Economics

Hat tip to Jessica for sharing this interactive. Home prices in many markets have rocketed skyward during the pandemic. While many note the supply/demand imbalances that have been driving prices, there's another factor at work here. Namely, the costs of construction materials for new homes have seen significant increases which get passed along to the buyers in the form of higher prices.  In this interactive from Bloomberg, students will be able to see recent price changes in the various components of a home (e.g., foundation, trusses, drywall):  Questions:  Which building materials had the largest increase (in dollars)?

Prices and demand surged, just as supplies dwindled.

Trying to bring some common sense to the world of finance. Book: https://t.co/c53AckMaZF Podcast: https://t.co/GrhZZzIjLv

A virtual bank for students bringing financial education to life

The share of household wealth owned by billionaires has risen by a record amount during the pandemic, with millionaires also coming out of COVID-19 ahead, a study found on Tuesday.

An incredible visualisation of global shipping traffic, created by Kiln.digital and the UCL Energy Institute.

Just one-in-six Michigan voters thinks the state has a long-term strategy for attracting new jobs and business investment.About 71 percent of Michigan voters believe job-creation policy depends on who's in office, according to a new statewide poll commissioned by Business Leaders for Michigan.In…

Amazon's use of Alexa as a wake word for its voice assistant turned the name into a command, impacting daily interactions for people with the name, myself included.

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit seeking to block a major U.S. sugar manufacturer from acquiring its rival. The department contends that the deal would harm competition and consumers.

Supply chain carnage creates opportunities for companies willing to take a chance on random goods, from cheese to used cars—and maybe even pumpkin seeds.

Private digital currencies, or “crypto-assets,” have surged in popularity recently, but they are not new to the payments landscape and may present familiar challenges for central banks. Although they have yet to fulfill the main functions of money, crypto-assets still have the potential to affect financial stability and the implementation of monetary policy.

Use of buy now, pay later (BNPL) payment products has been growing in the United States. We explore the benefits and risks of BNPL products for consumers and merchants.

Today on the show: A lawsuit over a Santa suit is a window into countless hidden fights that shape the stuff we buy. It's one man's battle against the U.S. government — and, in a way, against himself.

Volumes on PayPal Inc's 'buy now, pay later' platform were five times higher this Black Friday compared with a year earlier as the payments giant starts to gain traction in the fast-growing credit method, the company's chief executive told the Reuters Next conference.

Are you planning to take some family photos with Santa this year? Be prepared to search around for a bit longer than you remember because Santa Claus might not be coming to your town this year. The pandemic has impacted a lot of different labor markets

Why life in this country is so hostile to single people.

Nature - What we eat needs to be nutritious and sustainable. Researchers are trying to figure out what that looks like around the world.

Answer:  Religious organizations Education (includes K-12 schools, higher education and libraries) Human services (includes food banks, homeless shelters, youth services, sports organizations)  Questions: What do you think motivates people to give money to organizations like this?  In addition to money, many people choose to volunteer for organizations they believe in. Have you ever volunteered? Why or why not?  What types of organizations would you/have you donated time or money to in the past few years?  Here's the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom. Behind the numbers (GivingUSA):  Total charitable giving grew 5.1% measured in current dollars over the revised total of $448.66 billion contributed in 2019.

Data visualization of the world biggest data breaches, leaks and hacks. Constantly updated. Powered by VizSweet.

Two very different forms of liquid gold are managed as part of a strategic reserve, but both of them are seeing part of their reserve released to help lower prices in the US and Canada.

Citing the high costs associated with Covid illnesses, a growing number of employers are telling employees who decline to be vaccinated to pay up.

Royal's Justin Blau and Paradigm's Fred Ehrsam on how selling royalties directly to fans could end predatory record deals

In the 1970s, two shocks to energy markets led to the longest stretch of inflation in US history

Actually, moderate inflation is a signal of a healthy economy