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Reuters
07-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Coffee addicts: Get ready for an expensive wake-up call
NEW YORK, March 7 (Reuters) - This was originally published in the Reuters On the Money newsletter, where we share U.S. personal-finance tips and insights every other week. Sign up here to receive it for free. Caffeine-addicted consumers are in for a bitter wake-up call. (Full disclosure, this newsletter will be loaded with puns.) The price of coffee is surging. Arabica, the most popular bean, used in most ground roasted coffee, soared 70% in 2024 and nearly 20% this year to an all-time high above $4.30 per pound on February 11. Robusta – the second-most popular bean that is often used in instant coffee – surged 72% in 2024 and peaked at $5,847 per metric ton on February 12. But caffeine connoisseurs cannot kick the habit. They may even drink more coffee than is produced globally in 2025 – for the fourth time in the past six years. To save money, I try to coordinate morning schedules with my in-house barista (a.k.a. husband), who even roasts his own coffee beans, which he buys from Sweet Maria, opens new tab! He usually makes me a cappuccino at home before I head out into the world. On a recent episode, opens new tab of our Econ World podcast, host Carmel Crimmins talks with commodities correspondent Marcelo Teixeira to find out the reasons behind the jump in coffee bean prices (weather is a big one!) and how it may affect consumption. Their conversation is worth listening to. And this article explains all of the inflationary factors brewing in the coffee world right now. Do you find yourself making more coffee at home? How much do you spend a week on coffee purchases? Tell me all about your coffee habits! Write to me at onthemoney@ opens new tab. IS THE PET SET THE NEW JET SET? Nobody told me this when we got a dog, but one of the truly hidden costs of pet parenting is paying for someone to take care of our pooch when we travel. In fact, some pet owners are shelling out more for pet care than they spend on their own vacations. Indeed, when our family went on a vacation in December, the cost of pet sitting ($75 per night for 10 days) rivaled the price of my plane ticket. Recent research from TrustedHousesitters, opens new tab shows that Miami tops the charts, with pet sitting rates averaging a staggering $163 per night. Austin, meanwhile, is the most expensive city for cat boarding, with rates close to $60 per night. To save money, we often do a pet exchange for overnight and weekend trips with friends who live a few blocks away. Our toy poodle CJ stays with them when we are out of town, and their miniature poodle Luna stays with us when they travel. For longer stays, we share the same pet sitter, who gives us a price break when the 'girls' are boarded together. Do you have any tips to manage pet sitting costs? Let me know at onthemoney@ opens new tab. READ, WATCH AND LISTEN Like what you're reading? Subscribe to On the Money here. VIDEO OF THE WEEK Wondering what wine to pick? AI gets your best match Decantalo, a Spanish wine e-commerce company, showcased their smart wine bar at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona where AI helps customers select the right wine based on their preferences. Watch here. Cheers! New newsletter alert! Looking for more on finance and markets? Subscribe to our enhanced daily markets newsletters: Morning Bid U.S. by Mike Dolan and Trading Day by Jamie McGeever. Mike and Jamie provide fresh insights and in-depth analysis to help you make sense of the key trends shaping markets. And keep an eye out for Reuters' new markets and finance commentary vertical, coming this spring.
