Business

A collection of 1424 posts

Business

Gap makes a comeback by returning to basics

Gap reached net sales of $3.5 billion in 2025, a 5% increase from the year before, and posted its ninth straight quarter of growth. Global brand CEO Mark Breitbard says he has shifted the company back to basics, focusing on affordable, well‑fitting essentials and a target shopper aged

Business

Hybrid sales hit record as petrol car sales fall; fifth Iranian player leaves

New data from the Australian Automobile Association shows petrol-electric hybrid vehicles reached a record in the fourth quarter of 2025, with 55,458 new hybrids sold, equal to 19.13% of new light vehicle sales and surpassing the previous high of 16.7% in the September quarter of 2024. Plug-in

Business

How much gig workers earned per hour in 2025, by app

Pay for gig work varied widely across apps in 2025, Gridwise found after analyzing about 1 billion tasks across ride-hailing, delivery, and other gig-work platforms. Taskrabbit workers had the highest estimated hourly pay at $38, followed by Walmart's Spark at $23 and Uber at $22; DoorDash was lowest

Business

Sky-high gas prices are already hitting the economy

Gas prices across the US jumped sharply as tensions in the Middle East escalated, driven by the Iran war and a spike in oil prices. AAA reported the national average rose to $3.63 a gallon on Friday, up from $2.93 last month, and for the first time since

Business

Prue Leith on business, TV and life at 86

A photograph from the year she won businesswoman of the year captures a moment of triumph: popping champagne, buying an expensive gold necklace on impulse and favouring kaftans and long dresses at home so she could avoid stockings and tight garments. Her husband, John Playfair, once told her the first

Business

Bitcoin and gold's different reactions to the Iran war shock

The 2026 Iran conflict sent a major geopolitical shock through global markets, driving oil prices higher amid fears over the Strait of Hormuz and prompting broad risk reassessments. Stock indexes fell and investors sought perceived safe havens, but the responses across asset classes proved more complex than usual. Gold initially

Business

How Oscar Betting Odds Work: The Man Behind the Lines

Awards betting has grown into a major industry, and betting odds have become a central way to predict the Oscars. The market has expanded rapidly — on Polymarket, $30 million was wagered on Best Picture in 2026, up from $5.3 million a year earlier — and Johnny Avello, who started setting

Business

How a man built a co-housing apartment complex for friends and family

Nearly a decade after pooling money with friends to buy a cramped vacation farmhouse on Whidbey Island, developer Chad Dale turned that failed experiment into a new approach to urban living. In 2023 he opened Shared Roof, a 35-unit co-housing community in Seattle’s Phinney Ridge designed to give people

Business

Nigeria’s skit-makers and streamers: can they make it pay?

On a humid afternoon in Lagos, a comedy skit shoot looks more like a small film production: lighting assistants, a sound engineer, a makeup artist and a creator recording behind-the-scenes footage surround Broda Shaggi as he issues instructions, rehearses lines and performs. Olufemi Oguntamu, chief executive of Penzaarville Africa, says:

Business

Wells Fargo AI chief outlines how employees can stay relevant

Saul Van Beurden, Wells Fargo's head of AI and co-CEO of consumer banking and lending, is steering the bank's response to a central question for finance: what will AI do to jobs? He says both employers and employees must share responsibility. "You cannot deny things,

Business

Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Bundle $59.95 preorder at Amazon

Amazon is offering the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Booster Bundle for preorder at $59.95, which is below TCGplayer's market value and comes with Amazon's pre-order price guarantee. The Mega Evolution Perfect Order expansion does not release until March 27, but preorder demand has

Business

Chalmers: inflation to rise above 4.5% but no recession expected

Households can expect significant additional cost-of-living pressures because of the war in the Middle East, Jim Chalmers said, confirming the government expects inflation to rise beyond 4.5%. Inflation is now 3.8% and, according to Treasury modelling, could peak in the “mid to high fours”, which is putting pressure

