WSJ

Who’s to Blame for All Those Hidden Fees? We Are

Add-on fees are driving consumers crazy. Four experiments illustrate why “drip pricing” is so effective at getting us to pay more, and why consumers are to blame. Consumers prefer complexity and punish transparency, underestimating the cost of purchases.

Drip pricing is effective at getting consumers to pay more, as they underestimate the magnitude of add-on fees.
Consumers prefer complexity and punish transparency, even when given the option to identify cheaper alternatives.
Lower initial prices prompt shoppers to upgrade and commit to purchases, underestimating the cost of starting over.
Most consumers erroneously believe drip prices work like taxes, affecting the base price by a constant amount.
Consumers are to blame for add-on fees, punishing transparency and underestimating the true cost of purchases.

Charting the Global Economy: Central Banks Hold as Prices Cool

Central banks around the world are pausing tightening campaigns as inflation eases and economies slow. Inflation-targeting regimes are keeping their own houses in order, while the US Fed's key inflation gauges fell to the slowest annual paces since late 2021.

Factbox: Turkey earthquake and some of the worst natural disasters of this century

Two massive earthquakes on Monday have devastated cities and towns across Turkey and Syria, with death toll of over 16,000. This is one of the worst natural disasters this century, alongside the 2004 Sumatran Tsunami, 2010 Haiti earthquake and 2008 Cyclone Nargis.

Take Five: Strap in for no landing

A raft of U.S. data and European inflation numbers will give guidance on how the world's top central banks will navigate the way ahead, including the hotly debated "no landing" scenario. Reports on U.S. durable goods orders, home prices, manufacturing and consumer confidence threaten to cement expec

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