Business Matters with Don Ma Epoch Media Group

Memorial Day weekend is shaping up to offer some of the best deals on new cars in years. The discounts vary widely by manufacturer and type of car, but it’s a good time to be in the market for an electric vehicle.
Passenger traffic at US airports is on pace to make this Memorial Day weekend the busiest on record, according to Transportation Security Administration screening data.

China has set up its third planned state-backed investment fund to boost its semiconductor industry, with a registered capital of 344 billion yuan ($47.5 billion).

A military expert says that by 2049, if China has its way, it will displace Boeing as one of the leading producers of passenger airliners.

Elon Musk says artificial intelligence will take all our jobs. He also told the 2024 VivaTech conference in France that AI may bring universal high income as well as a lack of meaning to life.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Thursday approved applications from Nasdaq, CBOE and NYSE to list exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tied to the price of ether, potentially paving the way for the products to begin trading later this year.

The U.S. defense department is spending millions of dollars every year on consulting services from big firms like McKinsey, but one national security expert is raising concerns of unnecessary bloat, as well as conflict of interest, since the consulting firms also work with foreign companies including state owned companies.

The House of Representatives has just passed a bill to stop the federal reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency. The bill passed the chamber pretty much along party lines. Proponents of the bill argue a central bank digital currency would threaten Americans' financial privacy. Meanwhile democrats say the bill will hold back American innovation.

The U.S. Justice Department and more than two dozen states on Thursday sued to break up Live Nation, arguing the big concert promoter and its Ticketmaster unit illegally inflated concert ticket prices and hurt artists.

Norfolk Southern agreed to pay a $15 million civil penalty and $57.1 million in past government cleanup costs on Thursday, as well as millions in future costs to resolve a U.S. government lawsuit over a February 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced the cancellation of another $7.7 billion in student debt for 160,000 borrowers, bringing the total number of people to get their debt cancelled to 4.75 million, despite Republican opposition.
U.S. existing home sales unexpectedly fell in April as higher mortgage rates and house prices weighed on demand, dealing another setback to the housing market.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will apply some credit card consumer protection rules to buy now, pay later (BNPL) lenders, in a bid to impose more oversight on the fast-growing sector.
China is rolling out their own version of Chat-GPT. But content generated by this chatbot is based on the philosophies and writings of Chinese communist leader Xi Jinping.
May is National Military Appreciation Month, and memorial day is upon us. For veterans transitioning from military to civilian life, which states among the 50 make it easier for military families to adjust and thrive financially? NTD spoke to Christie Matherne, editor from WalletHub about their latest ranking.

Trucking companies are reporting more and more theft. Some are happening in new and unusual ways. Co-Owner of J.K.C. Trucking Inc. Mike Kucharski shared one example of thieves posing as the company and trying to book loads in its name. Theft has become so prevalent, Kucharski says thieves are stealing anything.
A conservative shareholder has pulled a resolution calling on JPMorgan to report how its policies based on religious or political views affect employees. A representative for the shareholder says the resolution was pulled because JPMorgan has made steps to pull back from political tests for customers.

Macy's raised its profit forecast for the year on Tuesday, as its new CEO's turnaround plan helped to shield the department store chain from falling sales due to a cautious consumer.

Restaurant chain Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Florida court. It said its restaurants will be open and operate as usual during the proceedings, and plans to reduce its locations as well as pursue a sale of substantially all its assets.
Target is lowering prices on at least 5,000 frequently shopped products across its assortment ranging from milk to diapers, as it looks to attract budget-stretched customers.
Gold touched record highs, coasting on last week's encouraging inflation data, while silver reached its highest level in over 11 years.