Dollar Tree said Wednesday that it’s gaining market share with higher-income consumers and could raise prices on some products to offset President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The discount retailer’s CEO, Michael Creedon, said the company is seeing “value-seeking behavior across all income groups.” While Dollar Tree has always relied on lower-income shoppers and gets about 50% of its business from middle-income consumers, sustained inflation has led to “stronger demand from higher-income customers,” Creedon said on an analyst call. Dollar Tree’s success with higher-income shoppers follows similar gains from Walmart, which has made inroads with the cohort following the prolonged period of high prices. Trump’s tariffs on certain goods from China, Mexico and Canada — and the potential for broad duties on trading partners around the world — have only added to concerns about stretched household budgets. While Dollar Tree will use tactics like negotiating with suppliers and moving manufacturing to mitigate the effect of the duties, it could also hike the prices of some items, Creedon said. Dollar Tree has rolled out prices higher than its standard $1.25 products at about 2,900 so-called multi-price stores. Certain products can cost anywhere from $1.50 to $7 at those locations. The retailer weighed in on higher-income customers and the potential effect of tariffs as it announced its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings. Dollar Tree also said it will sell its struggling Family Dollar chain for about $1 billion to a consortium of private equity investors. Dollar Tree said its net sales for continuing operations — its namesake brand — totaled $5 billion for the quarter, while same-stores sales climbed 2%. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $2.11 for the period. It is unclear how the figures compare with Wall Street estimates. For fiscal 2025, Dollar Tree expects net sales of $18.5 billion to $19.1 billion from continuing operations, with same-store sales growth of 3% to 5%. It anticipates it will post adjusted earnings of $5 to $5.50 per share for the year. Creedon said the expected hit from the first round of 10% tariffs Trump levied on China in February would have been $15 million to $20 million per month, but the company has mitigated about 90% of that effect. Additional 10% duties on China imposed this month, along with 25% levies on Mexico and Canada that have only partly taken effect, would hit Dollar Tree by another $20 million per month, Creedon said. The company is working to offset those duties, but did not include them in its financial guidance due to the confusion over which tariffs will take effect and when.

Robinhood is getting closer to becoming a full-fledged financial service. On Wednesday, the company announced a wholly online banking platform that will offer checking and savings accounts to Robinhood Gold subscribers when it launches this fall.

The platform, called Robinhood Banking, will let users access their accounts, as well as send and receive money through the Robinhood Credit Card app. It even attempts to make up for not having a physical location by having physical cash “delivered on-demand right to your doorstep.” There still aren’t many details about how this will work, but Robinhood says “coverage varies based on geographic location.”

Robinhood Banking promises a 4 percent annual percentage yield (APY) and FDIC insurance of up to $2.5 million on accounts. The company notes that since it’s not an FDIC-insured bank, it’s offering “pass-through” insurance provided by FDIC member Coastal Community Bank. Pass-through insurance involves insuring people’s funds by holding them “at an FDIC-insured bank through a third party,” according to the FDIC.

The service will offer individual and joint banking accounts at launch, along with options to create children’s accounts. Deepak Rao, Robinhood Money’s general manager and vice president, says the platform is designed to “solve many of the challenges presented by legacy banks.”

In addition to a bank account, Robinhood is launching a new wealth management platform called Robinhood Strategies. It will offer access to a mix of single stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which “are actively managed to provide access to more opportunities.” The funds have a 0.25 percent annual management fee, with a yearly cap of $250 for Robinhood Gold members.

Robinhood Strategies is available to Robinhood Gold members today, but it’s coming to all customers next month. Robinhood Gold is the company’s $5 per month (or $50 per year) subscription program that offers features like margin investing and larger instant deposits.

Later this year, Robinhood also plans to launch an AI-powered investment tool called Cortex for Gold subscribers. It will provide analyses and insights about the current market, such as why a particular stock is going up or down, as well as which stocks to consider trading.

Over the years, Robinhood has transformed itself from a simple investing app into an all-in-one hub for users’ finances. The company launched a credit card in 2024 as part of efforts to encourage people to keep their money within the widening Robinhood ecosystem, where they’ll now be able to store and withdraw cash to make investments on the app, too.

