Confidence Rebounds as Automaker Loss and Media Deal Drama Unfold
Consumer confidence improved, Stellantis reported a historic loss, Trump proposed a new retirement benefit, Netflix held its Warner Bros. bid steady, and jobless claims rose modestly.
Consumer Confidence Up in February: Report
Consumer confidence appeared to bounce back in February.
The Conference Board, a global think-tank and business membership organization, reported its consumer confidence index increased 2.2 points to 91.2 this month. The good news follows an adjustment to January data that showed the index at 89.0 instead of 84.5, which was the lowest level since May 2014. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the index at 87.0. Read Full Article
Stellantis Posts First Annual Loss in Company History
A shift in its EV goals appears to have had an economic impact on one of the world’s largest automakers.
Auto giant Stellantis on Thursday reported its first-ever annual loss after booking substantial write-downs amid a major strategic shift. The multinational automaker, which builds models including Jeep, Dodge, Fiat, Chrysler and Peugeot, posted a full-year 2025 net loss of $26.3 billion compared with full-year profit of 5.5 billion euros a year ago. Read Full Article
Trump Uses SOTU to Suggest New Retirement Benefit for 54 Million Workers
A benefit President Donald Trump proposed in his nearly two-hour State of the Union address this week could have a major impact on millions of American workers if it comes to pass. Read Full Article
Netflix Declines to Raise Offer for Warner Bros.
HOLLYWOOD — Netflix, Inc. announced that it has declined to raise its offer for Warner Bros. Netflix had earlier received notice from Warner Bros. Discovery that its Board of Directors has determined Paramount Skydance’s latest proposal constitutes a “Superior Proposal” under the terms of WBD’s existing merger agreement with Netflix. Read Full Article
Weekly Jobless Benefit Claims Rise Slightly
In a good news-bad news development in the job market, the number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits was up a bit last week while the unemployment rate appeared to hold steady in February. Read Full Article