CNN – Business/Consumer

By Alicia Wallace, CNN Business Business activity at private US companies in early August dropped off at some of the sharpest rates seen since the beginning of the pandemic as rising interest rates and high inflation crimped consumer spending, according to data released Tuesday. The latest S&P Global preliminary flash composite purchasing managers index, or

By Paul R. La Monica, CNN Business Wall Street analysts are typically — to quote an old REM song — shiny happy people. They don’t often issue overly skeptical research reports on the companies they cover. And they tend not to ask executives tough questions on earnings calls, leaning toward a more “Great quarter, guys!”

Martha C. White for CNN Business The pandemic lockdowns might be in the rearview mirror, but rising inflation has ushered in the return of “micro” weddings, Zoom ceremonies — and disinvited guests. Couples blindsided by wedding budgets that have blown up by as much as 100% are scrambling to economize by any means possible in order

By Matt Egan, CNN Business Drivers have something to smile about: A historic drop in gasoline prices. The national average for a gallon of regular gas has dropped every single day since soaring to a record high of $5.02 a gallon on June 14, according to AAA. This 70-day streak of falling prices at the

By Anna Bahney, CNN Business New home sales plunged in July as high prices and mortgage rates pushed buyers to think twice about closing the deal. Sales of newly constructed homes fell by 12.6% in July from June and were down 29.6% from a year ago, according to a joint report from the US Department

By Ross Levitt, CNN More than 1,300 US flights have been canceled as of Monday night and more than 7,400 flights have been delayed, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Nine hundred US flights were canceled on Sunday, according to FlightAware. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport has been particularly hard hit, with hundreds of flights

By Megan Marples, CNN Years of long hours, understaffed companies and burned-out employees have all led to the latest TikTok trend: quiet quitting. The catchphrase quiet quitting is misleading, however, making some people think it means workers doing the bare minimum at their jobs. This is unequivocally false, said Kathy Caprino, a Connecticut-based women’s career

By Matt McFarland, CNN Business Tesla is raising the price of its controversial driver-assist feature it calls “full self-driving” to $15,000. Tesla buyers can purchase it for $12,000 until Sept. 5. The $12,000 price dates to January. Following the latest price increase, the software will cost five times as much as when it was first

By Paul R. La Monica, CNN Business So much for hopes that the Federal Reserve will tap the brakes on its aggressive interest rate hikes. Stocks tumbled Monday as investors once again began to worry that the central bank will raise rates by three-quarters of a point next month. The Dow ended the day with