Copper (HG=F) prices climbed closer to all-time high levels on Tuesday as indications of more measured Trump administration tariffs extended the industrial metal’s rally this year. Futures on the London Metal Exchange gained after topping $10,000 per metric ton in the prior session, while contracts on New York’s Comex increased to hover near a record. On Monday, President Trump hinted that the reciprocal levies expected on April 2 may not be as widespread as anticipated, easing worries of a global slowdown. Copper, considered a proxy of growth trends, is up more than 24% year to date in the US and 14% higher in London on speculation that Trump’s tariffs could include metal imports. The expectation has created a price difference across the Atlantic, spurring increased shipments to the US. “Front-running the potential tariff has unleashed a wave of near-term demand for copper housed in the US,” LPL Financial chief technical strategist Adam Turnquist said. Anywhere between 100,000 and 150,000 metric tons of copper are expected to reach the US in the coming weeks, according to Bloomberg estimates. The trend to front-run copper isn’t new, as it’s already been happening with gold, which recently hit new highs. White House initiatives to become more independent from sources abroad have also put the spotlight on domestic supplies. In February, the Trump administration said the “United States faces significant vulnerabilities in the copper supply chain, with increasing reliance on foreign sources for mined, smelted, and refined copper.” Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick was ordered to investigate “whether imports of copper, scrap copper, and copper’s derivative products threaten to impair national security.” The metal is used in everything from defense weapons to infrastructure, electric vehicles, and electronics. Outside of tariffs, China, the world’s largest importer of copper, has announced plans to stimulate its economy, which would boost demand. “Beijing’s pro-growth agenda is beginning to show up in the economic data, evidenced by recent better-than-expected retail sales, industrial output, and fixed-asset investment,” Turnquist said. The last time copper spiked to new highs was in May 2024. “The brief bump in copper prices from a year ago was based a bit on speculation when the realization of limited supplies became apparent, but this slow-burning rally will be based on real supply and demand fundamentals, especially supply,” Eric Saderholm, managing director of exploration and co-founder of American Pacific Mining, told Yahoo Finance. Goldman Sachs analysts recently reiterated they’re bullish on the commodity. “For now, we also maintain our bullish $10,200/t Q4 2025 forecast, on the back of strong electrification demand, China stimulus offsetting the drag from tariffs, and slower mine supply growth,” Goldman Sachs’ Eoin Dinsmore wrote. Other analysts are even more bullish, with Kostas Bintas of Mercuria Energy Group floating the possibility of $12,000 to $13,000 per ton.

Video game retailer GameStop announced Tuesday its board has unanimously approved a plan to buy bitcoin with its corporate cash, echoing a move made famous by MicroStrategy. The meme stock jumped more than 6% in extended trading Tuesday following the news. The announcement confirmed CNBC’s reporting in February of GameStop’s intention to add bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to its balance sheet. The video game retailer said a portion of its cash or future debt and equity issuances may be invested in bitcoin and U.S. dollar-denominated stablecoins. As of Feb. 1, GameStop held nearly $4.8 billion in cash. The firm also said it has not set a ceiling on the amount of bitcoin it may purchase. GameStop will be following in the footsteps of software company MicroStrategy, now known as Strategy, which bought billions of dollars worth of bitcoin in recent years to become the largest corporate holder of the flagship cryptocurrency. That decision prompted a rapid, albeit volatile, rise for Strategy’s stock. GameStop’s foray into cryptocurrencies marks the latest effort by CEO Ryan Cohen to revive the struggling brick-and-mortar business. Under Cohen’s leadership, GameStop has focused on cutting costs and streamlining operations to ensure the business is profitable. The company said the move could expose it to volatility associated with cryptocurrency prices. “Bitcoin, for example, is a highly volatile asset and has experienced significant price fluctuations over time. Our Bitcoin strategy has not been tested and may prove unsuccessful,” GameStop said in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, has ridden a roller coaster since President Donald Trump won reelection. After shooting up and piercing the $100,000 milestone, bitcoin has declined about 18% from its record high to a recent price of approximately $88,000. In tandem with the cryptocurrency announcement, investors also cheered a rise in GameStop’s fourth-quarter results. The firm reported net income of $131.3 million, more than double the $63.1 million earned in the same quarter last year.

