Joseph Stiglitz: Can Free Trade Go Too Far?
Joseph Stiglitz argues that the rapid expansion of free trade in the late‑20th century created both unprecedented growth and deep social dislocation. Between 1985 and 1995 international trade volume nearly doubled, driven by containerization and cheap telecommunications, while the Washington Consensus promoted deregulation and tariff cuts. The 1997 Asian financial crisis exposed the fragility of hyper‑globalization, as IMF‑mandated austerity deepened hardship for workers in both developing and advanced economies. Stiglitz’s 2002 book warned that unchecked capital liberalization fuels inequality and political backlash, a dynamic that persists today.
The Ordinary Would Like To Know If You Want To Buy a $175.90 Banana
The Ordinary has unveiled a new pop‑up experience called The Markup Marché, a faux supermarket that displays everyday items like bananas and avocadoes with sky‑high price tags. Developed with Uncommon Creative Studio, the activation tours Toronto, London, São Paulo, Mexico City and...
War Inflation Triggers Sharp Jump In US Mortgage Rates
War‑driven inflation pushed the 30‑year fixed mortgage rate up 15 basis points, reaching 6.57% according to Mortgage News Daily. Purchase applications rose, surpassing last year’s pace despite the rate jump. Sellers continue to dominate, holding a 46.5% advantage over buyers,...
Employees Want Better Benefits From Their Employers
A new isolved report shows that while 59% of employees who applied for a new job cite higher salary, 45% prioritize better benefits, making benefits a key talent magnet. Companies such as Zoom, Deloitte and TTEC have recently trimmed parental...
Producer Price Index PPI Surges 1.4 Percent in April, Fed Behind the Curve?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a 1.4% month‑over‑month rise in the Producer Price Index for final demand in April 2026, the strongest gain since March 2022. Services accounted for roughly 60% of the increase, with trade‑service margins jumping 2.7%,...
The Inevitable Decline of the Dollar | Former Fed Governor Tom Hoenig
Former Kansas City Fed chief Thomas Hoenig warned that under incoming Fed Chair Kevin Warsh the dollar’s purchasing power will keep eroding. He said the US‑Iran war‑driven oil price shock could keep inflation high, making rate cuts unlikely and modest...
Nursing Engagement Improves While Early-Career Nurse Departures Persist at Alarming Rates
Press Ganey’s State of Nursing 2026, based on more than 500,000 nurses and advanced practice providers, shows overall engagement beginning to stabilize but remaining fragile. Early‑career nurses are still leaving at a rate of one in five, while total RN turnover...
Eyebrows Raised, Singed By Scorching Wholesale Inflation Report
The U.S. Producer Price Index surged 1.4% month‑over‑month in April, the strongest rise since March 2022, and jumped 6% year‑over‑year, far exceeding forecasts. Energy components led the surge, with overall energy up 7.8% and gasoline spiking 15.6% after a 10% rise...
Time For Rate Hikes
The blog post "Time For Rate Hikes" highlights two alarming macro data releases that, together with recent Fed commentary, suggest the central bank is edging closer to another interest‑rate increase. The author points to deteriorating inflation and labor‑market signals as...
4 Measures EU Governments Can Deploy Now to Protect Drivers From the Oil Price Shock
The war between the US and Iran has pushed crude oil to post‑2022 levels, adding roughly €30 ($33) to a typical 55‑litre diesel fill in the EU. The International Energy Agency and Transport & Environment estimate that four low‑cost, demand‑side...
Apricorn Appoints Jeanclaude Toma as Chief Executive Officer
Apricorn, a maker of quantum‑resistant, hardware‑encrypted external storage, announced Jeanclaude Toma as its new chief executive officer. Toma joins the company with more than 25 years of leadership in IT infrastructure, data storage and semiconductor businesses. He will steer Apricorn’s...
The Right Leadership Call, Built in Advance
The article contrasts Johnson & Johnson’s 1982 Tylenol crisis response with later mishandlings by BP and Boeing, highlighting how a pre‑written corporate credo and strong character enabled J&J to protect consumers first and recover market share. J&J spent $100 million to...
