If you feel like your morning cup of coffee has gotten more bitter lately, its not a gustatory illusion: Many of America's major brands have been quietly tweaking their blends to keep their prices level.
The death of Whitney Houston found nostalgic fans rushing to buy the music icon's catalog of digital works, which means a bittersweet payday for her label Sony Music. But a gaffe overseas is making Sony out to look like a greedy opportunist.
Just six months ago, consumers loved Netflix for its all-you-can-eat video services, and investors did too. These days, after a series of customer-aggravating missteps, the dot-com darling has become a dot-com dud on Wall Street. But are the analysts right to be so down on Netflix?
Amazon Prime is a bargain for active online shoppers: For $79, they get unlimited two-day shipping of Amazon merchandise, and a host of other digital goodies. But as Amazon keeps tacking on freebies, can it stick to that price?
Supermarket chains like Kroger and Safeway have posted a string of strong quarterly earnings. But with the costs of gas and agricultural products spiking, that could all change.
Rising food and energy prices will likely hit America the same way they've hit other countries. Other inflationary forces are more variable from nation to nation. Still, the U.S. can't fully escape rising prices, especially when it comes those common consumer necessities.
It's no surprise that consumer prices are rising -- the prices of commodities from corn to cotton to copper are near record levels, thanks to shrinking supplies and rising demand worldwide. The question is whether the Fed will raise rates to combat this price inflation -- and whether it should.
Be prepared to pay more for your venti-sized extra-hot half-caff soy caramel macchiato at Starbucks starting soon. As the price of green Arabica coffee greens skyrockets, the company says it will raise prices for some of its more labor-intensive beverages.
