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US bankruptcies are surging past 2020 pandemic levels. Small companies can’t handle the tariffs. Consumer in tatters.

US bankruptcies are surging past 2020 pandemic levels, per Business Insider. What's going on? byu/AlphaFlipper inDegenBets In Wake of Trump Tariffs, John Deere Announces Mass Layoffs John Deere has been hit hard by President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The farm equipment manufacturer and industry bellwether just announced mass layoffs affecting more than 200 workers at three …

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Bundesbank scraps Basel rules for small banks; Leverage ratio replaces buffers leaving SMEs exposed

Germany’s Bundesbank is eyeing a shortcut for small and medium-sized banks. Basel capital rules could be scrapped in favor of a single leverage ratio. No risk-weighting. No buffers. Just raw exposure. https://finanz-szene.de/banking/bundesbank-erwaegt-verzicht-auf-basel-anforderungen-fuer-kleinbanken/ The leverage ratio was never meant to stand alone. It’s a backstop, not a blueprint. “Before a small commercial bank would breach a …

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Small businesses are grappling with rising healthcare costs, high swipe fees, and the growth of the subscription economy.

Small businesses in the U.S. are facing big challenges. Health insurance costs keep rising. Premiums for firms with fewer than 50 employees went from $20,236 in 2019 to $25,167 in 2024 (https://www.kff.org/report-section/ehbs-2024-section-1-cost-of-health-insurance/). The average family premium was $7,529 in 2023 (https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2024/dec/trends-employer-health-insurance-costs-2014-2023). Deductibles are high too, averaging $5,074 a year per employee (https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2024/dec/trends-employer-health-insurance-costs-2014-2023). Credit card fees …

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California’s $100 HOA fine cap blindsides homeowners. Lawmakers gut enforcement. Loopholes spark backlash and legal fights while HOAs turn small fines into big headaches.

California just pulled the rug out from under HOAs. What used to be $500 fines a day for something like the wrong door now tops out at $100. Late fees and interest? Dead. Homeowners got a power shot with new rights to dispute violations and block punishments if they fix the problem. This isn’t a …

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Oregon passes rules restricting pumpkin patches, flower festivals and farm dinners, threatening collapse of small agritourism businesses

Oregon’s Department of Land Conservation and Development finalized a rule package that rural counties are calling a death sentence. The Farm and Forest Modernization Rules take effect in January 2025. The state says it is about preserving farmland. On the ground, farmers say it is a chokehold. The rules hit agritourism first. Farm stands can …

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Small plane crashes at London Southend Airport moments after takeoff while fireball halts all flights

A small aircraft erupted into flames just seconds after takeoff from London Southend Airport on Sunday afternoon. The plane, identified as a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air, was en route to Lelystad in the Netherlands. It barely reached 175 feet before banking sharply, inverting, and crashing headfirst near the runway perimeter. Witnesses described a massive …

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How small HVAC fixes can slash your cooling bills this summer

Heat waves rolled in early in 2025. June is already delivering record highs in many parts of the country. Your HVAC system might be strained, energy bills climbing and comfort slipping away. That’s when smart maintenance and tweaks pay off. Start with your air filter. Many homeowners use high MERV filters to block allergens, but …

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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 …

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Small investment fees compound into massive losses over time, 1% annual fee slashes 25% of your portfolio’s value

A 1% annual investment fee will lower your portfolio by ~25.8% over 30 years. A 0.10% annual investment fee will lower it by only ~3% over 30 years. That 22 percentage point difference could cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars. Fees compound. pic.twitter.com/iv3zY0jQVh — The Money Cruncher, CPA (@money_cruncher) May 8, 2025 Most people …

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Small traders hit extreme gold net-long positions contrarian signal warns of weaker returns

"Small traders are holding one of their most extreme net-long positions in gold futures in over a decade, historically a contrarian signal that has often preceded weaker 13-week forward returns." – @thedailyshot pic.twitter.com/KA4nxcqd3p — Lance Roberts (@LanceRoberts) May 7, 2025 So let me understand this. People are getting inflation refund checks so we can create …