CEO/Chair Leadership: When and Why Boards Combine or Separate the Roles
In 2025, 42% of S&P 500 companies still have the CEO serving as board chair, down from 47% in 2020, while only 4.6% of CEO successions combined the two roles. Most large‑cap firms (79% of S&P 500, 71% of Russell 3000) disclose policies...
Fantasy Board: My Second Agent
A CEO has created an AI‑powered “Fantasy Board of Directors” that simulates advisors like Warren Buffett, Steve Jobs and Oprah, using large‑language models to pressure‑test strategic decisions. The post details a step‑by‑step build process—selecting personas, crafting detailed profiles, writing a...
Carta Buys ALSP Avantia, Launches AI-First Law Firm
Carta, a specialist ERP provider for private‑capital firms, has acquired UK‑based ALSP Avantia and launched Carta Law, an AI‑first NewMod law firm. The deal integrates Avantia’s AI workflow engine, Ava, and large language models such as Claude into Carta’s platform,...
Sir Robert McAlpine Adopts Workforce Planning Platform
Sir Robert McAlpine has implemented Bridgit’s AI‑enabled workforce planning platform, shifting from spreadsheet‑based scheduling to a data‑driven model. The system aggregates the contractor’s historical crew data, certifications, location and availability to surface real‑time skill insights. Planners can query the platform for...
Origo Fonder Brings in Peter Eliasson as CEO
Swedish boutique Origo Fonder announced that Peter Eliasson will replace founder Stefan Roos as chief executive officer. Roos will step back to concentrate on investment management and the firm’s portfolio strategy. Eliasson arrives with close to three decades of experience...
Games Over? Vice Chair Quits Invictus
Prince Harry’s Invictus Games 2027 faces a leadership shake‑up as the vice chairman stepped down after just 16 months. The organization also lost its largest corporate sponsor and still has four senior communications and marketing positions unfilled with less than...
S2G Investments Closes $1 Billion Solutions Fund I to Back Growth-Stage Food, Energy and Agriculture Companies
S2G Investments announced the final closing of its Solutions Fund I at $1 billion, aimed at growth‑stage companies in food, energy and ocean systems. The fund targets the “missing middle” financing gap, backing firms that improve efficiency across agriculture, energy infrastructure, maritime...
The IPO Buzz: GMR Solutions Prices IPO at $15 – Big Price Cut – & Stock Sinks on the...
GMR Solutions priced its initial public offering at $15 per share, a steep cut from the original $22‑$25 range, and sold 31.91 million shares to raise roughly $479 million, valuing the company at about $3.4 billion. The Dallas‑Fort Worth‑based EMS leader opened on...
Substack Notes 2026: 15 Secret Hacks to Write Notes That Get Noticed, Grow Your Audience, and Drive Subscribers
Substack Notes has transformed from a simple link‑sharing tool into a dedicated discovery engine by 2026, rewarding writers who master its new rhythm. The guide outlines fifteen proven hacks—ranging from the “Hook and Haul” format to algorithm‑aware timing and visual...
The 9-Box Grid: How Companies Decide Who Gets Promoted and Who Gets Managed Out
The 9‑box grid is a simple 3×3 matrix that evaluates employees on current performance and future potential. Companies plot each worker into one of nine cells, ranging from high‑performing high‑potentials to low‑performing low‑potentials. The placement drives decisions about promotions, development...
BYD in Talks with Stellantis and Other Carmakers to Take over Underutilized European Factories
BYD is in talks with Stellantis and other European automakers to acquire under‑utilized factories, especially in Italy and Spain. The company prefers sole ownership rather than joint ventures, aiming to quickly expand its European production base. The discussions coincide with...
How to Raise Funding in the AI Era: 5 Things Investors Want to See
The AI funding boom has hit unprecedented levels, with $300 b invested in Q1 2026 and AI accounting for 80% of that total. Socheat Chhay of Sopra Steria Ventures outlines five criteria investors now demand: clear AI type, proprietary data moats, genuine AI‑first value,...
Brookfield Bancshares to Acquire NSTS Bancorp for $73.7 Million
Brookfield Bancshares announced a definitive agreement to acquire NSTS Bancorp for $73.7 million, paying $14.28 per share—a 12.9% premium to the prior close. NSTS, the holding company of North Shore Trust and Savings, brings $266.6 million in assets and a portfolio of...