Reuters
21-02-2025
- Business
- Reuters
On The Money: Why more Americans are worried about the economy
NEW YORK, Feb 21 (Reuters) - This was originally published in the Reuters On the Money newsletter, where we share U.S. personal-finance tips and insights every other week. Sign up here to receive it for free. How are you feeling financially these days? According to new research from Reuters, more Americans are worried about the U.S. economy, prompted by concerns about tariffs. The share of Americans who think the economy is on the wrong track rose to 53% in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll from 43% in the January 24-26 poll. And another survey shows that one in five Americans say they are purchasing more items than usual, reflecting heightened anxiety over potential price hikes and economic uncertainty. (Just writing this sentence takes me back to the early days of the COVID pandemic in March 2020, when supermarket shelves were bare.) Tariffs tend to spark inflation because they raise the cost of imported goods. As a result, businesses either absorb the higher expenses or pass them on to consumers through price increases. What are your thoughts about the economy and tariffs? Let me know at And if you are stocking up on anything in particular right now – such as maple syrup from Canada or tequila from Mexico – I want to hear about it. Why are eggs so expensive? If you are scrambling to find a carton of eggs these days, you are not alone. At my local Trader Joe's in Brooklyn, you could not find eggs last week. Shoppers across the U.S. face record egg prices, opens new tab, as well as purchasing limits, opens new tab, due to a tightening supply chain of eggs exacerbated by the ongoing avian influenza outbreak, which resulted in the death of millions of chickens across the country. Since the start of the bird flu outbreak in February 2022, more than 157 million, opens new tab birds in commercial and backyard flocks have been impacted by the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain, as well as the less common H5N9. Millions of birds have been culled, opens new tab, leading to a shortage of eggs and driving up prices. The latest monthly consumer price index showed that the average price of a dozen Grade A eggs in U.S. cities reached $4.95 in January, opens new tab, higher than the previous record of $4.82 set two years ago. At another grocery store closer to my home, a carton of organic eggs costs more than $14. The average price of a dozen large eggs increased by more than 50% in the past year nationwide. There were even bigger price hikes in some metropolitan areas. The rising cost of feed, particularly corn and soybeans, is also pushing egg prices higher. A severe drought in the Midwest, coupled with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, is leading to a global shortage of these commodities. The cost of corn jumped by 20% in the past year, while soybean prices rose by more than 30%. Earlier this month, thieves stole about 100,000 organic eggs from a wholesaler's warehouse in Pennsylvania, a haul worth more than $40,000 retail amid a national shortage that has caused prices to surge. This Sunday I plan to head over to the local farmer's market early to buy a carton of eggs. I imagine the price will be high but at least they will be farm fresh. What's your experience purchasing eggs lately? Write to me at What I'm reading and watching Like what you're reading? Subscribe to On the Money here. Video of the week After two years of underperformance, international equity funds started 2025 with strength. Todd Rosenbluth from VettaFi says investors are feeling more comfortable with prospects outside of America despite the threat of tariffs. Watch his interview here. How to live with a roommate Finding a roommate to offset housing costs seems like a logical move at a young age. But it turns out more older Americans are looking for roommates, too. Some 6% of all live-in landlords who use the roommate-matching service SpareRoom, opens new tab are ages 65 and up and another 14% are ages 55-64, but these two age groups are the fastest-growing, according to Matt Hutchinson, director at, opens new tab SpareRoom. I asked Hutchinson some questions about finding a roommate at a mature age. This interview is edited and condensed. Q. How is living with a roommate different as you age? What tips do you have for making it work? A. This is certainly not true for everyone, but it can be the case that – as we get older – we grow more accustomed to our own way of living. It can be a daunting prospect to shake things up and share our living space with friends or strangers. It's important to remember there's no such thing as the perfect roommate, just your perfect roommate. Some people want to socialize together, some want a purely financial relationship and separate lives and most want something in the middle! Talking about that up front is always best. Similar expectations of what living together will be like are the simplest way to avoid issues once you actually do live together. We asked a bunch of homeowners who'd rented out a room for their advice on how to find the best roommate. Here is their list of It's interesting what people pick up on: Some judge potential roommates based on whether a person offers to take their shoes off at the front door or how well they get along with the dog. Q. What is the best way to handle chores, bills, etc.? A. Draw up a written agreement. In addition to rent, security deposit and insurance, it should also include house rules, opens new tab around things like guests, pets, noise, cleaning, smoking and use of shared spaces and facilities. Here are our tips on approaching cleaning with roommates, opens new tab. Similarly, bills can be a key sticking point. The same advice applies here: talk early and openly. Some homeowners will include bills with the rent, which can help their roommate budget better, others want to split the bills equally as they come in. Here is our guide to talking to roommates about money, opens new tab. A$K Lauren Are you wondering if you should rent out your home? Do you need a life insurance policy? Send your personal finance questions to Get a look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets with the Morning Bid U.S. newsletter. Sign up here.