South Korea-based Hyundai and President Donald Trump announced a $20 billion investment in US on-shoring on Monday, which includes a $5 billion steel plant in Louisiana, at the White House Monday. The $5.8 billion Louisiana facility will be the car manufacturers’ first steel manufacturing facility in the US and will produce more than 2.7 million metric tons of steel a year and create more than 1,400 jobs. It will supply steel to auto plants in Alabama and Georgia, Trump said in remarks at the White House. The announcement this afternoon at the White House included Trump, Hyundai Chairman Euisun Chung and Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry. Chung said it was the company’s largest US investment ever. “More investments, more jobs, and more money in the pockets of hardworking Americans – all thanks to President Trump’s economic policies,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on social media. CNBC first reported the announcement. Hyundai didn’t immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment. “This investment is a clear demonstration that tariffs very strongly work,” Trump said Monday afternoon. Chung said the decision to open the plant in the Savannah, Georgia area “was initiated during my meeting with President Trump in Seoul in 2019.” This project “coincides with the beginning of President Trump’s second term, making this moment even more special.” Trade publications reported in early January that Hyundai was considering a steel plant in the US ahead of Trump’s second term, seeking to lower their own production costs and bracing for his protectionist economic policies. Trump has already enacted 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, as well as levies on cars from Asia and Europe set to go into effect next month. The aim is to build more cars in the United States; however, it’s not that simple. For example, Stellantis, which makes cars in North America under the Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler brands, agreed to re-open a shuttered plant in Illinois as part of a deal to end a 2023 strike by the United Auto Workers. It pointed to those re-opening plans once again in January, soon after Trump took office, to assure him it would increase American car production. But that plant won’t reopen until 2027. And despite Trump’s argument that his tariff threats are needed to “save” the US auto industry, US factories already produce the lion’s share of North American auto production. According to data from S&P Global Mobility, there were 10.2 million cars built at US assembly plants last year, compared to 4 million at Mexican factories and 1.3 million in Canada. There are about 1 million workers at Americanfactories producing cars, trucks and auto parts.

Increased investments

The Hyundai announcement comes ahead of April 2, when even more sweeping tariffs might be enacted, targeting countries with a large trade surplus like South Korea. Trump is encouraging investments in American manufacturing, with similar announcements being made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and Japan’s SoftBank. Apple said last month it would invest $500 billion to expand facilities, manufacturing and projects across the United States over the next four years. The announcement appeared to be aimed at helping the company avoid new tariffs on goods imported from China, although some of the investment efforts were likely already underway. Oracle, OpenAI and SoftBank also announced in January that they would team up to create a new company, called Stargate, to grow artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United States. Together, the companies plan to invest $500 billion into the project in the coming years. New presidents and presidents-elect have often held joint announcements with companies about massive US investments to promote American manufacturing. But their track record for success is mixed. Trump and Foxconn announced in 2017 a $10 billion electronics factory in Wisconsin that was expected to create 13,000 jobs. But the company eventually abandoned most of its plans for the facility and the high-tech products it was supposed to build. The company in 2021 said it would invest just $672 million in a revised deal that would create fewer than 1,500 jobs.

Massachusetts regulators are investigating Robinhood over launching a prediction markets hub, a way of letting users bet on March Madness college basketball games on its platform. Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Bill Galvin sent a subpoena to Robinhood on March 20 over the company’s decision to launch its prediction markets hub, a spokesperson for the secretary confirmed to CNN. The probe was first reported by Reuters. Robinhood on March 17 launched its new hub for prediction markets — basically a form of betting on everything from basketball games in the NCAA tournaments to the chances the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates at a given meeting. Users can buy and trade financial contracts tied to the outcome of a given event, essentially betting on the outcome. The secretary’s office wants information by April 3 about Massachusetts residents requesting to bet on college sports, the spokesperson confirmed, as well as internal company communication about the hub’s launch. The Massachusetts probe is the latest investigation into prediction markets, which have soared in popularity in recent years. The rise of prediction markets has brought a bevy of legal questions about where to draw the line between investing and trading versus online gambling. Galvin said he was concerned that Robinhood was “linking a gambling event on a popular sports event that’s especially popular to young people to a brokerage account,” according to an interview with Reuters. “This is just another gimmick from a company that’s very good at gimmicks to lure investors away from sound investing,” Galvin said in the interview. A spokesperson for Robinhood said in a statement that “the event contracts offered by Robinhood Derivatives are regulated by the CFTC and offered through CFTC-registered entities.” (The CFTC is the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a US market regulator.) “Prediction markets have become increasingly relevant for retail and institutional investors alike, and we’re proud to be one of the first platforms to offer these products to retail customers in a safe and regulated manner,” Robinhood’s statement said. The prediction markets hub and its event contracts are offered in the US through Kalshi, an exchange for prediction markets regulated by the CFTC. Kalshi has garnered attention in the past for its event contracts tied to bets on the US presidential election. A spokesperson for the CFTC declined to comment on Galvin’s probe into Robinhood. This isn’t Galvin’s first investigation into Robinhood. In January 2024, the company paid $7.5 million to settle complaints brought in 2020 and 2021 by Galvin over its practices, including strategies to encourage users to trade. Robinhood’s launch of the prediction markets hub comes one month after the company ditched plans to allow users to bet on the outcome of the Super Bowl, scrapping the product at the request of the CFTC. “That review of the company’s risk management procedures and controls applicable to sports-related event contracts has completed, and at this time, the CFTC has no legal justification to prevent Robinhood from offering access to these contracts, which are listed on a CFTC-registered exchange,” a spokesperson for the CFTC said in a statement on Monday. Robinhood’s stock (HOOD) surged 9% on Monday despite the news of Galvin’s probe. Robinhood stock is up 23% this year.

