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These businesses made it through the hardest part of the pandemic. Then they closed.

Oct 9, 2023
The pandemic is still having a domino effect on small businesses. Here's what happened to three of them.
Because data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics lags, its unclear how many businesses have shuttered in the last few years.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Crude oil prices are down, but oil companies' profits are doing just fine

Apr 28, 2023
They're making less on crude, more on refining it.
Exxon’s refinery business helped lead the company to its most profitable first quarter ever. But that’s the exception since the pandemic started three years ago.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

CEO turnover is booming. What's going on?

Apr 19, 2023
According to a new report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas, CEO turnover hit its highest rate last quarter since 2020.
Several major companies like The Body Shop and Dr. Martens have announced exits from their C-suites recently.
Gabriel Bouys/AFP via Getty Images

Grocery inflation cools while restaurant prices continue to rise

Apr 12, 2023
Because a restaurant tab pays for more than just the food on the table.
Rising wages are the main reason restaurants are increasing prices. Many eateries have boosted pay, hoping to attract and retain staff.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Restaurant, retail recoveries diverge in downtown Boston

Apr 10, 2023
Downtown Boston has more restaurants and bars now than it did before the pandemic. Retail stores, meanwhile, are still struggling.
There are about twice as many retail vacancies in downtown Boston now as there were before the pandemic started, says Michael Nichols, president of the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District.
Samantha Fields/Marketplace

Shanghai lockdown a year on: Is it still the same financial hub?

Mar 27, 2023
Shanghai's 2022 lockdown, which lasted two months, left economic and psychological scars on the metropolis.
A view of Lujiazui, the financial district of Shanghai. Government media refers to the cluster of high-rises as the Manhattan of the East.
Jennifer Pak/Marketplace

How the world's richest people became much richer during the pandemic

Jan 16, 2023
Two-thirds of the $42 trillion in new wealth went to the wealthiest 1%, says a new report from Oxfam. The group also says tax policy can change that.
Many of the big companies that made the most money early in the pandemic, like Amazon and Walmart, spent more on shareholders than raising workers' pay, says Molly Kinder of Brookings. Above, the interior of a Walmart.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

As Americans spend on experiences, inflation declines for goods and rises for services

Dec 23, 2022
It's a tale of two inflations: goods versus services.
After the heights of the pandemic, Americans decided to gorge in-person activities like dining out.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Are we back to normal? In a new normal? Economy gives mixed signals on the pandemic.

Jul 21, 2022
Some consumer and business behavior has rebounded. But as the BA.5 subvariant spreads, other trends show persistent trepidation.
There’s still hesitation when it comes to indoor shopping and crowded events, said Charles Lindsey, a consumer behavior expert. It seems like the pandemic economy hasn't entirely passed.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Video game industry's growth could drop a level or two

Jul 11, 2022
However, the slowdown in growth could also lead to a friendlier supply chain.
The video game industry experienced a boom during the pandemic.
Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images