Happy Thursday 🇺🇸,
Amazon cut 16,000 corporate jobs. Meanwhile, a Texas electrician lost his best guys to a data center paying double. Same AI boom, very different week. Today's episode asks who should actually be worried.
New episode first, then 5 stories you may have missed. About five minutes, start to finish.
NEW EPISODE · OUT NOW
COMMON SENSE · EPISODE 24 · 11 MIN
Is AI Coming for Your Job? Depends Who You Are
Amazon is cutting desk jobs while data centers are poaching electricians at double the pay. Cole and Savannah sort the hype from the real numbers: who should actually be worried, which trades are cashing in on the AI boom, and what to do about it whether you're at a desk, raising kids, or running a side hustle.
COMMON SENSE - RED STATE FINANCE
Is AI Coming for Your Job? Depends Who You Are
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Search "Common Sense Red State Finance."
PLUS: 5 STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
01 · WASHINGTON
The Shelf Said One Price. The Register Said Another.
The FTC and 20 states sued Dollar General this week, claiming thousands of stores charged more at checkout than the shelf price, despite tens of thousands of customer complaints. Dollar General says mistakes happen, it fixes them, and it will fight the case. Red states and blue states signed on together, which is its own news.
TRANSLATION: Watch the screen at checkout, at any store. If the register beats the shelf tag, ask for the shelf price. Many stores (and some state laws) say they have to honor it.
02 · YOUR WALLET
Your House Is Worth More. Sort Of.
Home prices rose 2.1% over the past year, per the latest Case-Shiller report. Inflation ran 3.4%, so in real terms home values have now fallen 15 months in a row. Chicago led at +6.7%. Seattle sank 2.0%. Same country, very different housing markets.
TRANSLATION: If you own, your Zillow number may look fine, but it's losing to your grocery bill. If you're buying, prices are flat-ish in a lot of the West.
03 · MAIN STREET
Boeing's Comeback Has a $745 Billion Waiting List
Boeing posted Q3 results with revenue up 4% to $24.2 billion and a record $745 billion backlog, including 6,300+ planes. The 737-10 finally got FAA certification in October. It still lost $116 million, but last year it lost $5.3 billion, so this counts as a party.
TRANSLATION: More planes eventually means more seats and maybe calmer airfares. Eventually. Book holiday flights now anyway.
04 · MARKETS
Coke Raised Prices. You Kept Buying.
Coca-Cola beat estimates and raised its outlook while North American volume stayed flat, and UPS says shoppers are 'resilient' heading into the holidays. Coke's CFO summed it up: wherever you are on the income scale, you're looking for value.
TRANSLATION: Companies raise prices as long as volume holds. Store brands are how you vote.
05 · LIGHTER SIDE
The Scariest Thing at Your Door Is the Candy Price
Americans will spend a record $13.5 billion on Halloween, $4.1 billion of it on candy. A 100-piece bag now averages $16.96, up 71% since 2021. Cocoa prices have fallen, but candy makers are still working through beans bought at the peak. Full-size bars are now a luxury good.
TRANSLATION: Buy the discount bag, hand out one piece, and hit the 50%-off aisle on November 1 for the stuff you actually like.
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See you Sunday.
The Red State Finance team