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Trump says small businesses won’t need any relief because ‘they’re going to make so much money’

Wow Just a an absolutely horrific take. Small businesses employ over half of the people in this country and there is no plan to support them if we really go through with this trade war. 🤦‍♂️ https://t.co/R2cqzerGhC — QE Infinity (@StealthQE4) May 5, 2025 He just loves to argue! The media has no clue how …

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The NASDAQ is getting very overbought now. Small caps stuck from breaking out. Nobody will see this coming…

The NASDAQ is getting very overbought now pic.twitter.com/z17pmfybR7 — Markets & Mayhem (@Mayhem4Markets) May 2, 2025 Small caps stuck from breaking out. Not a broad rally. Market breadth as measured by New New Highs across NYSE & Nasdaq markets has been mostly flat. This rally is not “hated”— it is suspect. pic.twitter.com/fd5ctBBur4 — tom 🖍 …

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WalMart Announces Major Drive to Source American Products, Invest in Small Businesses. Tariff Revenue Starting to Roll In

Walmart has announced new programs, including “Grow with US” and the 2025 Open Call, to expand support for American-made products and American small businesses, as President Donald J. Trump pursues a policy of supporting American producers through tariffs on foreign goods. Who’s Involved: Walmart U.S., led by President and CEO John Furner and CFO John …

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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% …

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Small biz backs Trump tariffs despite rising costs… Main Street sees growth ahead, not panic…

SMALL BIZ LOVES THE PAIN—TRUMP TARIFFS GET A THUMBS-UP FROM MAIN STREET A flash poll of 50,000 small business owners shows they’re not flinching. Nearly 70% believe Trump’s tariffs will strengthen the U.S. economy, and 77% say business will grow in 2025—even as 29% admit costs are rising. ‘ That’s not fear—it’s fuel. Main Street …

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Analysts revise 2025 profit growth down to 9.4%, from 12.5% earlier. Bill Ackman warns: Tariffs trigger pain for small businesses, with gross margins plummeting 60%.

"For all of 2025, [analysts] see profits rising 9.4%, compared with a projection of 12.5% at the beginning of the year."@NKniazhevich pic.twitter.com/bArD2ic1wC — Daily Chartbook (@dailychartbook) April 9, 2025 DELTA CEO: GROWTH HAS ‘LARGELY STALLED’ WITH TRADE UNCERTAINTY || TAKING ACTION TO PROTECT MARGINS, CASH FLOW || TO REDUCE PLANNED CAPACITY GROWTH IN H2 TO …

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JD Vance leads investor group preparing to buy Tiktok. Chinese ByteDance will retain ‘small equity stake.’

SCOOP: @JDVance and investor group eying next week to announce @tiktok_us deal to prevent April 5 ban of popular app over espionage concerns; announcement likely to include a grace period to put finishing touches on deal designed to keep TikTok ban law from taking effect; GOP… — Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) March 26, 2025

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 …

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Consumer credit rose to $5 trillion in January — ‘small cracks are starting to emerge,’ analyst says… Average APR is 28%.

Revolving debt, which mostly includes credit card balances, jumped 8.2% in January, according to the Federal Reserve’s latest consumer credit report. Altogether, consumer debt, including student loans, auto loans and credit card debt, now stands at $5 trillion. Higher prices driven by tariffs could stretch household budgets even more in the months ahead, experts say. …

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New EU Carbon Market Set To Hammer Households And Small Businesses

Authored by Charles Kennedy via OilPrice.com, The European Union’s new emissions trading system, expected to take effect in 2027, is set to hike prices for home heating and transportation, research firm BloombergNEF says in a new report. The new EU Emissions Trading System for buildings, road transport, and small industry, dubbed ETS2, is scheduled to become fully operational in 2027. …

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