Core Insights - The share of small businesses raising their selling prices reached an all-time high in November, driven by ongoing inflationary pressures [1][2] - The net percentage of small business owners reporting price increases rose to 34%, the highest since March 2023, significantly above the monthly average of 13% [2] - Inflation remains a critical issue for small businesses, ranking second in importance after labor quality concerns [5][8] Inflation Impact - Year-over-year price growth is approximately 3%, exceeding the Federal Reserve's target of 2% [2] - Inflation concerns among small business owners increased by 3 points, indicating a growing significance of this issue [5] - In November 2024, inflation was cited as the most important problem by 20% of small business owners, narrowly surpassing labor quality at 19% [8] Business Optimism and Sales Expectations - The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rose by 0.8 points to 99, remaining above the 52-year average of 98, with six of the ten components increasing [11] - A net 30% of small businesses plan to increase prices in the next three months, reflecting confidence in sales growth [8] - The net percentage of owners expecting higher real sales volumes increased by 9 points from October to 15% [13] Profitability Factors - Among small business owners reporting higher profits, 51% attributed this to increased sales volume, while 18% cited seasonal changes and 12% pointed to higher selling prices [8] - For those reporting lower profits, 27% blamed weaker sales, 16% cited rising material costs, and 12% mentioned labor costs [11]

Auto parts retailer AutoZone is planning to continue to expand its portfolio of brick and mortar locations as the auto industry faces higher prices. AutoZone said that in the quarter that ended on Nov. 22, the company opened 39 new stores in the U.S., along with 12 in Mexico and two in Brazil for a net 53 new stores. As of that date, AutoZone had 6,666 stores in the U.S., plus 895 in Mexico and 149 in Brazil for a total of 7,710 stores globally."Our domestic and international businesses performed well throu ...

When it comes to what Americans can afford, no institution looms larger than the Federal Reserve. The nation’s central bank, commonly known as the Fed, doesn’t set the price of groceries or cars, but it does influence how expensive it is to borrow money. Right now, borrowing is costly. High interest rates mean larger monthly payments on mortgages, car loans and credit cards, even if the price of a home or vehicle hasn’t changed. WEAKENING INCOMES ADD NEW STRAIN TO HOUSEHOLDS ALREADY HIT BY HIGH PRICES That’ ...

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., accused President Donald Trump on Tuesday of "selling out America" for announcing that the U.S. will allow Nvidia to export its artificial-intelligence chips to China and other countries.  Trump said Monday that the U.S. will gain a 25% share from the H200 chip exports and that the trade will be closely monitored to safeguard national security. "Donald Trump is just selling out America for his own ego and his own gain. That's what he's doing on chips," Schumer s ...

John Deere’s top finance chief pushed back gently on President Trump’s claim that regulations alone are driving up tractor prices, saying the true path to lowering costs for America’s farmers lies in cutting-edge tech — from AI weed detection to digitized acres — that can save growers money long before the rulebooks change. "There's plenty of opportunity to continue to support our farmer customers and to make them more profitable and support them in many ways, whether that's through technology that can help ...

President Donald Trump said Monday that his administration is planning to address the cost of farming equipment by easing regulatory burdens on equipment manufacturers. Trump made the comments during a roundtable about issues affecting the U.S. agriculture industry, including the administration's plan to provide a roughly $12 billion bailout to farmers affected by trade disruptions related to tariffs."The other thing I'd like to add… and I think it's very important, we're going to also give the tractor comp ...

Core Points - The U.S. will allow Nvidia to export its H200 AI chips to China and other countries, partially reversing previous restrictions [1][2] - Trump claims that the U.S. will receive a 25% share from the H200 chip exports, emphasizing national security monitoring [1][2] - Nvidia welcomes the decision, stating it supports American jobs and manufacturing [5] Group 1: U.S.-China Trade Relations - Trump informed President Xi of the decision to allow Nvidia to ship H200 products to approved customers in China [2] - Nvidia's CEO has long advocated for improved U.S.-China trade relations, highlighting the importance of access to the Chinese market for American competitiveness in AI [11][12] Group 2: Impact on Nvidia and the Chip Industry - The H200 chips are high-performance processors essential for running AI programs, which include chatbots and machine learning tasks [5] - Nvidia criticized the Biden administration's previous export restrictions, stating they forced companies to produce lower-performance chip versions, hindering innovation [8][9] - The Department of Commerce will finalize details of the new export policy, which will also apply to other American companies like AMD and Intel [9]

Anxiety has given way to hope on Wall Street. Stocks are back near records, recovering from a slump spurred by fears that the excitement about the artificial-intelligence boom has outstripped the potential profits.Optimism about AI has proved durable. But other important factors are also powering gains. Here’s a look at some of the reasons investors expect that the rally could go further from here: Stock valuations could be worseStocks currently look very expensive by some measures, such as traditional pric ...

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he expects the U.S. to end the year with a better-than-expected 3% gross domestic product (GDP) growth. Bessent appeared Sunday on CBS News' "Face the Nation" and was asked by host Margaret Brennan about whether President Donald Trump was wrong to predict this spring that Americans may buy "two dolls instead of the 30 dolls" and that "maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they normally would.""The economy has been better than we thought," Bessent rep ...

Paramount, a Skydance Corporation, announced Monday it has launched an all-cash tender offer to acquire the outstanding shares of Warner Bros. Discovery for $30.00 per share in cash, with the company suggesting it’s a "superior" offer than the recently announced Netflix deal. Paramount's proposed transaction is for the entirety of WBD, including the Global Networks segment that includes CNN and other cable assets. This comes after Netflix agreed to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery's film and television studio ...