Segway is recalling about 220,000 of its scooters sold across the U.S. due to a fall hazard that has resulted in user injuries ranging from bruises to broken bones. According to a notice published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the folding mechanism in Segway’s Ninebot Max G30P and Max G30LP KickScooters can fail during use — causing the handlebars or stem of the scooters to fold. That can result in serious injuries, the Commission warns. Thursday’s recall notice notes that Segway has received 68 reports of folding mechanism failures — with 20 injuries that include abrasions, bruises, lacerations and broken bones. Consumers in possession of these now-recalled scooters are urged to stop using them immediately and contact Segway to request a free maintenance kit. This kit includes tools and step-by-step instructions to inspect and adjust the scooters’ locking mechanism as needed, Segway says. “Over time, depending on riding conditions, the folding mechanism may require periodic checks and tightening,” California-based Segway writes on its website. “No returns or replacements are involved.” According to the CPSC, the Segway scooters involved in this recall were manufactured in China and Malaysia and sold at retailers across the U.S. — like Best Buy, Costco, Walmart, Target and Sam’s Club, as well as online at Segway.com and Amazon.com, between January 2020 and February 2025. Sale prices ranged from $600 to $1,000.

The chief executive of the National Grid has confirmed power was available to keep Heathrow open during Friday’s shutdown. In an interview with the Financial Times, John Pettigrew said the fire that knocked out a substation was a “unique event”, but that two other substations remained operational and capable of powering the airport in west London. Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye had said on Friday that the shutdown was not caused by a lack of power, but was due to the time it took to switch from the damaged substation to the other two. The airport is under pressure from airlines to explain why flights were suspended for 18 hours after the fire in the early hours of Friday morning. The fire started in a transformer within the electrical substation in Hayes north of Heathrow around midnight. The airport has emergency back-up power supplies, which use diesel generators and batteries, but these only keep crucial safety systems running, such as landing equipment and runway lights. A separate biomass power generator also provides heat and electricity to Terminal Two. However, the National Grid is the main source of power for Heathrow. Mr Pettigrew told the Financial Times said he couldn’t remember a transformer failing to such an extent in his 30-year career in the industry. “Losing a substation is a unique event but there were two others available. That is a level of resilience.” A Heathrow spokeswoman said that Mr Pettigrew’s comments “confirms that this was an unprecedented incident and that it would not have been possible for Heathrow to operate uninterrupted. “Hundreds of critical systems across the airport were required to be safely powered down and then safely and systematically rebooted,” she said. “Given Heathrow’s size and operational complexity, safely restarting operations after a disruption of this magnitude was a significant challenge.” On Friday, Heathrow managers decided to close the airport on the grounds of safety while they switched to the alternative National Grid supplies. Mr Woldbye told the BBC the delay to reopening was due to the need to “reallocate” the power supply – “closing down and restarting systems which takes a long time.” He said there were a “number of systems we have to shut down and then bring them back up and ensure they are safe.” “It’s fuelling systems, its bridges, it’s escalators, all of these systems have to be brought back up, tested to ensure they are safe.” He added that there were risks “of certain sizes we cannot guard ourselves against 100% and this is one of them.” However the duration of the shutdown has infuriated airlines. Willie Walsh, the former British Airways boss and head of the airline organisation IATA said it was a “clear planning failure by the airport” and the systems and procedures for handling power failures are now under the spotlight. The government’s ordered a six-week investigation into the shutdown, led by the National Energy System Operator. Mr Woldbye, who attracted criticism for claiming the airport had “come back quite fast”, said he was “happy” to answer to the prime minister.

