is starting to show up in places people do not usually look first, and the numbers behind it suggest households and small businesses are both getting pulled tighter at the same time. Middle class Americans are selling plasma to make ends meet while small businesses are dealing with rising cost pressures tied to tariffs …
U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP STATES THAT TEMPORARY OIL PRICE SPIKES DUE TO THE IRAN CONFLICT ARE A "SMALL PRICE TO PAY" FOR WORLD SAFETY AND EXPECTS PRICES TO FALL QUICKLY AFTER THE IRANIAN NUCLEAR ISSUE IS RESOLVED. — First Squawk (@FirstSquawk) March 8, 2026 🚨PREPARE FOR A -20% MARKET DROP: Everyone thinks the Iran conflict …
Authored by Charles Hugh-Smith via oftwominds, While the top 10% who manage the TINA Economy are fixated on their ballooning stock market wealth, the bottom 90% are melting away. Some day that might actually have consequences. Let’s start with a thought experiment focusing on soaring household expenses. Consider healthcare insurance, which has risen not just in …
Crypto Rover @cryptorover 🚨BIG WARNING: THE FIRST MAJOR DOMINO HAS FALLEN. Today, Blue Owl Capital announced that it permanently halted redemptions for Blue Owl Capital Corp II (OBDC II), its $1.7 billion private credit fund aimed at retail investors. And this is not a small thing. Blue Owl Capital is a major alternative asset manager …
TRUMP’S SBA CHIEF FINDS 7,000 FAKE LOANS WORTH $430M IN MINNESOTA ALONE Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler says her team found 6,900 fraudulent small business loans in Minnesota that stole $430 million from taxpayers. It took them 2 days to find $3 million worth of fraud once they started looking. “It didn’t take long when …
Business owner: I have seen a constant increase of 25-50% in the cost of our equipment because of tariffs. Our most recent project, I received a $30,000 tariff bill. That cost was never forecasted and could have never been anticipated for. For a new small business, that kind of… pic.twitter.com/MaRaZ4qv2X — FactPost (@factpostnews) January 22, …
It smells like the start of something bigger in 2026. Small caps and banks are getting crushed today. Tech stocks used to be risk plays but since 2021 they are treated as "safe havens" from slowing economic growth. Even energy stocks are down. https://t.co/OhtzN2vUvE pic.twitter.com/KvUXSciETV — Financelot (@FinanceLancelot) January 7, 2026 The big crash is …
Strong consumers do not flee bulk stores for bargain bins. Small business employment shrank again in December according to Paychex. We will get a clearer picture once we get the ADP and payroll data later this week. pic.twitter.com/KmzIqUJ6fG — Peter Berezin (@PeterBerezinBCA) January 6, 2026 Riddle me this. If the US consumer is so strong …
On a frigid day after Mass at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in rural Nebraska, worshipers shuffled into the basement and sat on folding chairs, their faces barely masking the fear gripping their town. A pall hung over the room just as it hung over the holiday season in Lexington, Neb. “Suddenly they tell us that …
US small business bankruptcies are surging as if there is a recession: A record 2,221 small firms have filed for bankruptcy under Subchapter V year-to-date. Subchapter V allows businesses and individuals with under $3 million in debt to reorganize more quickly and cheaply than… pic.twitter.com/R2wg9XB4vk — The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) December 6, 2025 A federal …
Forget 2007. The US consumer today is facing a worse crisis. It's not Systemic Leverage; it's Household Arithmetic. My new memo breaks down the structural squeeze: why the 2026 economy faces a consumer solvency crisis, not a liquidity crisis. — Craig Shapiro (@ces921) December 3, 2025 This Black Friday, shoppers paid 7% more for electronics, …
Yikes. ADP employment report shows -32,000 jobs lost in November. Most industries were doing layoffs. The only ones still are hiring are hospitality and healthcare. But look at employment by firm size. There's a K-shaped economy among firms, too. Larger companies are still… pic.twitter.com/CsMQ4UAAyZ — Heather Long (@byHeatherLong) December 3, 2025 On US macroeconomic data: …
This was all pre planned. Government printed dollars. Lowered rates to 0%. You thought you were getting free monies to buy LED TV! In reality you were paying for this with your future and the elites were capturing every single asset — from stocks to houses to farm land! https://t.co/eprXRpb8jj — tic toc (@TicTocTick) November …
via EricThompsonTech Why YSK: Most people think anxiety comes only from big life problems, but a lot of stress today comes from tiny, constant spikes of stimulation. Your brain never gets a chance to rest because it’s always reacting to: notifications quick videos/reels rapid scrolling random messages constant switching between apps Every tiny spike trains …
In the sewer business, they say a good flush beats a full house. This one isn’t a good flush. It’s the other kind that fills your house with a stinking mess you have to live with. by David Haggith Adam Taggart, in his interview below with Freightwaves’ Craig Fuller, says Fuller’s take on the economy sounds stagflationary, …
Affordability crisis rattling mom-and-pop shops… “Surging import costs. Mounting payroll and healthcare expenses. A shortage of affordable loans. And a stressed-out workforce. Small businesses are facing mounting pressure from America’s affordability crisis. Doug Scheffel, owner of a family-run ETM Manufacturing in Massachusetts, laid off about a quarter of his employees in April as the Trump …
The ripple effect: U.S. grocers and convenience store operators say their sales fell immediately after the federal government halted SNAP food assistance benefits on Nov. 1. (AP Video: Jessie Wardarski/Nick Ingram) The federal government shutdown has created delays in some states when it comes to the program that helps millions of families heat and cool …
Farmer Justin Rhodes says the state redefined “CAFO” so even 3 cows and a milking stand count as a factory farm. Cease-and-desist letters. $100K “upgrades.” Family farms shut down. 🚨 “Oregon is using satellites to hunt small farms.” Farmer Justin Rhodes says the state redefined “CAFO” so even 3 cows and a milking stand count …
the housing market in canada is incredibley expensive, I saw a house in a rural area about 10 mins out of town. A house in a 20 acres with five bedrooms, five bathrooms. THE asking price is 1.5 million dollars the real estate showed the mortgage of 7000 to 8000 a month, holy… — Up …
Google has eliminated more than one-third of its managers overseeing small teams, an executive told employees last week, as the company continues its focus on efficiencies across the organization. “Right now, we have 35% fewer managers, with fewer direct reports” than at this time a year ago, said Brian Welle, vice president of people analytics and …
Are office buildings the last prop holding banks from imploding? Small banks are hiding massive losses in CRE. Massive, like going out of business levels of losses. That's why they're kicking the can hoping they don't have to foreclose. There's nothing to foreclose on. This shit would make Lehman look like a walk in the …
This is absolutely ridiculous Vegas resident shows that restaurants have started adding in small print at the bottom of their menus a “concession fee of 4.85%” to be added onto your total bill. This fee is for offsetting operational costs like rent, labor, or prime location expenses This fee is OPTIONAL, but it is automatically …