Economy + Business - The Conversation

A giant red dollar sign is surrounded by blue stick figures.

A giant red dollar sign is surrounded by blue stick figures.

When shareholder activists attack a company, its rivals may feel the heat too and change their ways

Hadi Shaheen, College of Charleston; J.H. John Kim, College of Charleston, and Kamyar Goudarzi, College of Charleston

A person holds a smartphone while ordering a ride on a ride-share app.

A person holds a smartphone while ordering a ride on a ride-share app.

Surge pricing is broken – but there’s a smarter way to match gig workers with consumers

Christopher S. Tang, University of California, Los Angeles; David Dobrzykowski, Auburn University, and Nicolo Masorgo, Miami University

As key trade talks start, the US-Mexico relationship will likely limp along – but at a cost

Pamela K. Starr, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A worker wearing protective gear welds metal at a steel tank factory in Mexico City.

A worker wearing protective gear welds metal at a steel tank factory in Mexico City.

Some kinds of insider trading are perfectly legal – and they offer useful signals about a company’s health

D. Brian Blank, Mississippi State University; Dallin Alldredge, Florida International University, and Lee Biggerstaff, Miami University

A board above the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange displays the closing number for the Dow Jones Industrial Average on June 17, 2026.

A board above the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange displays the closing number for the Dow Jones Industrial Average on June 17, 2026.

Deed fraud can cause vulnerable Detroiters to lose their homes – here’s why it’s hard to catch the thieves

Donovan McCarty, Michigan State University

A Black woman with long dark curls sits on the steps in from of a yellow brick building.

A Black woman with long dark curls sits on the steps in from of a yellow brick building.

Why many older Americans are losing ground even with an 80-year-old president

Nina A. Kohn, Syracuse University and Naomi Cahn, University of Virginia

A woman in a colorful dress puts groceries away.

A woman in a colorful dress puts groceries away.

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Iran war and the economy

Houthi supporters dance to celebrate

Houthi supporters dance to celebrate

Emerging Houthi–Al-Shabaab co-operation and the growing threat to Red Sea shipping

Brendon Novel, Université de Montréal

What’s in the price of a gallon of gas?

Robert I. Harris, Georgia Institute of Technology

A person stands between a gas pump and a vehicle, with gas prices of $4.29 for a gallon of regular displayed in the background.

A person stands between a gas pump and a vehicle, with gas prices of $4.29 for a gallon of regular displayed in the background.

War in the Middle East made the case for renewables – what’s happening in each country tells a harder story

Ezgi Canpolat, Harvard University

An aerial view of a very large array of solar panels in a desert.

An aerial view of a very large array of solar panels in a desert.

UAE’s OPEC exit has been long in the works – and may mark the beginning of a Gulf realignment

Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice University

A man in traditional Emirati dress looks out to a large oil pipeline.

A man in traditional Emirati dress looks out to a large oil pipeline.

From Hormuz to the cockpit: How warfare and criminal activity undermine GPS and the race to safeguard navigation

Zak Kassas, The Ohio State University

three ships and a speedboat at sea

three ships and a speedboat at sea

Read more about the war in Iran

Economics

A Mexican ranch worker, on a horse, drives cattle into a corral for inspection for New World screwworm in Chiapas, Mexico, in July 2025.

A Mexican ranch worker, on a horse, drives cattle into a corral for inspection for New World screwworm in Chiapas, Mexico, in July 2025.

Soaring US beef prices likely to rise further thanks to trade tensions and disease outbreaks

Andrew Muhammad, University of Tennessee and Charles Martinez, University of Tennessee

How Alan Greenspan’s stint as President Ford’s top economic adviser cemented his passion for public service and prepared him to lead the Fed

Simon Bowmaker, New York University and Paul Wachtel, New York University

four men sit on couches in 70s clothing - one man wearing glasses holds his hand up next to a bald man

four men sit on couches in 70s clothing - one man wearing glasses holds his hand up next to a bald man

Federal Reserve independence secures an important, but not final, victory at US Supreme Court

Elizabeth C. Tippett, University of Oregon

Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook, wearing a black suit, speaks at a Brookings Institution event.

Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook, wearing a black suit, speaks at a Brookings Institution event.

The Social Security trust fund will run dry in 2032 – what that means for retirees and workers who hope to retire

John W. Diamond, Rice University

In a 1983 photo, President Ronald Reagan is flanked by congressional leaders on the White House South Lawn as he signs the Social Security reform bill.

In a 1983 photo, President Ronald Reagan is flanked by congressional leaders on the White House South Lawn as he signs the Social Security reform bill.

Americans are not as well off as people in peer nations – US safety net’s shortfalls show up in global data

Stephen Bagwell, University of Missouri-St. Louis and Susan Randolph, University of Connecticut

A tattered American flag flies from a flagpole.

A tattered American flag flies from a flagpole.