Buy Now, Pay Later services are typically used on large purchases, like furniture. But now one service is branching out into fast food. DoorDash is partnering with Klarna, a financial company that lets customers schedule small payments over a set period of time, in a new partnership announced Thursday. When the option launches “soon,” DoorDash users can use Klarna to pay in four, interest-free payments or defer payments and let people pick a “date that aligns with their paycheck schedules,” according to a press release. Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services, which also include Affirm and Apple, have exploded over the past few years. However, many economists and consumer advocates say the widespread use of these services, plus a lack of transparency and little regulatory oversight, leaves them wondering just how much debt Americans are actually getting into. During last year’s holiday shopping season, Adobe said that BNPL usage “hit an all-time high,” raking in more than $18 billion in online spending — growing nearly 10% compared to the same time period a year earlier. The option is particularly attractive to younger, cash-strapped consumers who are looking to make their paycheck stretch further. To make money, the BNPL providers charge merchants between 1.5% to 7% of the transaction price, according to Kansas City Federal Reserve research. For some retailers, the costs are worth it, according to research from RBC Capital Markets, which showed online BNPL offerings boosted average ticket sales by 30% to 50% and increase the share of customers who ultimately made a purchase. Americans have found themselves in more and more debt recently. In the fourth quarter of last year, overall debt levels increased by 0.5% to $18.04 trillion, according to the Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit, a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. That report also found that the share of households becoming seriously delinquent (a missed payment for 90+ days) on their auto loans and credit cards is at 14-year highs. The partnership with DoorDash comes as Klarna continues to expands its offerings ahead of going public with plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange in the coming weeks. The Swedish fintech company reported last week a 24% surge in 2024 revenue, cashing in on the BNPL craze, which is projected to surpass $160 billion over the next seven years. In addition to food delivery, DoorDash also lets people buy large ticket items through third-party merchants, like Best Buy and the Home Depot.

March 21 (Reuters) – The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s crypto task force held its first public meeting with experts on Friday, focusing on how securities laws might apply to digital assets as the Trump administration looks to overhaul cryptocurrency regulations. Among the participants of the roundtable were John Reed Stark, former chief of the SEC’s Office of Internet Enforcement, Miles Jennings, the general counsel for Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto arm, a16z, and former SEC Commissioner Troy Paredes. Republican SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce is leading the task force, which is charged with developing rules and guidance for crypto. “Spring signifies new beginnings and we have a new beginning here, a restart of the commission’s approach to crypto regulation,” said Peirce. The crypto industry has long clashed with regulators over how federal securities laws translate to digital assets, with many arguing that crypto tokens are more akin to commodities. Tokens classified as securities would require firms to register with the SEC and provide certain disclosures to investors. President Donald Trump, who campaigned on promises to be a “crypto president,” has pledged to reverse an industry crackdown under former President Joe Biden’s SEC, which sued multiple crypto companies, including Coinbase and Kraken, alleging they had flouted its rules. The SEC’s new leadership has agreed to withdraw or pause many of those cases. The task force on Friday debated whether crypto tokens require a new, separate regulatory framework, different from how the SEC oversees securities such as equities. Jennings urged the SEC to take a “technology-neutral” approach, “looking at what differentiates a system like ethereum from ownership of equity in Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab.” Some, including Democratic SEC Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw, expressed concern that the regulator would loosen rules for cryptocurrencies by allowing them to operate under a distinct regime. “Modifying the law to facilitate the success of a chosen product category is fraught with risk,” said Crenshaw. “Risk not only of weakening regulatory protections for that category, but of creating the negative domino effect on other areas of the market protected by the same laws.” The task force’s first roundtable comes as Trump has sought to broadly overhaul policies toward cryptocurrency. Earlier this month, Trump signed an executive order to establish a strategic reserve of cryptocurrencies and held a summit for industry leaders at the White House.