This week in business: from AI turbulence to airline refunds

Economic Overview - The current economic landscape shows signs of a quiet renegotiation rather than a crash, with companies adapting to changing consumer behaviors and economic pressures [3] Housing Market - D.R. Horton is utilizing mortgage rate buydowns to maintain sales in a challenging housing market, with nearly 75% of buyers opting for discounted rates around 3.99%, leading to a gross margin drop to 20% [4] Banking Sector - TD Bank is closing 51 branches as part of a strategy to reduce its physical footprint by about 10%, focusing on digital services while maintaining over 1,000 branches [6] Restaurant Industry - Bloomin' Brands has closed 10 Outback Steakhouse locations across eight states due to rising costs and cautious consumer spending, with the company attempting to relocate affected workers [7] Technology and AI - Investor Michael Burry is shorting shares of Nvidia and Palantir, raising concerns about a potential bubble in AI stocks, despite significant gains of over 50% for Nvidia and over 100% for Palantir this year [8] Fast Food Sector - McDonald's reported a nearly double-digit decline in traffic from lower-income customers, prompting the company to introduce value deals to attract this demographic [9] Streaming Services - YouTube TV is offering a $10 monthly credit for six months to select users after dropping Disney channels, but the credit is not automatically applied, leading to customer frustration [10] Aviation Industry - Beta Technologies, an electric aircraft manufacturer, went public with an IPO priced at $34 per share, raising over $1 billion and achieving a valuation of approximately $7.4 billion [11][12] Education Technology - Duolingo's third-quarter results showed a 36% increase in daily active users and a 41% rise in revenue, yet the stock fell 25% due to expectations of slower growth in future bookings [13] Airline Industry - Major airlines, including United, American, and Delta, are offering refunds during the government shutdown, which has led to a 10% reduction in flights at major airports [14]