Marketplace All-in-One Holiday spending slowdown
Feb 10, 2026
Ishan Thakur, a reporter on climate and regional energy issues, and Daniel Ackerman, a reporter on financial markets and corporate finance. They cover retail sales flattening in December and whether shoppers frontloaded purchases. They discuss a utility’s preventive power shutoffs to reduce wildfire risk. They also talk about Alphabet’s 100-year bonds and what that long-term finance move could signal.
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Alphabet's Century Bond Signal
- Alphabet sold 100-year bonds to signal long-term commitment to building data centers and AI infrastructure.
- Long-dated debt appeals to insurers and pensions but carries uncertainty about corporate longevity and secondary-market value.
Holiday Spending May Have Been Frontloaded
- December retail sales were flat despite record online holiday spending headlines earlier.
- Analysts say stronger November and earlier deals likely frontloaded holiday purchases into November.
Power Shutoffs Hit Vulnerable Residents
- Bob Carmichael, nearly 80, described feeling scared and isolated when Xcel cut power near Boulder.
- The outage highlighted risks for elderly and medically vulnerable people during preventive shutoffs.