Marketplace Holiday spending slowdown
6 snips
Feb 10, 2026 
Sabree Beneshore, Marketplace reporter on business and crypto, outlines Bitcoin’s recent plunge and debate over crypto’s future. Ishan Thakur, Marketplace climate and energy reporter, covers planned power shutoffs in Colorado to reduce wildfire risk and resident impacts. Daniela Velasquez de Leon, general manager at Organics Unlimited, discusses tariffs and higher import costs for bananas. Daniel Ackerman, Marketplace finance reporter, breaks down Alphabet’s 100-year bond move.
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Alphabet Bets On A 100-Year Horizon
- Alphabet sold century bonds to signal a long-term commitment to AI and massive data-center spending.
- Long-dated debt attracts pension and insurance buyers who match long liabilities with long assets.
Tariff Uncertainty Cost Business Momentum
- Daniela Velasquez de Leon described spending on legal help and tariffs that drained resources and delayed investments.
- She said planned 2025 investments were postponed and will be resumed slowly due to lingering uncertainty.
Holiday Spending May Have Been Frontloaded
- December retail sales were flat despite earlier reports of record online holiday spending.
- Analysts suggest shoppers either frontloaded purchases in November or simply spent more thoughtfully in December.
