News From the Control Tower - 10/4/2022

News from the Control Tower: Our weekly curated list of news stories affecting you and your finances.

This week’s reads include:

1.       For Corporate America, Strong U.S. Dollar Cuts Both Ways

A rising dollar can put a dent in sales and earnings for some companies or boost business for others

2.       Saudi Arabia and Russia May Find Their Oil Pricing Power Limited

Reduced global demand may offset any supply cut by OPEC and its allies.

3.       Light Fades from Sun Belt Cities as More Contracts Are Canceled

Nationally, deals fell through on 15.2% of homes that went under contract in August

4.       Tech Titans Are Backing a Museum with a Taco Party, Not a Gala

No galas. No naming rights for bigwig donors. The new Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco is retooling the museum model into something “not-too-precious.”

5.       The~$600m Spirit Halloween business - SatPost by Trung Phan

Spirit Halloween has 1,450 pop-up shops and makes all its money in only 2 months.

Bonus:

A mysterious voice is haunting American Airlines’ in-flight announcements and nobody knows how

Here’s a little mystery for you: there are multiple reports of a mysterious voice grunting, moaning, and groaning on American Airlines’ in-flight announcement systems, sometimes lasting the duration of the flight — and nobody knows who’s responsible or how they did it.