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Dollar General and Aldi logos.ReutersStore openings in the U.S. are expected to rise and store closures fall this year compared to the 2025, with value retailers leading the growth as they continue to attract more of consumers’ dollars, according to an analysis by Coresight Research. Overall, Coresight projects that U.S. retailers will close about 7,900 stores in 2026, a 4.5% drop year over year. That would represent the lowest number of total store closures in the past three years.The advisory group also expects retailers will open about 5,500 new stores, a 4.4% increase year over year. So far, Dollar General,…

The biggest hedge funds in the $5 trillion industry started 2026 in the black, for the most part.Ken Griffin’s $65 billion Citadel returned 1% in its flagship Wellington fund in January, a person close to the Miami-based firm told Business Insider. Schonfeld also returned 1% in its flagship Partners fund last month, a person close to the firm said. Michael Gelband’s ExodusPoint, which had the best year in its history in 2025, was up 1.8% in January, a person close to the manager said.Multistrategy funds place bets across a diversified set of strategies to generate strong returns for investors. However,…

2026-02-02T18:14:03.443Z Share Copy link Email Facebook WhatsApp X LinkedIn Bluesky Threads lighning bolt icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. Impact Link Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. The Bureau of Labor Statistics won’t be publishing the next jobs report as originally scheduled. That’s due to the partial government shutdown. BLS said it will reschedule the reports once funding resumes. Economists and job seekers will have to wait longer to know how the job market performed in…

A 75-year-old CPA from East Naples, Florida, pleaded guilty in a federal fraud probe of Oakes Farms Food & Distribution Services. Processing ContentThomas Unsworth entered his plea on January 27 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric Rice to two counts of conspiracy for “blindly signing” and certifying federal documents, as reported by Gulfshore Business. From May 2020 to May 2024, Unsworth conspired with farmers and others in obtaining at least $2 million in federal funding, including through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.Unsworth is the eighth defendant to cooperate in the ongoing fraud investigation of Oakes Farms, its suppliers, harvesters and employees.  Two…

People walk in front of Cinderella’s Castle at the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World on May 31, 2024, in Orlando, Florida.Gary Hershorn | Corbis News | Getty ImagesAll is well in the Magic Kingdom — and all of Disney’s other theme parks, too.The company’s experiences division, which includes its parks, cruise ships, hotels and consumer products, posted record revenue for the fiscal first quarter, topping $10 billion for the first time in Disney’s more than 100-year history. It also reported operating income of $3.3 billion, a 6% bump from the same period a year ago.Growth in this segment…

The Internal Revenue Service is leveraging extra funding left over from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 to keep running for the next few days during tax season despite the partial government shutdown.Processing ContentThe IRS posted a contingency plan late Friday indicating that it would be able to use the funding to operate until Feb. 7, 2026, while keeping all 74,942 employees working. “Section 10301 of the Inflation Reduction Act, Pub. L. 117-169, provided supplemental appropriations available through September 30, 2031, for all IRS appropriations accounts,” said the plan.  “With this funding the IRS will not experience a lapse in appropriations…

The American Institute of CPAs introduced a new program dubbed the Profession Ready Initiative to identify and develop the skills needed by early-career CPAs to succeed in an increasingly AI-driven market.Processing ContentThe initiative aims to prepare the next generation of talent when AI and other environmental factors are fundamentally changing the nature of work. As the nature of the accounting profession’s work evolves, the AICPA believes the profession has to help emerging professionals identify and quickly develop essential skills while providing employers with the frameworks and tools they need to build high-performing teams. “The Profession Ready Initiative is pivotal to…

Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger looks on prior to the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on November 10, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Michael Reaves | Getty Images Sport | Getty ImagesDisney is ready for its next CEO. On Monday, the company’s leadership outlined its recent successes during its quarterly earnings report. CEO Bob Iger made the case that when his soon-to-be-named successor picks up the baton, Disney will be primed to seize the momentum. “I’m incredibly proud of all that we’ve accomplished over the past three years to set Disney…

Documents released by the Department of Justice appear to show that Peter Mandelson leaked sensitive U.K. government emails to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein while serving as a minister.Processing ContentAccording to the files, Mandelson forwarded internal Downing Street emails about tax policy proposals to Epstein while a member of former prime minister Gordon Brown’s cabinet in 2009, appending the comment: “Interesting note that’s gone to the PM.”The private memo was drafted by a senior adviser in Brown’s office on June 13 that year — the same day Mandelson shared it. The note proposed tax incentives to encourage private sector investment after…

U.S. companies criticized a plan by Poland’s Digital Affairs Ministry to implement a digital services tax, saying it would unfairly target some of the country’s biggest foreign investors.Processing ContentThe draft legislation, whose public consultation period begins on Monday, seeks to introduce a levy of up to 3% on digital platforms that sell advertising, process user data or enable online sales. Donald Trump’s administration has threatened retaliation against European Union efforts to tax American tech companies, with the row growing into another trans-Atlantic flashpoint after a standoff on trade as well as Greenland. The tax plan comes at a sensitive moment for…