Is the economy K-shaped or C-shaped? Finance pros weigh in

The K-shaped economy has become shorthand for a widening, persistent economic divide: higher-income Americans pulling further ahead — in wealth, spending and financial security — while many lower-income households struggle to keep up. Now, that shape may be shifting. “I got sick of hearing about this K-shaped economy,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC’s “Squawk…

Read More

China’s emotional economy is on the rise

A giant inflatable Labubu toy floats on the water at Victoria Harbour on October 25, 2025 in Hong Kong, China. Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images 28-year-old Rebecca Zhou, born in China’s Sichuan province, owns an assortment of Moomin merchandise — bags, mugs, and figurines featuring the white hippo-looking cartoon character from Finland…

Read More

Some international LGBTQ+ travelers pull back on U.S. trips

Participants march in the Reclaim Pride Coalition’s seventh annual Queer Liberation March in New York, June 29, 2025. Erik McGregor | Lightrocket | Getty Images Canadian citizen Robert Sharp was planning to visit Provincetown, Massachusetts — one of the most LGBTQ+-friendly places in America — for his friend’s milestone birthday in July. But against a…

Read More