The Christmas shopping season is here, and it’s looking like an uncertain one on the economic front. The National Retail Federation has predicted an increase in spending this year that’s less than last year’s, and warns consumers could remain cautious because of continuing inflation and other bad economic indicators. However, markets remain at all-time highs,
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Excessive inflation has been a relentless presence in the American economy, and it hangs over the start of yet another holiday season. Some good news, though — the cost of the average Thanksgiving meal itself is actually down this year. But for the most part, consumers are continuing to pay more than they did a
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Editor’s note: Megan McConachie’s title has been corrected. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The NCAA Cross Country Championships is expected to bring in $1.2 million in revenue to the city this weekend, according to the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau . From hotels to restaurants, local businesses are anticipating a significant economic boost as hundreds of athletes
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Workers at a Columbia Starbucks location on Thursday joined a nationwide strike. Around 11 employees were seen outside the location on Vandiver Drive on Thursday morning chanting and holding signs. A press release from Starbucks Workers United – the union that represents the employees — says around 2,000 union baristas around the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Lake Ozark Board of Aldermen on Wednesday decided to enter an agreement with Osage Casinos to build an entertainment district. A press release says The Osage Nation and the City of Lake Ozark entered into an agreement that includes municipal services, infrastructure improvements and government funding. Highlights from the agreements include
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Minutes before the opening of the new Trader Joe’s in Columbia, hundreds of people were in a line wrapped around the Shoppes at Stadium from the new store to Old Navy. “This is my first grand opening, but I just love the atmosphere and the fun,” said Columbia resident Tim Dollens. According
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Analysis by Bryan Mena, CNN Washington (CNN) — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday lowered interest rates for the second time this year in a continued bid to prevent unemployment from surging. Fed officials voted for another quarter-point rate cut, lowering their benchmark lending rate to a range between 3.75% and 4%, the lowest in three years. It is
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As the government shutdown enters its second week, food banks across the country are preparing for increased demand.
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By Alicia Wallace, CNN (CNN) — Americans ramped up their spending in August; however, their costs of living were on the rise as food and other goods became even more expensive last month and services prices remained stubbornly high. New economic data released Friday showed that consumer spending rose 0.6% in the key back-to-school shopping
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Boone County was middle-of-the-pack among the state’s biggest counties in wage gains over the first quarter of the year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this week. Wages reported to the bureau increased by close to 3% in Boone County in the first quarter, which covers the period of January to March.
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Economic indicators have been making big headlines lately. Last week came a sorry report with just 22,000 jobs created in August and unemployment at its highest since 2021. Then came more bad news on Tuesday — fewer jobs were added in the year that ended in March than experts thought, while income gains were eaten
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By Alicia Wallace, CNN (CNN) — The American jobs market has been running in a much lower gear than previously thought, according to a preliminary report released Tuesday. The US economy added about 911,000 fewer jobs than initially estimated for the year ending in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics report suggests. If this were
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia’s Chamber of Commerce claims the area has a lot of jobs to fill, despite job growth stalling nationally. The jobs report released on Friday indicates 22,000 jobs were added to the economy last month and the unemployment rate rose from 4.2% to 4.3%. There are about 7.4 million
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The first reported case of a flesh-eating parasite in a human was confirmed by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services on Monday. The Maryland resident who was diagnosed has recovered from the infection. According to HHS, a person who traveled to El Salvador was diagnosed with New World screwworm, a
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Sunday is the last day to take advantage of Missouri’s back-to-school sales tax holiday.
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Parents around Mid-Missouri will be shopping for school supplies soon, if they haven’t started already. Many families are already shopping for supplies, hoping to buy before tariffs take effect on Aug. 1. Many of the items kids use in schools are imported from other countries that could fall under new tariffs. And inflation, of course,
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By Dan Berman and Ramishah Maruf, CNN (CNN) — A federal appeals court has paused Wednesday night’s ruling from the Court of International Trade that blocked President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit’s ruling restores Trump’s ability to levy tariffs using the emergency powers he declared earlier this
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By Bryan Mena, CNN Washington (CNN) — It’s been a little while since Americans had an inkling of optimism about the economy. Consumer confidence rose 12.3 points this month to a reading of 98, the Conference Board said in its latest survey released Tuesday, the first monthly gain since November and the biggest monthly increase
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By Elisabeth Buchwald and Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — Moody’s Ratings downgraded the United States’ debt on Friday, stripping the country of its last perfect credit rating. The move could rattle financial markets and push up interest rates, potentially creating an additional financial burden for Americans already struggling with tariffs and inflation. Of the three
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Another round of auto tariffs went into effect Saturday, this time on imported parts. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on March 26 to impose a 25% tariff on imports of automobiles and certain automobile parts.
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