Fed rate hike what does it mean

Inflation concerns among small business owners remained at record highs this quarter, according to a quarterly poll conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and MetLife released on Wednesday. The first quarter of 2023 was the fifth in a row where inflation was considered the biggest challenge for small business owners, according to the Small Business Index. A record high of 54% reported that, which is a 31-point increase from Q4 2021. “This quarter, small businesses’ concerns over inflation are soaring and their view of the broader economy is darkening, though they still report that their own businesses are in good health,” said Tom Sullivan, Vice President of Small Business Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In San Francisco, minimum wage increases are based on the yearly rise in the Consumer Price Index every July 1. “That means my rate jumps from $16.99 to $18.07 or 6.36%,” said Hrag Kalebijan, owner of Henry’s House of Coffee, according to the Index. “The … [Read more...] about Inflation Continues To Plague Small Businesses For Fifth Consecutive Quarter: REPORT

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Jason R. Escamilla, founder and CIO of ImpactAdvisor LLC in San Francisco, has seen it all before. It was nearly 30 years ago when he initially tried Socially Responsible Investing (“SRI”), the predecessor of ESG. And he was cool with it. Until everything changed. “ESG/SRI used to be about selectivity and choice,” says Escamilla. “I first got involved with SRI/ESG investing in the 90s. For decades, it was about selectivity and choice or preferences—primarily among institutional investors/clients. Funny thing happened on the way to going mainstream. ESG became the bully. The divestment movements ushered in powerful attention and support from the ‘non-investment class’ only a few years ago: students. Large pools of investment capital: university endowments adopted the cause. I still remember three years ago when CNBC’s Jim Cramer recommended permanently disinvesting from fossil fuels based on this force.” As a professional … [Read more...] about The Curious Dilemma Of ESG Investing And Your Retirement

(CTN NEWS) – Apple is entering the buy now pay later market with a few tweaks to the current model, including no credit card payment option. The product will be available to some customers this spring, and the loans will be reported to credit bureaus in the fall. Here’s what you should know. Since the outbreak, the option to “ buy now pay later ” has gained popularity, particularly among young and low-income consumers who may not have easy access to conventional credit. If you buy online for clothes, furniture, sneakers, or concert tickets, you have probably noticed the option to pay in smaller payments over time. Companies such as Afterpay, Affirm, Klarna, and Paypal already provide the service, usually with late fees for missed payments and the option to make installment payments with a credit card or bank account. Apple’s version, integrated with Apple Pay and facilitated by MasterCard, will require consumers to use a debit card and a bank account to … [Read more...] about Apple’s “Buy Now Pay Later”Service: Everything You Need To Know

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin As the world settles after the pandemic and a new wave of change ripples through the global economy, understanding the benefits of convenient delivery is more essential for businesses in the retail industry than ever. Especially for last mile delivery, a flexible and seamless process is essential in helping customers receive the services they expect. A recent study published by MIT Sloan Management Review found that retailers providing customers with the options of delivery on a specific day and time, were more valued than deliveries made in shorter time periods. The study also concluded that consumers are even willing to wait longer for a delivery, as long as they can receive the product when and where they choose. Clearly, consumers now value convenience over speed, a trend that is becoming more prevalent today. In a recent interview with Guy Bloch, CEO of Bringg – the market leading delivery management platform … [Read more...] about From Super Speed To Super Convenient: The Maturity Curve Around Customer Shopping Behavior

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin While I’ve seen The Night Agent hovering at Netflix’s #1 spot on its global top 10 lists since release, those lists never provide actual context or scale. But now that Netflix is releasing some numbers, The Night Agent has been revealed to be…one of their biggest premieres ever? Really? Yes, it’s true. The Night Agent had 168.17 million viewing hours in just its first four days of release, according to Netflix tracking . That’s behind just two other series, both from last year, first place gigahit Wednesday, which had 341.23 million hours, and Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story at 196.2 million. What that means is that season 2 of The Night Agent is 100% guaranteed, as Wednesday obviously got one and Dahmer is even doing more serial killers now just to keep the “Monster” branding going for at least two more seasons. The extent of knowledge I currently have about The Night Agent is that my wife said it’s “pretty … [Read more...] about ‘The Night Agent’ Somehow Lands Netflix’s Third Biggest Premiere Week Ever