2026-03-24 20:14:32
When Estée Lauder Cos. acquired the Tom Ford luxury and beauty house three years ago, it bought a business model similar to its latest acquisition target, Spain’s Puig Brands SA. But a purchase of Puig, which has a market value of about €10 billion ($11.6 billion), doesn’t pass the smell test for the US firm’s shareholders.
2026-03-24 18:30:04
One of the most compelling theories about the future of artificial intelligence comes, oddly enough, from a 161-year-old paper about the coal industry. In 1865, the English economist William Stanley Jevons observed that improvements to the coal-fired steam engine had not reduced Britain’s coal consumption. Instead, they had massively increased it. Improved efficiency lowered the cost of steam power, which created so many new uses and users that total consumption skyrocketed. This became known as
2026-03-24 18:00:08
At a moment when America’s home insurance crisis has become bad enough to turn conservatives into socialists, a possible solution may just involve — you guessed it — big government. And contra Ronald Reagan, in this case there’s reason to think the government truly can help.
2026-03-24 18:00:05
As midterm elections approach in November, voters have one thing on their minds: Life is too expensive. Democrats are wise to campaign on “affordability.” Unfortunately, many of their ideas are likely to make matters worse.
2026-03-24 17:30:04
Joe Kent is a cautionary tale.
2026-03-24 17:00:04
The US economy looks amazingly resilient on the surface. Notwithstanding the two-month Covid-19 recession of 2020, the US hasn’t experienced a downturn since the end of the financial crisis in the middle of 2009. Recently, the streak has elicited a wave of commentary, with smart analysts drawing different conclusions about what it all means for markets. My two cents? Even if the nature and frequency of recessions is changing a bit, it’s dangerous to assume that’s made equity investing any less r