Money

US retail sales came back down to Earth in April after stimulus checks sent Americans on a shopping spree in March. Month-over-month, retail sales were flat in April, the Census Bureau reported Friday. Stripping out car and auto parts, sales actually declined slightly, by 0.8%. The massive March advance that came on the back of

Target has announced that it will temporarily stop selling trading cards — of both the sports and Pokémon variety — in stores following a recent violent dispute at one of its locations. Last week, a Target in Wisconsin was locked down after a man was physically assaulted by four others over sports trading cards. “The

Delta Air Lines is requiring new employees to get the Covid-19 vaccine, making it one of the largest US companies to issue a mandate. “Any person joining Delta in the future we will mandate to get vaccinated before they can sign up with the company,” CEO Ed Bastian told CNN’s Richard Quest in an exclusive

Ransomware attacks draw headlines when they take down major operations: hospitals, cities and most recently, a US fuel pipeline. Not only do cybercriminals scam businesses demanding large sums of money or they’ll wreak havoc on their computer systems, this week’s gas shortages showed how it can also have broader impacts. But ransomware against individuals —

Companies are gearing up for an era in which Covid-19 isn’t the primary driver of how people spend their money. The big question: As the coronavirus situation improves in countries like the United States, which trends from the past 14 months will have staying power, and which will be resigned to the pandemic past? Airbnb,

Hyundai and Kia are pouring billions of dollars into the United States, where they plan to start building electric cars and invest more in futuristic technologies. The South Korean carmakers announced Thursday that they would invest $7.4 billion in the country over the next four years. The funding will help the companies gradually expand manufacturing,

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin donated $1 billion worth of shiba inu coin — a dogecoin spinoff — to a Covid-19 relief fund in India. The 27-year-old Russian-Canadian programmer transferred more than 50 trillion shiba inu coins on Wednesday to the India Covid-Crypto Relief Fund, according to his public wallet. He also transferred 500 ether (or

The desirability of an Hermès Birkin handbag — a symbol of rarefied wealth — is such that not even a global pandemic can dull demand for it. Instead, it has helped fire it up even more. The bags are getting scooped up at record premiums in the pandemic era, according to Birkin resellers. Auction house

Streaming has carried Disney through the pandemic with Disney+ growing to more than 100 million subscribers. Yet the biggest star in Disney’s media universe shined a little less bright on Thursday. Disney+ now has 103.6 million subscribers, below the 110 million that many on Wall Street were expecting. Disney’s stock was down as much as

CVS, Walgreens and Macy’s said they are reviewing their requirements for facial coverings following new CDC guidance easing mask wearing for people vaccinated against Covid-19. The CDC said Thursday that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks or practice social distancing indoors or outdoors, except under certain circumstances such as in healthcare settings,

CVS, Walgreens and Macy’s said they are reviewing their requirements for facial coverings following new CDC guidance easing mask wearing for people vaccinated against Covid-19. The CDC said Thursday that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks or practice social distancing indoors or outdoors, except under certain circumstances such as in healthcare settings,

The long-awaited and much anticipated “Friends” reunion is coming to HBO Max at last. “Friends: The Reunion” will debut on the WarnerMedia streaming service on May 27. (HBO Max is owned by WarnerMedia, which is also the parent company of CNN.) The event, which brings together stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc,

Tesla’s Chinese sales last month were much weaker than they originally appeared. Although Tesla does not report monthly sales or regional revenue, the China Passenger Car Association earlier this week estimated Tesla’s Chinese sales were down 27% from March to just under 26,000 cars — much worse than the overall 10% decline in China’s electric

Stocks rebounded Thursday from the inflation-fear weakness earlier in the week — though they pulled back a bit from earlier sharp gains. The Dow, which rose more than 500 points at its peak, finished up 1.3%, or 434 points. It was the index’s best performance since late March. The broader S&P 500 closed up 1.2%,

Inflation is all that the market seems to care about these days. Wages are rising, consumer prices are surging — and investors are worried the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates faster than expected to keep inflation in check. So what’s an investor to do? The S&P 500 is down more than 2% in the

Prices are climbing all over the place as the economy is reopening. But for lower-income earners — who were already hit hardest by the pandemic — the sudden price spikes are squeezing their budgets even further. When necessities get more expensive, consumers with less disposable income, who already spend a bigger share of their money

Inflation is all that the market seems to care about these days. Wages are rising, consumer prices are surging — and investors are worried the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates faster than expected to keep inflation in check. So what’s an investor to do? The S&P 500 is down more than 2% in the