Aug 14, 2026Retail sales fell 0.6% in July as consumers tightened their belts. Plus: Etsy’s “flop era,” Canadian border businesses, and Candy Crush.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty ImagesSegments From This EpisodeA look at new inflation data, a narrowing K-shaped economy, and the rest of the week’s economic news.Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty ImagesRetail sales fell 0.6% in July, a bigger drop than expected and a sharp reversal from June's modest uptick.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty ImagesEj Dickson, senior culture writer at Wired, gives us a look into why sellers are leaving Etsy, which has been inundated with mass-produced and AI-generated products.
Courtesy of Harshawn Ratanpal, MPR NewsBorder businesses in Minnesota and North Dakota say fewer Canadian visitors are cutting into sales, forcing some to reduce hours, staff and spending.
Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for King GamesAlanna Okun, a writer and game designer, said the game has become a stand-in for a “thing people do when they are messing around on their phones.”