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Business

A customer walks on a massive green combine at the John Deere booth during the 2026 CES tech show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

A customer walks on a massive green combine at the John Deere booth during the 2026 CES tech show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The ‘right to repair’ movement has a point, but consumers should read the warranty fine print first

Wayne Fu, University of Michigan-Dearborn

Clinical trials that are actually marketing ploys targeting doctors – how seeding trials put profit over patients

Sukhun Kang, University of California, Santa Barbara; Ivan Lin, University of California, Santa Barbara, and Sungyong Chang, Cornell University

Various medical supplies arrayed in a neat rectangle, a stack of $100 bills on the bottom right corner

Various medical supplies arrayed in a neat rectangle, a stack of $100 bills on the bottom right corner

AI data center boom is leaving consumer electronics short of chips − even though they don’t use the same kinds

Vidya Mani, University of Virginia; Cornell University

an irridecent rainbow pattern reflects off a shiny surface covered with repeated patterns of rectangles of various sizes

an irridecent rainbow pattern reflects off a shiny surface covered with repeated patterns of rectangles of various sizes

You’ve been trying to get around Amazon – but it’s not that easy

Yuanyuan (Gina) Cui, Coastal Carolina University and Patrick van Esch, Coastal Carolina University

Amazon workers unload blue pallets of goods off of truck trailers at a fulfillment center in Oxnard, Calif.

Amazon workers unload blue pallets of goods off of truck trailers at a fulfillment center in Oxnard, Calif.

SpaceX raised $75B in record IPO – here’s why insiders like Elon Musk are much likelier than public stock buyers to get rocket-powered returns these days

Brad Badertscher, University of Notre Dame

A Falcon 9 SpaceX heavy rocket can be seen lifting off amid a engine fire at the bottom and billowing gray smoke next to a building that says spacex

A Falcon 9 SpaceX heavy rocket can be seen lifting off amid a engine fire at the bottom and billowing gray smoke next to a building that says spacex

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Work

Graphic design of a man with a briefcase snarled up in conflicting signals.

Graphic design of a man with a briefcase snarled up in conflicting signals.

Most American workers are checked out, and like ‘The Office,’ their bosses are the last to know

Bob Batchelor, Coastal Carolina University

So your new ‘co-worker’ is an AI agent – here’s how to make the best of your human-machine relationship

Nigel Melville, University of Michigan

A man wearing glasses and blue work shirt, facing away, shakes hand of a white robot at a desk.

A man wearing glasses and blue work shirt, facing away, shakes hand of a white robot at a desk.

For the nearly 1 in 4 US adults with chronic pain, employers’ expectations of a healthy body can lead to shame

Beth Schinoff, University of Delaware and Elana Feldman, UMass Lowell

Businesswoman whose neck is hurting sits at a desk at work.

Businesswoman whose neck is hurting sits at a desk at work.

Hybrid work is not always the golden compromise employees expect – even as more companies implement it

Radostina Purvanova, Drake University and Alanah Mitchell, Drake University

Three workers with laptops sit at a long table in an otherwise empty office.

Three workers with laptops sit at a long table in an otherwise empty office.

Workplace relief is coming for employees with symptoms of menstruation, perimenopause and menopause in Philly

Ann Juliano, Villanova University

Woman sits at table with eyes closed and fingers on temples

Woman sits at table with eyes closed and fingers on temples

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Finance

A photo image depicts a small green robot with coins at its side as it interacts with a computer.

A photo image depicts a small green robot with coins at its side as it interacts with a computer.

When managing your money, take a chatbot’s ‘confidence’ with a grain of salt

Pawan Jain, University of Michigan

Your bank’s AI just blocked your payment – what can you do?

Pragati Awasthi, Drexel University

A blue Visa credit card rests on a grey laptop.

A blue Visa credit card rests on a grey laptop.

What oil, stocks and bonds are telling us about the Iran conflict and how long it might last

Daniele D'Alvia, Queen Mary University of London

a trader at the new york stock exchange studies prices on a monitor after the opening bell on monday.

a trader at the new york stock exchange studies prices on a monitor after the opening bell on monday.

How polling failures, gambling legalization and political gridlock paved the way for the explosive rise of prediction markets

Parker Bach, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Hands hover over a crystal ball depicting digital share prices.

Hands hover over a crystal ball depicting digital share prices.

International aid groups are dealing with the pain of slashed USAID funding by cutting staff, localizing and coordinating better

Sarah Stroup, Middlebury College and Jennifer Hadden, Brown University

A man holds a sack of rice with USAID branding on it while speaking to other people.

A man holds a sack of rice with USAID branding on it while speaking to other people.

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Philanthropy and nonprofits

A man in a suit and tie smiles while looking upward against a backdrop that says 'Paul G. Allen Center.'

A man in a suit and tie smiles while looking upward against a backdrop that says 'Paul G. Allen Center.'

US giving grew 3% in 2025, crossing the $600B mark for the first time

Jon Bergdoll, Indiana University

Nonprofit fraud: Amid high-profile prosecutions, an accountant explains what’s really going on

Sarah Webber, University of Dayton

A man stares blankly ahead while walking and being videoed by a woman in a red dress.

A man stares blankly ahead while walking and being videoed by a woman in a red dress.

Why Americans give: New research finds 5 distinct profiles for generosity

George E. Mitchell, Baruch College, CUNY

In illustration of a diverse array of people who are standing, talking and doing work.

In illustration of a diverse array of people who are standing, talking and doing work.

America’s nonprofit sector is pushing back against an ‘authoritarian playbook’

Christopher Justin Einolf, Northern Illinois University

Statue of Liberty holding torch with text bubbles instead of flame.

Statue of Liberty holding torch with text bubbles instead of flame.

Getting $750 a month didn’t end homelessness – but our study shows it still improved the lives of homeless people

Benjamin F. Henwood, University of Southern California

A homeless man lies on the sidewalk, next to artistic graffiti.

A homeless man lies on the sidewalk, next to artistic graffiti.

Read more about philanthropy and nonprofits

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