CNN – Business/Consumer

By Alicia Wallace, CNN Business Americans grew even more pessimistic about the US economy over the past month, according to the latest survey on consumer attitudes, intentions and expectations from The Conference Board. The consumer confidence index for July slipped to 95.7 from June’s revised reading of 98.4, which was adjusted downward by 0.3 points.

By Anna Bahney, CNN Business US home prices were up nearly 20% in May compared to the year before. But there were signs the market began to cool as rising mortgage rates pushed more prospective buyers to the sidelines. Home prices rose 19.7% in May from the year before, a slightly smaller jump than the

By Anna Cooban, CNN Business The European Union has agreed to ration its natural gas this winter to prevent a severe supply shock. But the bloc has watered down its ambitions by offering countries some significant leeway. On Tuesday, EU energy ministers agreed to a voluntary target to reduce gas usage by 15% between August

By Michelle Toh, CNN Business The global economy is already in trouble, yet risks keep piling up. In a report released Tuesday, the International Monetary Fund once again lowered its world economic forecast as it predicted major slowdowns in the three biggest economies: the United States, China and Europe. Those downturns, combined with the ongoing

By Danielle Wiener-Bronner, CNN Business Pour one out for Choco Taco. The beloved Klondike product, packaged ice cream in a taco-shaped cone, has been discontinued. “Over the past 2 years, we have experienced an unprecedented spike in demand across our portfolio and have had to make very tough decisions to ensure availability of our full

By Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Business Many shoppers have pulled back on buying clothing and other discretionary items as the highest inflation in four decades pinches their pocketbooks. That’s left Walmart and other retailers stuck with too much clothing and bigger-ticket stuff sitting on their shelves. To help clear out the backlog, Walmart is cutting prices

By Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Business Diapers are a notoriously large expense for caregivers of newborns, toddlers and adults suffering from incontinence. Infants require up to 12 diapers per day, at a cost of $70 to $80 per month per child. That’s roughly $930 per year, according to the National Diaper Bank Network, a non-profit working

By Alexandra Peers, CNN Business Be careful what you sign — and read the fine print. That’s just one of the lessons from a convoluted lawsuit involving Sotheby’s and 45 yellow diamonds. Sotheby’s may be liable for $4 million of disappeared diamonds, a state appellate court ruled this month, after the auction house allegedly released

By Danielle Wiener-Bronner, CNN Business Major US poultry processors engaged in a 20-year-long conspiracy to suppress worker pay, the Department of Justice alleged Monday. The processors — Cargill, Wayne Farms and Sanderson Farms — allegedly worked with a data consulting firm to exchange information about pay, ultimately robbing workers of the opportunity to earn competitive

By Paul R. La Monica, CNN Business The first half of 2022 was awful for stocks. But investors have seen a rebound in July and the markets are currently enjoying their best month of the year. So far in July, the Dow is up 3.9% so far, the S&P 500 has jumped 4.8% and the