Wednesday Briefing: Sergio Ramos-Led Group Reach €444 Million Sevilla Acquisition Agreement
A consortium fronted by former Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has reached a €444 million (≈$475 million) agreement in principle to acquire LaLiga club Sevilla. The group, backed by investment fund Five Eleven, entered a three‑month exclusivity period in January and completed...
White & Case Discusses Regulatory Termination Fee Insurance
White & Case outlines the rise of regulatory termination fee (RTF) insurance, a new product that lets buyers shift all or part of their RTF liability to an insurer. Premiums typically run 0.15%‑1.6% of the target’s enterprise value, and insurers...
OECD Chief Backs BOJ Path and Calls for Trade Reform Ahead of Trump-Xi Talks
The OECD secretary‑general defended the Bank of Japan’s monetary stance, saying it is not clearly behind the curve as inflation expectations stay anchored and wages rise. The organization projects the BOJ will lift its policy rate to about 2 % by...
Why CEOs Need Opposites, Not Clones
The article argues that CEOs who surround themselves with leaders who mirror their own thinking create blind spots and limit growth. By pairing with a complementary executive—often a COO—CEOs gain a counterbalancing perspective that challenges assumptions and sharpens execution. This...
Amp Raises $1.3B to Build a Shared “AI Compute Grid” Giving Startups and Universities Access to AI Computing Power
Amp, a Menlo Park startup founded by former Andreessen Horowitz partner Anjney Midha, raised over $1.3 billion to launch a global “AI compute grid.” The fund, sourced from Andreessen Horowitz, Y Combinator and cloud providers, will pool specialized chips for startups, universities and...
YouTube Launches Matchmaking Program to Connect Creators with Advertisers for Upfront Sponsorship Deals on Upcoming Shows
YouTube introduced a matchmaking platform that links creators directly with advertisers for upfront sponsorships on upcoming shows, a departure from its usual post‑performance payment model. The initial rollout features more than two dozen series starring personalities such as Trevor Noah,...
How Traffic Through the Strait of Hormuz Shrank to a Trickle – a Visual Deep Dive
The war in Iran has slashed maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz from roughly 3,000 vessels a month to just 191 in April, according to Kpler data. Before the conflict, oil tankers moved about 15 million barrels of crude and...
The IPO Buzz: Fervo Energy Prices IPO at $27 – $1 Above Range – & Stock Surges on NASDAQ
Fervo Energy priced its IPO at $27 per share, $1 above the top of the indicated range, raising $1.89 billion and valuing the company at about $7.7 billion. The stock surged roughly 35 percent on debut, closing at $36.54. Fervo develops enhanced geothermal...
Grocery Prices (and Forecasts)
The April 2026 CPI release shows food‑at‑home prices climbing faster than expected, leaving 2025 grocery inflation 0.9 percentage points above the January 2025 ERS forecast. Visual data reveal that staple commodities such as coffee, steak, tomatoes and fruit‑vegetable baskets have followed divergent paths...
SUSS Is a 77-Year-Old German Toolmaker that Just Quietly Hit an All-Time High
SUSS, a 77‑year‑old German specialist in advanced semiconductor packaging equipment, saw its market value climb to about €1.6 billion ($1.75 billion) after a strong Q1 earnings release. The company supplies tools for the critical advanced‑packaging step that stacks chiplets and high‑bandwidth memory,...
Private Equity, Everywhere, All at Once
Private equity is rapidly entering the sports ecosystem, from professional leagues to college conferences. The Big 12 became the first NCAA conference to sell a stake to a private‑equity fund, marking a watershed moment. Jason Stein, co‑founder of SC Holdings, says the market...
Scaling with Intent: Removing the Constraints to Growth with Holly LaBoda
In a recent Logistics of Logistics podcast, Holly LaBoda, founder and Chief Growth Officer of Formula L, explained how logistics firms can break through growth ceilings by replacing ad‑hoc, hero‑centric selling with a systematic, sales‑operating‑system approach. Formula L provides a proprietary diagnostic,...
