Money

By Lex Harvey, CNN (CNN) — The biggest event in New Zealand on Thursday may have been the opening of a furniture store. Eager shoppers counted down “3… 2…1” and waved Swedish flags as the doors opened to IKEA’s most distant outpost from its motherland. Thunderous applause rang out as crowds rushed inside the furniture

By John Towfighi, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration is looking Down Under for inspiration on how to improve the United States’ retirement savings system. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said at the White House that his administration is looking into an Australian-style retirement program. “We’re looking at it very seriously,” Trump said. “It’s a

By Jeanne Sahadi, John Towfighi, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday formally introduced his ‘Trump Account” program with a twist: A multibillion-dollar donation from Michael and Susan Dell would expand the program’s eligibility to more children. The investment accounts could help tens of millions of American families save for their children. But critics

By Alicia Wallace, CNN (CNN) — Small businesses are starting to crack amid a weakening economy, rising costs and fickle consumers; and they drove job losses in the US private sector in November, payroll giant ADP reported Wednesday. ADP’s latest monthly look at private-sector employment showed that about 32,000 jobs were lost last month, marking

By Chris Isidore, CNN (CNN) — Prepare for automotive sticker shock next year – again. Average new car prices briefly topped $50,000 in September for the first time, before slipping back under that level in October. But now, automotive experts say, car prices are headed back over that level. And this time, they might stay

By Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN New York (CNN) — Constellation Brands, the US owner of Modelo Especial and Corona, bet big on Latino customers for growth. But that strategy is unraveling under the Trump administration’s mass deportation push. Many Latino consumers, both legal and undocumented, are fearful of venturing out in public to stores, restaurants and

By Samantha Delouya, CNN (CNN) — Larry Summers has been banned for life from the American Economic Association, a professional organization for economists with more than 17,000 members, over his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In a statement on Tuesday, the group said it had accepted Summers’ voluntary resignation. “Effective immediately, the

By John Towfighi, CNN (CNN) — Michael and Susan Dell on Tuesday announced that they are donating $6.25 billion to fund investment accounts for at least 25 million American children. The enormous pledge will go toward helping fund “Trump Accounts,” a new initiative that offers investment accounts for children. The “Trump Accounts” were established as

By Chris Isidore, CNN (CNN) — Store workers may not be quite as helpful this holiday shopping season. That’s a potentially worrying sign for the economy. Retailers typically load up on temporary staff in the final months of the year to help contend with the holiday rush. But the National Retail Federation forecasts a sharp

CNN By Chris Isidore, CNN (CNN) — Store workers may not be quite as helpful this holiday shopping season. That’s a potentially worrying sign for the economy. Retailers typically load up on temporary staff in the final months of the year to help contend with the holiday rush. But the National Retail Federation forecasts a

By Matt Egan, CNN New York (CNN) — The last time gasoline was this cheap, 4% inflation seemed alarming, JD Vance was still a private citizen and the United States had only just begun its messy withdrawal from Afghanistan. Gas prices dropped below an average of $3 a gallon in the United States on Tuesday

By Matt Egan, CNN New York (CNN) — Black Friday once again proved that Americans are willing to shop when they spot bargains. Mastercard reported a steady 4.1% increase in US retail sales on Black Friday and Adobe Analytics said online shopping surged by 9.1%. Salesforce expects Cyber Monday sales to also climb by 4%.

By Ana Nicolaci da Costa, Maisie Linford, CNN London (CNN) — Airbus has identified an issue affecting “a limited number” of metal panels in its A320 passenger planes, a spokesperson for the company said Monday, just days after warning of another technical problem in its aircraft. The plane manufacturer is inspecting all aircraft that are

By Auzinea Bacon, CNN (CNN) — Teddy bears and stuffed plushies have long been a mainstay in toy collections. But today they don’t talk back in a child’s imagination — some talk through built-in AI chatbots. Sometimes that’s a problem, though: A scarf-wearing teddy bear recently went off the rails during a playtest with researchers

By Auzinea Bacon, CNN (CNN) — Walt Disney Animation’s “Zootopia 2” and Universal’s Broadway musical adaptation “Wicked: For Good” delivered movie theaters a much-needed one-two punch for the holiday weekend box office. “Zootopia 2” debuted on Wednesday, kicking off a five-day Thanksgiving opening weekend. Its $156 million estimated gross is the second-best five-day Thanksgiving debut,

UNIVERSAL PICTURES, WALT DISNEY PICTURES, LIONSGATE MOVIES, 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS, PARAMOUNT PICTURES, CNN By Auzinea Bacon, CNN (CNN) — Walt Disney Animation’s “Zootopia 2” and Universal’s Broadway musical adaptation “Wicked: For Good” delivered movie theaters a much-needed one-two punch for the holiday weekend box office. “Zootopia 2” debuted on Wednesday, kicking off a five-day Thanksgiving