GoKawiil
Tech News
In an opinion piece, a Roof Maxx executive argues that businesses facing rising customer acquisition costs should resist reflexively raising prices. The piece notes customers tolerate gradual, inflation-linked price increases but react negatively to sudden, unexplained hikes, and stresses keeping products affordable while investing in customer relationships.
Sociologist Lindsay Owens has published 'Gouged: The End of a Fair Price—and What That Means for Your Wallet,' arguing that post-pandemic price increases stemmed largely from corporate pricing decisions rather than supply-and-demand dynamics. Owens, a Stanford-trained sociologist and Capitol Hill veteran, first raised the argument in a viral 2022 tweet that led to a New York Times essay before developing it into a full book examined in this review.
Rising asset and stock values combined with inflation have pushed the wealth threshold for America's top 10% higher, according to new data cited in the report. The analysis suggests that while more Americans are becoming millionaires, gains at the very top of the wealth ladder are outpacing those in the middle.
Investment in AI data centers has surpassed the combined historical spending on canals, railroads and the electrical grid, according to reporting on the current buildout. The surge is generating jobs and lifting stock valuations tied to AI infrastructure, even as it strains construction resources and materials markets.
Researchers identified more than 1,400 local policies across 157 cities addressing clean energy, building efficiency and extreme heat preparedness, according to a new study. The findings come as the Trump administration has restricted states from using Inflation Reduction Act rebates to help homeowners replace fossil fuel appliances with heat pumps.
A financial advisor breaks down how trillions of dollars sitting in low-interest checking and savings accounts are quietly losing value. With savings accounts averaging just 0.38% APY against 3.4% inflation, that cash loses more than 2% of real purchasing power annually, even as the balance stays unchanged.
Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said Monday that the central bank might need to accept higher unemployment as a cost of bringing down persistently high inflation. He noted that supply shocks create a short-term conflict between the Fed's dual goals of stable prices and maximum employment, forcing policymakers to prioritize one over the other.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest consumer price index shows grocery costs climbed 2.7% between August 2025 and August 2026. Over a longer stretch, the same basket of food items now costs 33% more than it did in August 2019, reflecting a sustained multi-year rise in food expenses.
The US central bank lifted its benchmark interest rate, marking the first increase in three years as it responds to persistent inflation pressures. The move comes as American consumers face rising prices, with fuel costs climbing sharply amid geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
The Federal Reserve raised interest rates on Wednesday for the first time since 2023, increasing borrowing costs for consumers just as prices for electronics, groceries and housing have been climbing for the past year and a half. Economists note that even if the Fed succeeds in slowing inflation toward its 2% target, existing price increases won't reverse, meaning consumers face a higher cost baseline going forward.
A new executive order prohibits installing foreign-produced bulk-power system equipment deemed a national security threat, explicitly naming battery energy storage systems, inverters and transformers. This follows earlier measures including 2022 tax credit restrictions tied to sourcing of battery minerals and components, a 2025 rule requiring 55% non-Chinese materials for storage projects starting in 2026, and tariffs on batteries that rose to 25% from 7.5% in January.
More workers are tapping their 401(k) accounts through loans or hardship withdrawals, even as retirement balances climb to record levels amid rising savings rates. The trend reflects the strain of inflation pushing some savers to dip into retirement funds despite overall growth in their accounts.