Section
Main Street
What the Fed, the market and Washington actually mean for an independent business. Every major money story, translated for the people running restaurants, shops, trucks and trades rather than trading desks.
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What McDonald's $8.5 billion overhaul actually means for the burger joint, chicken shop and coffee bar nearby
McDonald's says it will take share in chicken and drinks, cut about 50 labor hours a week per store with AI ordering and fund a remodel wave. Here is what that does to the independents competing with it, and to the contractors who build it.
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What 7% mortgage rates actually mean for a remodeler, a moving company and a real estate team
The MBA's 30-year rate hit 7.12%, the highest since May 2024. Refinance applications are 62% below a year ago and purchase applications 11% lower. For businesses that live on home sales and refinancings, here is what that does to the work.
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What the fastest rise in business costs in four years means for a coffee shop, an HVAC firm and an auto shop
S&P Global's flash survey says U.S. business is booming, but input costs rose at the steepest rate since October 2022 and service firms are passing on less than they absorb. Here is the arithmetic for three kinds of shop.
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What a 314-store Wendy's franchisee's bankruptcy actually means for its repair crews, suppliers and landlords
Meritage Hospitality filed for Chapter 11 on September 17 after Wendy's tried to terminate its franchise. The local firms it owes are not treated alike: who gets paid depends on whether they sold goods or services, and when.
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What a 5% 10-year Treasury actually means for a dentist, a restaurant owner and a landlord with a loan reset
The 10-year yield closed at 5% or higher on three days last week, the first time since 2007. For an owner whose building loan was fixed in 2021 and resets now, our worked example shows the payment rising about 38%. Here is the arithmetic.
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What the Fed's hike to a 7% prime rate actually means for a contractor with a floating-rate line
The prime rate moved from 6.75% to 7% the day after the Fed's September hike. The quarter point costs less than most owners fear. The Fed's forecast for 2027 is the part worth planning around.
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What record $6.53 diesel actually means for a trucker, a landscaper and a farm at harvest
Diesel set another all-time high Tuesday even as crude fell on Iran reports. Here is the arithmetic for three kinds of business that burn it, and why the price on the pump lags the one on the screen.