Vinted’s Manifest Destiny
Thomas Plantenga took over Vinted in 2017 when the Lithuanian resale marketplace was cash‑strapped after years of aggressive growth. He rejected a $250 million takeover bid from Naspers, opting instead to raise €25 million (about $27 million) to keep the company independent. Plantenga...
How Video Game High School Turned YouTube Into A Movie Studio
Freddie Wong’s *Video Game High School* (VGHS) proved YouTube could produce cinematic, serialized storytelling with modest budgets. Leveraging the DSLR revolution and accessible editing software, the series delivered high‑production‑value action that rivaled traditional media. Its success helped legitimize creator‑owned studios...
The U.S. Economy Keeps Adding Jobs That Men Aren’t Taking
The U.S. labor force is seeing a continued decline in male participation, with the employment‑to‑population ratio for men falling to 64.1% in April, well below the 70.9% level of the 1990s. Most private‑sector job growth over the past year has...
Employee Engagement in India Falls to Four-Year Low
Employee engagement in India slipped to 23% in 2025, the lowest level in four years, according to Gallup. The decline was most pronounced among managers, whose engagement fell from 39% to 30% year‑over‑year. Gallup estimates disengagement now costs the Indian...
Price Levels Relative to January 2025
The AIER Everyday Price Index (EPI) is climbing faster than traditional CPI measures, with April nowcasted via a gasoline‑price regression that explains 87% of its variance. Core CPI inflation has also picked up, except for the supercore index that excludes...
This Media Startup Is Trying to Reach Readers Exhausted by Political Noise
Straight Arrow News, founded by Joe Ricketts and Jonathan Harding, is repositioning itself as a politically unbiased digital news outlet. Chief content officer Derek Mead is steering the company away from high‑volume SEO aggregation toward original reporting, regional storytelling, and...
Corporate Deals to Watch | May 2026
Event‑driven analysts Thomas Kirchner and Paul Hoffmeister spotlight two high‑profile corporate moves in May 2026. eBay is pursuing a strategic acquisition of GameStop, valuing the gaming retailer at roughly $2.5 billion. Meanwhile, Italy’s UniCredit has launched a hostile takeover bid for...
Kashable’s $60M Series C: What Goldman Sachs Backing Tells Us About Financial Wellness as a Category
Kashable closed a $60 million Series C in Q1 2026, led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives’ Sustainable Investing arm, which committed up to $50 million. The fintech provides employer‑sponsored credit accessed via payroll data, pairing loans with financial coaching that lifts borrowers’ credit scores and...
Why Employee-Led Groups Are ‘Crucial’ for Recruitment and Retention at Indeed
Indeed’s parent and caregiver employee resource group (IBRG) has grown to 2,000 members, representing a sizable share of its 11,000‑strong workforce. The group helped push a non‑gendered parental‑leave policy and extend leave from four to six months, while providing virtual...
Vogel Emphasizes Trust, Increased Resources in 100-Day Update
Erie County Executive Christina Vogel used her 100‑day update to stress rebuilding trust and expanding resources across government, businesses and the community. She announced a $63.5 million appropriations request, redirected a $5 million gaming fund to earn about 4% interest, and hired...
Cannes Remix: New Buyers, Mubi Mystery & Indie Film’s Math Reset
The Cannes Marché du Film is kicking off with unexpected buyer turnout, even as geopolitical tensions loom. Industry insiders highlight a surge of optimism fueled by recent blockbuster successes like The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Project Hail Mary. U.S....
Swings and Roundabouts: The Retail Energy Market Consolidates Again
OVO Energy, the UK’s fourth‑largest electricity supplier, has agreed to sell its retail supply business to rival E.ON for roughly £600 million (about $760 million). The deal creates a combined entity with 9.6 million customers, overtaking Octopus as the largest supplier. OVO’s valuation...
World Cup, US-Style: Coffee Breaks and Skincare Routines
Dove and Nescafé have launched World Cup‑centric ads that pivot football marketing toward lifestyle habits. Dove, via Lola USA, urges male fans to protect their skin from dirty jerseys and face‑paint, while Nescafé, with Casanova, introduces a “third half” coffee...