Business
Here we bring you business news affecting both our economy and our daily lives. ___________________________________________________________________________________________
Apple to lease iPhones, other products to users through Klarna partnership
Apple and buy now, pay later (BNPL) payment provider Klarna are joining forces to offer customers the option to lease a new Apple device in the U.S.
The tech giant announced the program, called Apple Upgrade, on Tuesday, and said that customers will be able to lease eligible iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch devices.
Apple Upgrade offers 12- and 24-month leasing options for iPhone and Apple Watch, and 24- and 36-month leasing options for Mac and iPad. Leasing prices start as low as $17.99 per month for iPhone, $11.99 for Apple Watch, $24.99 for Mac, and $11.99 for iPad.
When customers enroll in Apple Upgrade, they can trade in their current device through Apple Trade-In to lower their monthly payments during the leasing term, Apple said. At the end of .the leasing term, customers can choose to upgrade to the latest Apple device model, purchase the leased device…Read more here.
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Forget gasoline: This overlooked fuel could raise the price of nearly everything you buy
The fuel most Americans never think about could become the Iran conflict’s biggest economic consequence. While gasoline prices grab headlines, diesel quietly powers the trucks, farms, freight trains and heavy equipment that keep the U.S. economy moving.
From the groceries on supermarket shelves to the Amazon package on your doorstep and the materials used to build new homes, diesel is embedded in nearly every step of the supply chain. As prices rise, businesses face higher transportation costs that economists say often ripple through the economy, pushing up the cost of everyday goods.
Diesel prices, which averaged $3.56 a gallon in January 2025, have climbed to $5.13 since the Iran conflict began, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
A fully loaded semitruck typically gets just 6 to 7 miles per gallon of diesel, according to Department of Energy data. Filling its roughly 250-gallon anks can cost more than,,,Read more here.
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Dollar Tree to shutter 75 stores while growing its overall footprint
By Sophia Compton-FOXBusiness
Dollar Tree plans to close dozens of stores nationwide this year while continuing to expand its overall footprint.
The Chesapeake, Virginia-based company said in its first-quarter earnings report, released May 28, that it expects to close about 75 stores during fiscal 2026. It did not say which locations will shut their doors.
At the same time, Dollar Tree plans to open roughly 400 new stores this year, meaning its total store count is expected to grow.
The retailer opened 113 stores during the first quarter, bringing its total footprint to 9,382 locations across the United States and Canada as of May 2.
Dollar Tree also converted or added about 630 stores to its multi-price format during the quarter. About 5,900 locations now sell products at various price points.
CEO Mike Creedon said the company is focused on improving its…Read more here.
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Paramount advisers push for California exit as state sues to block Warner Bros Discovery merger: report
Brian Flood / FOXBusiness
Paramount CEO David Ellison is reportedly being pressured to move his business out of California as the state tries to interfere with a planned takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Ellison’s Paramount is seeking to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in a $111 billion deal expected to close during the third quarter of this year. But the mega-merger has irked critics who fear combining two major Hollywood studios would hurt the industry while giving too much power to Ellison.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday led a group of 12 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit challenging the merger, claiming it would “lead to higher prices, lower quality, and less content for film and television, harming movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the U.S.”
As a result, “Ellison’s friends and advisers have been pushing the media executive to consider shifting his business out of the state,” according to Semafor. Read more, and see video here.
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