Author: Michael Erst

The world’s top cryptocurrency faces unpredictable near-term headwinds. Bitcoin’s (BTC -1.51%) price reached its all-time high of more than $109,000 on Jan. 25. The approvals of its first spot price exchange-traded funds (ETFs) last January, its latest halving (which every four years cuts the rewards in half for mining new coins) last April, three interest rate cuts, and President Donald Trump’s election victory last November all brought the bulls back to the top cryptocurrency. But as of this writing, Bitcoin’s price has retreated more than 20% to about $84,000. That decline can be largely attributed to the Trump administration’s plans…

Johnny C. Taylor Jr.  |  Special to USA TODAYJohnny C. Taylor Jr. tackles your human resources questions as part of a series for USA TODAY. Taylor is president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, the world’s largest HR professional society and author of “Reset: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval.”Have a question? Submit it here.Question: I just discovered our company has been giving extra vacation time to some employees. It’s not something prescribed in our company policy. Some people with less than half my tenure have more vacation time than me. Is this inconsistent vacation allotment acceptable? ‒…

For International Women’s Day, Mattel unveiled new Barbie dollsFor International Women’s Day, Mattel has unveiled eight new Barbie dolls that celebrate female friendship.Mattel released eight new one-of-a-kind Barbie dolls for International Women’s Day, honoring female friendship.The dolls are modeled after gymnasts Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey, disability advocates Paola Antonini and Kelen Ferreira and others.“Ted Lasso” stars Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple also inspired one of the duos.Mattel has unveiled eight one-of-a-kind Barbie dolls celebrating the importance of female friendship, just in time for International Women’s Day this week on March 8.The new dolls represent four duos, including U.S. Olympic…

Aaliyah Barbie sells out on what would’ve been her 46th birthdayMattel released a new Aaliyah Barbie, dressed in a faux leather outfit inspired by her “One in a Million” music video.Barbie is letting “You Create” your own doll for the first-time ever.To celebrate the 15th anniversary of Barbie Basics, a line of collector’s edition Barbie dolls, the dollmaker is releasing a brand-new line of mix-and-match Barbie dolls complete with swappable doll bodies, heads, wigs and universal fit fashions.The more customers collect, the more unique looks they can create to play and display their unique Barbie collection, Mattel Creations said in…

The auto industry, unlike other businesses, is a complicated business involving dozens of players. A change in policy or tariffs makes it impossible to adapt plans and costly to kill them.Mexico, Canada tariffs most likely to impact AmericansAfter a brief pause, President Donald Trump announced Mexico and Canada tariffs back on for early March, which could ultimately impact Americans.Automakers invest billions in technology and new products that take years to design and test, making changing them difficult.The auto industry faces a predicament: Carmakers cannot simply pivot their business operations on a dime with each economic or political uncertainty, such as…

Car recalls: Why they happen and what buyers should knowWhy do car recalls happen? Here’s what to know if your car has an open recall.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued multiple recalls last week, including notices for over 125,000 2021-2023 Kia Seltos and Soul vehicles.Are you looking to see if any recalls were issued on your vehicle? If the car isn’t listed below, owners can check USA TODAY’s automotive recall database or search NHTSA’s database for new recalls. The NHTSA website allows you to search for recalls based on your vehicle identification number or VIN.Here’s what you need to know about the vehicle…

The recall stems from an issue where the correct gear is not properly displayed.Car recalls: Why they happen and what buyers should knowWhy do car recalls happen? Here’s what to know if your car has an open recall.Volkswagen Group of America is recalling nearly 60,500 2021 to 2023 Audi and Volkswagen vehicles because of a failure to display the gear position, which could result in the car rolling away if the parking brake is not engaged, according to a recall notice.Vehicles from seven different makes, models and years are affected by the recall, according to a statement from the National…

Trevor Hunnicutt  |  ReutersTrump tells crypto team to draft new rules, explore US stockpile”Hello bitcoiners!” He courted cryptocurrency fans during his election campaign. “If crypto is going to define the future, I want to be mined, minted and made in the USA, and it’s going to be.” Now Donald Trump is taking steps to deliver on his promise to be a “crypto president.”WEST PALM BEACH, Florida ‒ U.S. President Donald Trump announced the names of five digital assets he expects to include in a new U.S. crypto strategic reserve on Sunday, spiking the market value of each.Trump said on social media that his January executive order on digital assets would…

Gen X — generally defined as those born between 1965 and 1980 — are next in line for Social Security, as its eldest members are just two years away from being eligible for retirement benefits. If you’re among them, you’re probably excited about finally getting some money back after paying a hefty chunk of your income into the program for decades. You probably also want to get as much money as you can from the program so you can enjoy a comfortable retirement. One of the best ways to make that happen is to become familiar with the program’s fundamentals,…

Will Ozempic, Wegovy be affordable in the near future?Could the high cost of hugely popular weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy be coming down in the near future?CheddarMany Americans have turned to compounding pharmacies to get popular weight-loss drugs due to lack of availability or expensive retail price tags. But this option will soon close for consumers.The federal government allows compounding pharmacies to sell copies of drugs when the medications are in short supply. Yet federal regulators recently declared the blockbuster weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Zepbound are no longer in shortage. That means consumers who use telehealth companies or medical…