The Latest in Financial & Business News

In a poll of 500 Massachusetts voters, 45 percent deemed the local economy "excellent" or "good."

For Mass. independent voters, the economy is a high hurdle for Biden

Independents are less likely to share Democrats’ rosy take on the state’s economy, but they are nowhere near as gloomy as Republicans, according to a new Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll.

Economy cooled off in first quarter, growing at 1.6 percent rate
The U.S. economy continued to grow early this year, but at a sharply slower rate as strong consumer spending was offset by higher prices and pockets of weakness in other sectors.

WBUR layoffs: Read the letter to staff from CEO Margaret Low
Thirty-one employees at WBUR, roughly 14 percent of the station’s staff, are leaving the company through layoffs and buyouts.

Inside the crisis at NPR
Internal documents reviewed by The New York Times and interviews with more than two dozen current and former public radio executives show how profoundly the nonprofit is struggling to succeed in the fast-changing media industry.

COLUMN | DAN MCGOWAN
‘He understood it was a spectacle’: Before Trump faced a judge, there was the corruption trial of Buddy Cianci
For those who covered the former Providence mayor’s corruption trial, the memories have never faded.

This part of Massachusetts ranked as the third most competitive rental market in the country. It’s not the Boston area.
At less than 2 percent, the metro area had the second-lowest rental vacancy rate in the country, a study has found.

Trying to find a cheap lunch downtown? Good luck.

Nereida Badillo peered out of her front door on the morning of the high school graduation of her son Jacoby. It took Badillo years to be able to own a home, attending classes for first-time home buyers to qualify for financial assistance, improving her credit score, and saving her stimulus checks. The stability that had eluded her family for decades felt within reach with the purchase of her home but the only neighborhood she could afford was in a tough part of town.

In Holyoke, a home of her own: One woman’s struggle to build a life in the state’s poorest place

During a coastal flooding warning in January, cars traveled through flood waters along Atlantic Avenue.

Boston’s defenses against rising seas lean on private development. What happens when the money dries up?

Gen Z in Boston

In Chapter One of BoZton, we’ll touch on the burdens of soaring rent, the scramble to find an apartment, and the elusive dream of homeownership as it pertains to young people of the city.

BoZton, a video series for The Hub's Gen Zers

In Chapter One, we break down the burdens of housing for the city's Gen Z population.

Watch the trailer Can young people make it in Boston?

tech power players 50

Tech Power Players 50 list of 2023

Our second annual ranking spotlights leaders keeping New England’s technology scene vibrant in a challenging climate.

See who ranked No. 1Explore the full project

BOLD TYPES

Jarred Johnson, head of TransitMatters, believes in a ‘data-driven but people-centered’ approach to fixing the MBTA.

Jarred Johnson talks transit advocacy

Globe reporter Janelle Nanos sits down with leaders in the city’s business community to talk career paths, accomplishments, and visions for Boston’s future.

Explore the full series

ON THE STREET

A heart sculpture on display near Framingham's downtown, with "welcome" written in a variety of languages.

Framingham is once again reinventing itself

The On the Street series looks at the past, present, and future of neighborhoods in Greater Boston.

Framingham’s public schools offer a pipeline for inclusionExplore the full series

Listen to Globe Opinion's new podcast, ‘Say More with Shirley Leung’

Congress Street in Boston's Financial District on July 29, 2020.

Sign up for Trendlines, the business newsletter from Larry Edelman

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More business headlines

THE FINE PRINT

Joicee Gordillo with her service dog, Junie. The pair showed up for lunch with two friends at Jade Garden, a restaurant in Chinatown, but were turned away.

Lunch with friends at a Chinatown restaurant? Not for a young blind woman who showed up with her service dog.

Joicee Gordillo said she regularly encounters restaurants that are hesitant to allow her and her service dog, Junie, in. But her experience at Jade Garden was the first time she was outright denied service. 6:05 a.m.

TALKING POINTS

Boston Real Estate Board readies campaign against transfer fees

Stories you may have missed from the world of business. 7:53 p.m.

State Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh spoke at a Senate hearing.

State officials are bracing for Steward Health Care to possibly file for bankruptcy and change top management

A bankruptcy filing by Steward could allow the hospitals to continue running while Steward worked with creditors to turn them over to new operators. 7:50 p.m.

A Ben & Jerry's shop in Burlington, Vt. Unilever Plc may sell or spin off its ice cream unit, which includes Ben & Jerry's.

Unilever ice cream sale won’t change us, says Ben & Jerry’s

There is a “firmly established framework” that will “remain intact” to protect the integrity of a brand known for promoting progressive causes, said the independent board of Ben & Jerry’s. 6:09 p.m.

ByteDance sees a TikTok divestiture as a last resort, according to people familiar with the matter.

TikTok ban in US looms as Biden kicks off 270-day countdown

Legislation requiring the social media app’s Chinese owners to divest sailed through Congress, capped by Senate passage late Tuesday as part of a larger foreign-aid package. 5:26 p.m.

The Oracle headquarters in Austin, Texas. Oracle chairman Larry Ellison said that the company will relocate its world headquarters to Nashville. The move comes after the company has been making major advances into the heath care system.

Billionaire Ellison is moving Oracle to Nashville from Texas

The move comes after the company has been making major advances into the heath care system. 5:12 p.m.

A couple watches the sun set from a park.

About 1 in 4 US adults over 50 say they expect to never retire, an AARP study finds

Everyday expenses and housing costs, including rent and mortgage payments, are the biggest reasons why people are unable to save for retirement. 2:30 p.m.

analysis

Elon Musk, billionaire and chief executive officer of Tesla, has been talking about making a lower-cost EV for years.

What’s going on with Tesla, and why can’t it make an affordable EV?

The electric automaker's stock has fallen as Elon Musk hems and haws about the cost of future models. 1:43 p.m.

WBUR lays off seven employees, as 24 staffers take buyouts

The decision to lay off staff comes two months after WBUR chief executive Margaret Low first informed staff that the station was facing financial challenges. 1:08 p.m.

An aircraft wing in flight surrounded by clouds.

Airlines must now pay automatic refunds for canceled flights

The goal is to make it easier for people to get money back and to make refund policies more consistent from one airline to the next. 12:52 p.m.

NH BUSINESS

Diaper spa owner fined $10k by N.H. Board of Medicine

The fine is for advertising the highly unusual business as a “physician-run” salon in Atkinson, N.H. 11:25 a.m.

ADDRESS

Home of the Week pick is near an orchard and pretty to its core

Berlin property has four bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a farmer’s porch, a surprisingly open layout, and the polish only contractor-artist owners can give it. 10:11 a.m.

On Wednesday, Cambridge-based drug maker Biogen reported first-quarter profits that exceeded estimates.

Biogen stock climbs on strong Alzheimer’s drug sales

The Cambridge firm on Wednesday reported a first-quarter profit that exceeded estimates as it cut costs and sales of its closely watched Alzheimer’s drug, Leqembi, surpassed expectations. 7:56 a.m.

Clover has emerged from bankruptcy protection relatively unscathed. The Prudential Center location is thriving where Roniza Monteiro fulfilled an order.

Vegetarian fast food chain Clover is emerging from bankruptcy — with an eye on expanding

The chain has pared expenses but held onto most of its suppliers and workers. 6:18 a.m.

innovation economy

An AI conference at the MIT Media Lab on April 18 brought together entrepreneurs, researchers, and executives from companies like Meta, Nvidia, and Google.

AI talent is leaving Massachusetts. The state is hustling to catch up.

Many tech entrepreneurs, particularly in AI-related software, leave the Boston area for places like San Francisco and New York. 6:16 a.m.

Shou Zi Chew, chief executive officer of TikTok Inc., testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in January.

Senate passes bill forcing TikTok’s parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature

The contentious move by lawmakers is expected to face legal challenges and disrupt the lives of content creators who rely on the short-form video app for income. 6:02 a.m.