Personally, I am glad the stock market is down. With inflation being so high these days, you got to save money wherever you can. Getting a little more stock for less money is a good thing. With most things going up in price these, the stock market is a refreshing change of pace.
Writing
NPR
ISTANBUL — For months, Istanbul restaurant Tarihi Balikca tried to absorb the surging cost of the sunflower oil its cooks use to fry fish, squid and mussels.
But in early April, with oil prices nearly four times higher than they were in 2019, the restaurant finally raised its prices. Now, even some longtime customers look at the menu and walk away.
"We resisted. We said, 'Let's wait a bit, maybe the market will improve, maybe (prices) will stabilize. But we saw that there is no improvement," said Mahsun Aktas, a waiter and cook at the restaurant. "The customer cannot afford it."
I know the feeling, I saw that vegetable oil was $5 at Hannaford. Fortunately, I was able to find a bottle at Walmart for still $3, which is expensive but not so bad.
A globalised solar-powered future is wholly unrealistic – and our economy is the reason why
Global food prices soar in March, driven by Russia’s war in Ukraine
Aid organizations say they're seeing signs that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is driving up global food prices and pushing millions of people into hunger.
A food price index tracked by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization shows that prices spiked 12% between February and March to its highest point since the index started in 1990.
Ukraine and Russia provide an outsized share of the world's supply of key foods including wheat, corn, barley and more.
The impact on people who were already struggling to afford food has been severe, aid groups say. In Afghanistan a month ago, 55% of people were at crisis levels of food insecurity. Now the number has risen to 65%.
Why corporations are reaping record profits with inflation on the rise | PBS NewsHour
Government – Gift Contributions to Reduce Debt Held by the Public
In 2021, Americans donated $1.2 million dollars to reduce the federal debt. You can pay by credit card, debit card or PayPal.
NPR
Last year saw the fastest economic growth since Ronald Reagan was president. But for many people, 2021 felt less like "Morning in America" and more like a restless night, dogged by fitful dreams about the ongoing pandemic.
The Commerce Department reported Thursday that the nation's gross domestic product grew 5.7% last year — the biggest increase since 1984. But the growth arrived in fits and starts, with hopes for a steady recovery repeatedly dashed by successive waves of infection.