Markets News
How Oil Prices Become Your Freight Bill
Crude, diesel, and the fuel-surcharge formula are three linked prices — and knowing the formula is how shippers stop absorbing moves passively.
Michael Hayes · June 16, 2026
Markets News
Short, dated items on price and demand: commodities, wholesale costs, shipping rates, currency moves, rent indices and official sales figures. Each entry states the number, the period and the direction of travel. Read by owners setting prices and by suppliers and lenders watching the same series.
Markets News
Credit Spreads: The Part of Your Loan Rate the Fed Doesn't Set
Corporate bond spreads measure lenders' appetite for risk — and when they widen, every non-bank loan a small business can get gets more expensive, Fed or no Fed.
Tanya Brooks · May 25, 2026
Markets News
What the Jobs Report Tells You About Your Wage Bill
The monthly employment situation is a national wage-setting event — the participation rate and average hourly earnings move your labor market whether you follow it or not.
Tanya Brooks · May 2, 2026
Markets News
How to Read the CPI Report Like a Pricer, Not an Economist
The headline inflation number is national noise; the category detail and the core index are what your cost stack is actually built from.
Michael Hayes · April 9, 2026
Markets News
What a Strong Dollar Does to Your Import Costs
The dollar's exchange rate is a price on every imported input — and for importers, hedging and contract currency are the levers that decide who feels it.
Michael Hayes · March 17, 2026