Inflation’s back on the menu, boys – The break-even rate, the gap between yields on traditional Treasuries and Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS), has hit its highest level since October 2022. Though stocks have shrugged off the impacts of the US-Iran conflict, the threat of extended higher fuel prices is raising more concern in the bond market. (Source: The Wall Street Journal)

Burning the candle from both ends – Consumer prices rose in April, increasing 0.6% from March and 3.8% year over year as measured by the Consumer Price Index—the highest annual rate since May 2023. Energy was a major driver, with gasoline prices up 28.4% from a year earlier, while real average hourly wages fell 0.5% for the month, squeezing consumer purchasing power. (Source: CNBC)

What a time to turn off the spigot – OPEC oil output fell to its lowest level in more than 20 years in April, dropping 830,000 barrels per day to 20.04 million barrels per day. The decline was tied to disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical export route, and came just as several OPEC+ producers had been expected to resume production increases. Kuwait saw the largest decline, while Saudi Arabia and Iraq also reduced output. (Source: Yahoo Finance)

Put it on my tab – Economic concerns continue to crowd the top of Americans’ problem list. Healthcare affordability is highest on the list, with 73% of adults calling it a very big problem, while 66% say the same about inflation and 64% point to the federal budget deficit. Concern about the deficit has also grown more bipartisan, with Democrats now much more likely than last year to view it as a major issue. (Source: Pew Research)

So much for that employment plank – France’s unemployment rate rose to 8.1% in the first quarter of 2026, its highest level since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, putting pressure on President Emmanuel Macron’s legacy ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Macron came to power promising to tackle chronically high joblessness, and despite earlier labor-market reforms that helped push unemployment to a 40‑year low in early 2023, those gains have reversed. (Source: Reuters)

Your inheritance is on a payment plan – Older Americans are sitting on roughly $110 trillion in wealth, but most of it isn’t moving anytime soon. Baby boomers gained more than $1 trillion in the fourth quarter alone, and households age 55 and older have driven about 97% of the growth in wealth that can eventually be passed down. Longer lifespans, continued asset growth, and higher retirement spending are turning the much talked-about wealth transfer into a slow, uneven process rather than a near-term windfall. (Source: The Wall Street Journal)

Where’s your whimsy? – A new survey suggests Americans may be in a “fun drought,” with 48% of adults saying their lives are currently lacking fun. Cost appears to be one of the biggest hurdles, with 57% saying budget constraints keep them from making fun plans, though a majority of adults acknowledge having fun with others can strengthen relationships, reduce stress, and boost motivation. (Source: Morningstar)

And to think I accepted payment for reading via personal-pan pizzas – Hollywood’s BookTok interest is backed by some compelling math: nearly half of new original dramas on Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video from January 2024 to June 2025 were based on books. Adaptations have also outperformed at the box office, earning 57% more than non-adaptations among top-grossing films from 2020 to 2024. (Source: Axios)

World Cup ticket prices are high and getting higher – FIFA quietly used dynamic pricing for the first time for this year's World Cup tickets, raising prices in stages as demand surged and matchups were set, with average tickets up more than 30% since launch and some games more than doubling. The strategy squeezed millions more from fans and turned the 2026 final into a nearly $11,000-per-seat event. (Source: The Athletic)

Working a double – Katherine Legge is set to become the first woman to attempt motorsports’ grueling “Double,” racing in both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on May 24. The one-day challenge covers more than 1,100 miles across IndyCar and NASCAR with almost no recovery time between races, placing Legge in rare company: only five drivers have attempted the feat before. (Source: NASCAR)