By Nathalie Voit The commodity boom has federal officials worried. While commodity traders and major energy exporters like Russia and Saudi Arabia stand to gain from the post-lockdown surge in demand, consumers and companies are already taking a hit in the form of rising costs for basic commodities like food and gasoline. Energy markets are [...]
By Nathalie Voit Federal officials are crafting rules to regulate cryptocurrencies and other major forms of digital finance. The news comes as concern over the increased use of stablecoins, a new form of digital currency, has regulators worried about the potential for a “digital era bank run.” Stablecoin, a fast-growing cryptocurrency, falls somewhere [...]
By Nathalie Voit Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) took to the stage Monday Sep. 27 to discuss the future of antitrust enforcement in the U.S. with Robert H. Bork, Jr., President of the Antitrust Education Project (AEP). The discussion centered around what is now the 40-year-old governing principle behind antitrust law, the Consumer Welfare Standard. According [...]
By Nathalie Voit The United States slipped down one spot in the 2021 Global Retirement Index (GRI), an annual index developed by Natixis Investment Managers that tracks the state of retirement security across 44 nations. The ninth annual index, released two weeks ago, ranks the U.S. 17th for global retiree wellbeing, below countries like Switzerland, Norway, and [...]
By Nathalie Voit In the era of covid and work from home, scammers are finding creative means to lure thousands of job seekers to their websites. According to a study by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), approximately 14 million people every year are exposed to phony employment scams, with an average median dollar loss per victim [...]
By Nathalie Voit As part of his July 9 executive order on promoting competition in the American economy, President Joe Biden directed the Department of Transportation (DOT) to make consumer-friendly changes to the airline industry. The order was part of a more extensive set of initiatives to break down consolidation in industries like banking, tech, and the [...]
By Nathalie Voit Although pandemic-induced staff shortages have translated to wage raises for many low-income households, the prices of essential commodities like food and electricity have also gone up over the past year. As inflation soars to its highest levels in over a decade, many workers are noticing their wallets aren't carrying them as [...]
By Nathalie Voit Despite a dismal August jobs report, the U.S. economy is faring better than many expected. The early scare prompted many to worry about the impact of the highly contagious delta variant on the economic recovery and whether the substantial gains made over the past months would suddenly come to a halt. While hiring in [...]
By Nathalie Voit Apple released iOS 15 on Monday, its latest software update for iPhones. iOS 15 introduces some major new features to iPhones, including the ability to make FaceTime calls to Windows and Android users, a new feature called “Focus,” and enhanced privacy protections. The software update is compatible with all iOS 14-capable devices. [...]
By Nathalie Voit Food prices have soared to their highest levels in decades as governments worldwide continue to reel from the economic impact of the pandemic. According to data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), food prices in August were up 33% from one year ago, with the biggest increases reported in the [...]
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