CNN – Business/Consumer

By Paul R. La Monica, CNN Business Americans are extremely worried about the Delta variant and the spike in Covid-19 cases. A key survey of consumer confidence plunged in August below where it was in April 2020 when the first Covid-19 outbreak slammed the brakes on the US economy. The University of Michigan said that

By Paul R. La Monica, CNN Business Airbnb had a blockbuster second quarter, with revenue soaring nearly 300% and topping expectations. But it also reported some bad news: The company is worried about the Delta variant’s impact on consumers’ future travel plans. The company benefited from more people taking vacations in the spring and summer,

By Kathryn Vasel, CNN Business For many workers, the office is going to play a different role when they return. Many companies are adopting a hybrid work model, where employees split their time between the office and home. And employees and their managers should expect that it’s going to take some time to adjust to

By Matt Egan, CNN Business A growing number of major companies are exploring vaccine mandates for their employees as the Delta variant continues to spread through America and around the world. The Business Roundtable, a powerful lobbying group chaired by Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, has surveyed member companies on their vaccine requirement plans, a person

By Mark Thompson, CNN Business Discovery has accused Poland of violating an international treaty by introducing new legislation the US company says amounts to an “assault” on media freedom and a direct attack on its business. In a statement on Thursday, Discovery said it had notified the Polish government of its intent to take legal

Opinion by Emily Parker for CNN Business Perspectives Cryptocurrencies, like bitcoin and dogecoin, have dominated the news cycle in recent months. Meanwhile, the rise of another type of digital currency has gotten far less attention: central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). Unlike bitcoin, CBDCs are issued by governments and are basically digital versions of an existing

By Charles Riley, CNN Business Disney shares are up more than 5% in premarket trading after the entertainment giant added more steaming video subscribers than Wall Street expected and reported a strong recovery for its theme park business. But the company still can’t escape the coronavirus pandemic. Disney shares have gained less than 1% this

By Matt Egan, CNN Business Devastating heat. Debilitating droughts. Crippling frost. Extreme weather is creating nightmares for farmers around the world — and making food more expensive for Americans. Arabica coffee futures have almost doubled over the past year to seven-year highs as Brazil grapples with frost conditions that have wiped out crops. Retail coffee

By Diksha Madhok, CNN Business Middle-Earth is moving from New Zealand to the United Kingdom. Amazon Studios announced Thursday that it is moving the filming of the second season of its highly anticipated, and extremely expensive, “Lord of the Rings” series to the United Kingdom. “The shift from New Zealand to the UK aligns with

By Laura He, CNN Business China’s worst coronavirus outbreak in a year has authorities taking dramatic measures to stamp out new infections. But while locking down cities, canceling flights and suspending trade may bring the virus back under control, those actions risk stalling an already precarious recovery. The country’s latest struggles began as the Delta

By Brian Stelter, CNN Business A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter. You can sign up for free right here. The US presence in Afghanistan, often lamented as the “forgotten war,” is front of mind right now. The lead story on the NYTimes.com home page is “Afghanistan collapse accelerates as

By Chris Isidore, CNN Business Electric truck maker Nikola said Thursday it was approved for a $2 million grant from the Energy Department — news that comes despite the fact that the company’s founder and largest shareholder faces federal criminal charges for deceiving shareholders. The grant is to help Nikola develop refueling technologies for its

By Faith Karimi, CNN TikTok won’t send younger teens late-night notifications as part of a series of child safety measures announced Thursday. To promote positive digital habits — and perhaps help parents enforce bedtimes — accounts for children between ages 13-15 will not receive push notifications after 9 p.m., the company said. For teens between

By Moira Ritter, CNN Business Theme parks are back, and that’s good news for Disney, which on Thursday reported better-than-expected earnings and a return to revenue growth for the first time in five quarters. The company brought in $17 billion in sales, up 45% from same period last year. That’s a bit higher than Wall

By Brian Stelter, CNN Business Rachel Maddow, the highest-rated host on MSNBC, has held talks about leaving the cable news channel and launching her own new media ventures, according to sources who have spoken with her. Maddow may ultimately decide to renew her contract with MSNBC’s parent, NBCUniversal, the sources said. That’s what usually happens

By Ramishah Maruf, CNN Business Bill Gates has pledged $1.5 billion over three years for climate change partnerships with the Department of Energy, through his climate investment fund Breakthrough Energy. The $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill — which still needs to be passed by the House — has more than $100 billion dedicated to addressing