Business

Pi Day 2026 deals: Free food from Burger King, 7-Eleven, DoorDash and more

Pi Day falls on March 14, a nod to the first three digits of π. Many pizza shops and other chains mark the day with discounts and freebies on pizza and pies. Offers from Burger King, 7-Eleven, DoorDash, Papa John’s and others are on the list and will be

Business

Kris Jenner: Kylie spent 'every dime' of KUWTK earnings to start Kylie Cosmetics

Kris Jenner said her youngest daughter spent "every dime" of her Keeping Up With the Kardashians money to launch Kylie Cosmetics when she was 17. The 70-year-old momager shared the story on the SmartLess podcast, recalling how Kylie, now 28, told her, "Mom, I know what I

Business

Apple cuts China App Store commission fees after government pressure

Apple said late on Thursday it will lower App Store commission fees in mainland China, cutting the standard rate from 30% to 25% from March 15, 2026. The company announced the change on its developers' blog and said it follows discussions with the Chinese regulator. Fees for in‑app

Business

$50 is the new sweet spot as $80 game surge falters

A year ago, $80 price tags for big-budget games felt inevitable. Rising development costs and long-locked prices made higher costs seem unavoidable, and even Nintendo’s decision to sell Mario Kart World at that price reinforced the expectation. But publishers have largely backed away: Microsoft dropped a planned move to

Business

Meta is weighing major layoffs as it pours billions into AI

Meta is preparing for possible layoffs, with some managers asked to draw up cost-cutting plans as the company ramps up spending on AI infrastructure and talent. Reuters reported that as many as 20% of employees could be cut; with nearly 79,000 staff at the end of 2025, that would

Business

Morgan Stanley flags energy security as a top investment theme

The Iran war has left investors seeking hedges amid rising volatility. Jitania Kandhari, deputy CIO of the solutions and multi-asset group at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, says energy security is the trade to watch during the conflict and beyond. She argues that countries will seek more secure, less dependent energy

Business

Demarre Johnson, one of the 'Finest Boys in Finance,' has left PwC

PwC confirmed that former associate Demarre Johnson "is no longer an employee and left the firm in mid-February." He was one of four junior bankers featured in an Interview magazine photo shoot that went viral after being published March 4. A person familiar with the matter said his

Business

This bestselling 30-piece Milwaukee wrench set is 25% off at Home Depot

The spring DIY season has brought a deal on a 30-piece Milwaukee SAE/Metric Combination Ratcheting Wrench Mechanics Tool Set at Home Depot: you can save $130, bringing the price down to $399. The package combines a 15-piece SAE set and a 15-piece metric set. Milwaukee says the Max Bite

Business

Airline ticket prices surge on major US routes as fuel costs climb

War in the Middle East has pushed fuel costs and airfares sharply higher. Brent crude is up more than 50% over the past month, to around $101 a barrel, while the Argus US Jet Fuel Index has climbed 72% over the same period. Jet fuel is typically airlines' biggest

Business

Palworld publishing lead more determined to help indie devs

John 'Bucky' Buckley, Palworld's publishing and communications lead, now heads Pocketpair Publishing, the studio division focused on funding smaller games from indie creators. He says he's "more determined than ever" to help cool developers who are struggling to find funding in a

Business

BYD expands upmarket and brings flash stations to Europe

Chinese group BYD is moving from the mass market into the high end, targeting the likes of Porsche, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. It started the Denza joint venture with Mercedes-Benz in 2010 and took full control in 2024. Trade body Acea recorded BYD’s sales in the UK and Europe more

Business

Five ways to turn AI agent anxiety into workplace action

Some employees fear AI agents will replace them, but research suggests agents still have a long way to go before they can take over the workplace. Rather than waiting for an agentic revolution, many professionals are exploring automation now to keep humans in the loop as organizations become AI-enabled. Look

Business

Sweden's long-term tech culture is luring talent from Silicon Valley

Lovable CEO Anton Osika says a Swedish emphasis on long-term thinking and tight-knit, team-first culture is drawing some tech workers back from Silicon Valley and London. He said many return because they miss a work ethos focused on building for the coming decades and on teams that perform well together.