This boba chain you’ve never heard of has more outlets than McDonald’s
Two decades ago, a modest restaurant in the middle of one’s China poorest provinces saw its business take off after selling cut-price soft serve for just 1 yuan (15 cents) per cone. Today, it has overtaken McDonald’s and Starbucks as the world’s largest food and beverage chain by number of stores. Mixue Bingcheng, which means honey snow ice city, now boasts over 45,000 outlets worldwide as of last September. The budget-friendly drinks giant, which is now better known for its bubble tea offerings, saw its shares jump more than 40% on Monday in its first day of trading in Hong Kong, after having raised $444 million last week in an initial public offering, according to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
The housing market has shifted in favor of buyers — depending on where you live
Americans looking to purchase a home in certain US cities might be pleasantly surprised to find the tide is shifting their way this spring after years of challenging affordability. There were 3.7 months of for-sale supply on the market in January, the most in six years, according to a recent Redfin analysis. That means it would take more than three months to sell all the homes that were listed for sale in January, given monthly average sales volume.
Why these companies are lowering prices despite rising inflation and looming tariffs
Inflation is heating up, a trade war is brewing and American consumers aren’t feeling great about the economy. That’s a toxic mix for businesses. Inflation rose last month to its highest level since June, topping 3%. Prices at the grocery store remain elevated, with eggs rising 15.2% in a single month, according to January’s Consumer Price Index. Earlier this month, Walmart — widely considered to be a bellwether for the US economy — forecasted slower sales growth for this year. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s trade war with China, Canada and Mexico could cost American families $1,200 more per year, according to the Peterson Institute.
Trump’s tariff chaos threatens an economy already flashing yellow lights
The health of the US economy is looking less and less stable by the day. Layoffs are rising. Consumer spending — the backbone of the economy — unexpectedly dropped in January. Consumer confidence has plunged. A key GDP forecast suddenly turned negative. And extreme fear is back on Wall Street as stocks slide. Despite the murky picture, President Donald Trump continues to inject chaos into the economy with almost-constant tariff threats.
US colleges are making substantial progress on campus antisemitism, but work remains, ADL says
The Anti-Defamation League released an updated report card Monday assessing how US colleges combat antisemitism and protect Jewish students. The report, which uses a grading system of A to F, evaluated 135 schools — an increase from 85 schools in the first report. The first ADL campus report card was released in April 2024 in response to rising antisemitism on college campuses after the Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023.
Domino’s Pizza sales are struggling. It’s adding stuffed crust to help
Adding a stuffed crust to a pizza chain’s menu doesn’t seem like a big deal. But for Domino’s Pizza, it’s more than three decades in the making. The option was introduced in 1995 by Pizza Hut — launching with a TV ad starring Donald Trump — and became an immediate hit for the pizza chain. However, by Domino’s own admission, the company’s former leadership believed that stuffed crust was just going to be a fad and would create operational problems, such as slowing down the kitchen’s speed.
Today is the last day to order these 13 Starbucks drinks
Pour one out for the espresso Frappuccino. And another for the iced matcha lemonade. And another for several other Starbucks drinks that the coffee chain is eliminating from its menu. Monday marks the final day 13 drinks will be served at Starbucks as the company looks to slim down its menu by 30%, speed up operations and boost its profitability as the turnaround plan concocted by CEO Brian Niccol continues to take shape. He also recently cut around 1,100 corporate jobs.
Kroger’s CEO abruptly resigns after probe into personal conduct
Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen is resigning immediately from the grocery store chain following an investigation that found his personal conduct was “inconsistent” with the company’s ethics policies. Last month, Kroger said it was “made aware of certain personal conduct” of McMullen, prompting the board to conduct an investigation. No additional details about what it discovered was revealed, but the company said his conduct isn’t related to the company’s “financial performance, operations or reporting, and it did not involve any Kroger associates.”
Trump names cryptocurrencies in strategic reserve; prices spike
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the names of five digital assets he expects to include in a new U.S. crypto strategic reserve on Sunday, spiking the market value of each. Trump said on social media that his January executive order on digital assets would create a stockpile of currencies including bitcoin. The names had not previously been announced. The assets rose 8% to 62% in trading on Sunday.
Commerce secretary says US to impose tariffs against Canada and Mexico but a ‘fluid situation’
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday he expects the United States to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico on Tuesday, but that the situation is “fluid” and President Donald Trump will determine the levels. “There are going to be tariffs on Tuesday on Mexico and Canada,” Lutnick told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures.” “Exactly what they are, we’re going to leave that for the president and his team to negotiate.”