The U.S. Federal Reserve may start cutting interest rates before year’s end. That could make future trips abroad more expensive for the nation’s travelers. That’s due to how interest-rate policy affects the strength of the U.S. dollar. Here’s the basic idea: An environment of rising U.S. interest rates relative to those in other nations…

You’ll soon have to pay more if you want to shop at Costco. The membership-based warehouse club said Wednesday that it will increase its membership fee by $5 in the U.S. and Canada as of Sept. 1. That’s an increase to $65 from $60 for annual memberships. Its higher-tier plan, called…

The U.S. Federal Reserve may start cutting interest rates before year’s end. That could make future trips abroad more expensive for the nation’s travelers. That’s due to how interest-rate policy affects the strength of the U.S. dollar. Here’s the basic idea: An environment of rising U.S. interest rates relative to those in other nations…

The S&P 500 climbed Wednesday to a fresh record, breaking above 5,600 for the first time, as a sharp rise in semiconductor stocks led the market higher. The broad market index jumped 1.02%, closing at 5,633.91, and notching a seventh straight day of gains. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.18%, also hitting an all-time high…

Longtime investor Bill Gross believes Elon Musk’s Tesla is behaving like a speculative play among retail investors. “Tesla acting like a meme stock — sagging fundamentals, straight up price action,” the former chief investment officer and co-founder of Pimco said in a post Tuesday afternoon on X. “But then there seems to be a…

Walmart said Wednesday that it will open five automated distribution centers for fresh food across the country, as the retailer chases efficiency and its online grocery business grows. The discounter’s new facilities are roughly 700,000 square feet on average. Chilled and frozen areas have automation that stores and retrieves perishable items,…

Side hustlers are hustling a little less but making more when they do. About 36% of U.S. adults say they make extra money from a side job beyond their main source of income, according to a survey the consumer finance platform Bankrate released Wednesday. That’s down from 39% last year,…

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday expressed concern that holding interest rates too high for too long could jeopardize economic growth. Setting the stage for a two-day appearance on Capitol Hill this week, the central bank leader said the economy remains strong as does the labor market, despite some recent cooling.…