Reuters
11-02-2025
- Business
- Reuters
On The Money: Can you afford to be my Valentine?
NEW YORK, Feb 7 - This was originally published in the Reuters On the Money newsletter, where we share U.S. personal-finance tips and insights every other week. Sign up here to receive it for free. Valentine's Day is around the corner, which means it is a perfect time to talk about love and money. According to the latest LendingTree Survey, opens new tab, Americans in relationships plan to spend an average of $179 on their significant others for Valentine's Day. But more than half of them would skip the holiday altogether if they could. Indeed, I am a reluctant Valentine. Flower prices soar, opens new tab around February 14, so I implore my husband not to shower me with roses. (I know! He is such a lucky guy.) I'd rather not go out for a romantic dinner on Valentine's Day, either. In fact, I'm hosting a family meal that night. But I will never forgo chocolate, despite surging cocoa prices., opens new tab And so many romantic things are more expensive these days — such as food, opens new tab and jewelry, opens new tab. No wonder WalletHub's Valentine's Day Spending Survey, opens new tab found that 39% of Americans say inflation is affecting their Valentine's Day plans. The ruby-red Valentine's spotlight on relationships can lead to a lot of unnecessary spending, as well as some uncomfortable moments. To survive this mid-February minefield, here are a few pointers., opens new tab What I'm reading and watching Canadians cancel trips, ban American booze after Trump's tariffs Vanguard slashes fees; expects its investors will save $350 million in 2025 Investors bet on Nvidia share recovery with buying of leveraged ETFs Fed can be patient on rates while assessing impact of tariffs, Collins says Trump's meme coin made nearly $100 million in trading fees, as small traders lost money You can no longer buy paper inflation bonds with your tax refund, opens new tab (NYT) European stocks step out from US shadow in 2025, but for how long? Tariffs may make your Shein and Temu orders more expensive. Here's why., opens new tab Younger generations are taking slang to a dizzying new level, opens new tab If you date me, you date my debt, opens new tab (WSJ) Pennsylvania thieves haul away precious loot: 100,000 eggs The 40k(k) has reached a tipping point in its takeover of American retirement, opens new tab (WSJ) Like what you're reading? Subscribe to On the Money here. Video of the week 'Cozy games,' a growing subgenre, offers relaxing, constructive challenges. Recent research explores if these games can improve mental health and quality of life. Watch here. I'm trying my best to keep up with ever-changing U.S. trade policies that threaten to upend industries, opens new tab from autos to consumer goods to energy. It is not an easy task. Lucky for you: We've created a place to track the latest tariff news. My friend Farnoosh Torabi explains how tariffs impact consumers. Note: Some proposals shifted since she posted it. And I'm sure they will change again and again. On a related note: Hundreds of millions of small packages pour into the United States each year from China – some with fentanyl ingredients stashed inside. Now, a fight is shaping up over whether and how to undo the rule change that helped set off this deadly import boom. Check out this special report on the trafficking of fentanyl from China. Tariff talk In my last newsletter, I asked how tariffs will impact you, and I got more than two dozen replies – mostly against tariffs. Here are a few edited excerpts: 'Trade tariffs, especially those arbitrarily imposed, are a short-term one-way ticket to inflationary bubbles. Importers of goods on which tariffs are imposed always seek to pass on the full whack of any price increase to end consumers.' – Geoff 'Tariffs will kill us, financially. We live on Social Security, so we are on a fixed income.' – Terri 'A cheaper Chinese-made toaster won't help Americans if they don't have a job because the U.S. manufacturing base has been devastated.' – Craig 'We shop at Costco where many of our favorite food items come from Canada. I'm concerned some may become unavailable. In the U.S., the largest value imports from Canada are oil and gas as well as auto parts and cars. So tariffs will likely raise the price of gasoline and car parts.' – Kim A$K LAUREN Are you wondering if you should rent out your home? Do you need a life insurance policy? Send your personal finance questions to Get a look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets with the Morning Bid U.S. newsletter. Sign up here. By Lauren Young
