From tariffs to DOGE, what companies are saying about the impact of MAGA policies

During Mettler-Toledo’s earnings call earlier this month, executives found themselves fielding a barrage of questions about one key topic: tariffs. The Ohio-based maker of industrial scales and laboratory equipment had already opened the call by breaking down the expected impact from President Donald Trump’s still-evolving trade policy. But when the event transitioned to the question-and-answer portion, the inquiries […]

Denny’s set to close dozens more locations this year, though some openings planned too

Breakfast specialists Denny’s will accelerate planned store closures in 2025 amid continued consumer shifts toward preferences for fast-food and take-out options. On an earnings call Wednesday, CFO Robert Verostek said the closures would incorporate a mix of poorly performing restaurants and ones with expiring leases. According to industry publication Restaurant Dive, the new closures represent […]

Retail sales slumped 0.9% in January, down much more than expected

Consumers sharply curtailed their spending in January, indicating a potential weakening in economic growth ahead, according to a Commerce Department report Friday. Retail sales slipped 0.9% for the month from an upwardly revised 0.7% gain in December, even worse than the Dow Jones estimate for a 0.2% decline. The sales totals are adjusted for seasonality but […]

How America’s chief consumer-protection agency came into the Trump administration’s crosshairs

When the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau made an appearance in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 blueprint, the conservative group’s plan was simple: Abolish it entirely. Now, with a Project 2025 co-author in charge of the bureau, that idea looks like a real possibility. Over the weekend, Russ Vought, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the […]

With Trump all-in on crypto, bitcoin bulls bet America’s corporate balance sheets are next

Last week, White House crypto czar David Sacks held his first press conference to discuss the future of crypto policy coming out of the Trump administration. While that will include stablecoin legislation and digital asset regulation, Sacks told CNBC that a top agenda idea is also evaluating “whether it’s feasible to create either a bitcoin reserve […]

Google says U.S. faces a power capacity crisis in AI race against China

The U.S. is facing a power capacity crisis as the tech sector races against China to achieve dominance in artificial intelligence, an executive leading the energy strategy of Alphabet’s Google unit said this week. The emergence of China’s DeepSeek artificial intelligence firm sent the shares of major power companies tumbling in late January on speculation that its […]