Economy
Discover facts about economy. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Economy
The biggest lottery prize can distract from the rest of the odds.
The biggest lottery prize can distract from the rest of the odds. Researchers studying state lotteries found that sales reacted to changes in the jackpot but…
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United States debt ceiling is an arbitrary legislative limit created in 1917 that restricts how much money the federal government can borrow to pay for expenses it has already legally authorized.
United States debt ceiling is an arbitrary legislative limit created in 1917 that restricts how much money the federal government can borrow to pay for…
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One top CEO's pay matched nearly 400 workers' in 2021.
One top CEO's pay matched nearly 400 workers' in 2021. The Economic Policy Institute estimated a 399-to-1 ratio between realized CEO compensation at 350 large…
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Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease for St.
Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease for St. James's Gate in 1759, at £45 a year. The agreement covered a disused brewery where he would build his…
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Walmart generates such a staggering amount of annual revenue that if the massive retail corporation were recognized as an independent sovereign nation, it would boast a gross…
Walmart generates such a staggering amount of annual revenue that if the massive retail corporation were recognized as an independent sovereign nation, it…
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Piggly Wiggly made shoppers do work a clerk used to do.
Piggly Wiggly made shoppers do work a clerk used to do. Clarence Saunders's 1916 Memphis store organized grocery shopping around customers collecting their…
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The Dow began by averaging just twelve stock prices.
The Dow began by averaging just twelve stock prices. Launched in 1896, the index included businesses such as a sugar producer, a leather company and a steel…
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Maine lobstermen essentially operate an unspoken, decentralized cartel where they fiercely protect their fishing territories by cutting the trap lines of any newcomers who dare intrude on their aquatic turf.
Maine lobstermen essentially operate an unspoken, decentralized cartel where they fiercely protect their fishing territories by cutting the trap lines of any…
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Two 19-cent washers came with nearly $1 million in shipping.
Two 19-cent washers came with nearly $1 million in shipping. A defense-contractor fraud case exposed an enormous shipping charge attached to two tiny parts.…
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A platform's average creator income can hide nearly everyone.
A platform's average creator income can hide nearly everyone. Add a few huge earners to a large group making very little, and the average rises without…
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Supply chain managers constantly battle a terrifying economic phenomenon known as the bullwhip effect, where a tiny change in consumer demand causes massive, chaotic fluctuations further up the production line.
Supply chain managers constantly battle a terrifying economic phenomenon known as the bullwhip effect, where a tiny change in consumer demand causes massive,…
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The National Debt Clock sacrificed its dollar sign for another digit.
The National Debt Clock sacrificed its dollar sign for another digit. When U.S. debt passed $10 trillion in 2008, the display needed another numerical…
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A zombie company can survive without paying down its debt.
A zombie company can survive without paying down its debt. The term describes troubled firms that struggle to cover interest from operating earnings and…
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First publicly traded company in recorded history was the Dutch East India Company, which officially established the Amsterdam stock exchange in sixteen oh two to crowdfund their incredibly risky global spice voyages.
First publicly traded company in recorded history was the Dutch East India Company, which officially established the Amsterdam stock exchange in sixteen oh…
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Norway turned oil revenue into a fund for life after oil.
Norway turned oil revenue into a fund for life after oil. Petroleum revenue feeds a state investment fund that owns assets around the world. Its fiscal…
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Squirrel skins were widely utilized as an official form of currency in medieval Russia and Finland, with the highly prized winter pelts serving as a reliable medium of exchange for everyday goods and services.
Squirrel skins were widely utilized as an official form of currency in medieval Russia and Finland, with the highly prized winter pelts serving as a reliable…
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Governments actively utilize Pigouvian taxes, commonly referred to as 'sin taxes', to artificially increase the retail cost of products deemed socially harmful, such as tobacco,…
Governments actively utilize Pigouvian taxes, commonly referred to as 'sin taxes', to artificially increase the retail cost of products deemed socially…
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Cardboard orders can reveal activity before a product reaches a shelf.
Cardboard orders can reveal activity before a product reaches a shelf. Manufacturers and retailers need packaging to move many physical goods, so changes in…
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A writer proposed judging a recession by restaurant hiring.
A writer proposed judging a recession by restaurant hiring. In 2009, Hugo Lindgren dubbed his observation the Hot Waitress Index. He suggested that a weak…
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Japan's cube-shaped watermelons are often meant for display.
Japan's cube-shaped watermelons are often meant for display. Growers place the developing fruit inside a rigid mold, which determines its shape. The…
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Beverage corporations frequently source their expensive bottled water directly from the exact same municipal tap water supplies that you can easily access from your own kitchen sink for a fraction of a penny.
Beverage corporations frequently source their expensive bottled water directly from the exact same municipal tap water supplies that you can easily access…
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Guatemala's land reform collided with a fruit empire and the Cold War.
Guatemala's land reform collided with a fruit empire and the Cold War. President Jacobo Árbenz's redistribution of unused land threatened United Fruit's…
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Used car prices spiked so aggressively during the pandemic supply chain crisis that slightly driven, pre-owned vehicles were actually selling for thousands of dollars more than…
Used car prices spiked so aggressively during the pandemic supply chain crisis that slightly driven, pre-owned vehicles were actually selling for thousands of…
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Takeout demand created a shortage of ketchup packets.
Takeout demand created a shortage of ketchup packets. During the pandemic, meals that once used a shared bottle at a table increasingly needed individually…
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