According to the latest High Street Sales Tracker from BDO, retail sales in discretionary sectors grew by only 1.9% in February compared to the same month last year, highlighting a sluggish recovery in categories such as fashion, homewares, and lifestyle products, which may signal deeper underlying issues.
The fastest ad spend recoveries were naturally attributed to the hardest-hit sectors of out-of-home (OOH) and cinema, with the former at 46.4% and the latter at 2,208.2% (cinemas shut during the pandemic, remember). TV was alone in seeing a decrease in ad revenue in the last quarter (-0.6%). It's worth noting that spending in TV is diversifying across new channels (that broadcasters often still own) such as broadcast video-on-demand (BVOD) (+9.3%).
Catch up quick: After months of bringing up the idea, Trump and his economic team have been talking about it more actively in recent days, as the president tries to apply pressure on the Supreme Court to uphold his entire tariff program. The president told reporters in the Oval Office Monday night that the checks would start going out in mid-2026 - though Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has cautioned that Congress would have to pass legislation authorizing them, an uncertain outcome.
While it isn't the goal of every investor, plenty of us are looking for ways to double our passive income through smart investing. For some people, passive income can take many forms, like real estate, but for others, the goal is to use the market to make money while sleeping. If there is one thing that most people learn after a year or a decade of trading, it's that you don't need to trade every day to make your money work for you.
Choosing the right snacks can be a game-changer for maintaining energy and overall health, but looks can be deceiving when it comes to nutrition. Many snacks marketed as "healthy," like bran muffins and cereal bars, are actually loaded with hidden sugars and unhealthy fats. Even "fat-free" options can sneak in excess salt and sugar to make up for the flavor loss, which may ultimately do more harm than good.
