Consumer confidence falls to lowest levels since the pandemic
According to a recent University of Michigan consumer sentiment index, U.S. consumer confidence in April fell for the fourth consecutive month to its lowest levels since the pandemic. This comes amid economic concerns stemming from the Trump administration's tariffs, and the resulting higher price tags many consumers expect to find on store shelves. Despite those concerns, March saw a rise in big ticket purchases, like new vehicles, which some experts say shows that consumers are investing in goods most likely to be impacted by tariffs. But is this sort of “doom spending” a reasonable reaction to the markets? And what might this behavior suggest for the coming months? Joining us to discuss is Susan Schmidt, head of public equity and portfolio manager at Exchange Capital Resources, and Delia Fernandez, fee-only certified financial planner and investment advisor, and president of Fernandez Financial Advisory, LLC in Los Alamitos. We also want to hear from you! Has economic concerns impacted your spending habits? Did you make a large purchase to avoid potential tariff pricing? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
Do you believe in luck?
Luck. Some people just seem to have it. Maybe they're not scratching off winning numbers on lottery tickets every day, but things tend to work out their way. They'll land on their feet when adversity hits, and opportunities always seem to seek them out. Unlucky people on the other hand may often get into bad situations that just seem to get worse and never quite get the chances they want to advance.
Of course, the validity of this dichotomy rests entirely on whether or not you believe in the concept of luck. But what if luck wasn't a concept, but rather something like a skill that you could get better at? That's a question that the author of the book The Serendipity Mindset: The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck set out to answer, and his findings suggest that a lot of what we perceive as luck comes down to mindset. Joining Austin to speak about luck is the book's author Christian Busch, business professor at the USC Marshall School of Business and an affiliate researcher at the London School of Economics, and John Sovec, licensed marriage and family therapist. We also want to hear from you! Do you believe in luck? Are you a particularly lucky or unlucky individual? Let us know by calling in at 866-893-5722 or emailing us at atcomments@laist.com.
Yeastie Boys brings the LA bagel to Coachella
Coachella’s final weekend kicks off today, and if you didn’t manage to get a ticket you may be scrolling social media right now trying to catch snippets of the live performances. But Coachella is much more than just a music festival. It has also become known for its food vendors, many of them some of LA’s most beloved restaurants. Today on AirTalk, we’re bringing Coachella to you with LA’s very own Yeastie Boys Bagels, who debuted their food truck at the music festival back in 2015. Owner Evan Fox joins us to talk about how one little truck became an LA institution and to settle the debate on what makes a good bagel.
FilmWeek: ‘The Wedding Banquet,’ ‘Sneaks,’ ‘The Ugly Stepsister,’ And More
Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Amy Nicholson and Manuel Betancourt review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.
- Sinners Wide Release
- The Wedding Banquet In Select Theaters
- Sneaks Wide Release
- The Legend of Ochi In Select Theaters|Wide Release on April 25
- The President's Wife Laemmle Royal [West LA] | Laemmle Town Center 5 [Encino] | Landmark Pasadena
- The Shrouds In Select Theaters| Wide Release on April 25
- High Art [4K Restoration] Laemmle Noho 7 [North Hollywood]
- The Ugly Stepsister In Select Theaters
- Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can't Sing In Select Theaters
‘John Wick’ filmmaker Chad Stahelski talks Oscars’ inclusion of Best Stunt Design category
Last week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’s Board of Governors announced it would add a new category to its awards ceremony starting 2028– Achievement in Stunt Design. This serves as a major win for the many stuntmen and stuntwomen who’ve lobbied for such an award, with their line of work having existed since the inception of film. Although stunts from the likes of Buster Keaton won’t ever be able to win such an award, there are plenty of recent films that have drawn crowds for their stunts. Whether it be the Mission Impossible or John Wick films, well-designed action sequences have kept moviegoers’ attention, which makes rewarding their stunt designers a great decision as we inch closer to the 100th annual Academy Awards. For this week’s FilmWeek feature, Larry and this week’s critics discuss this news with filmmaker and longtime stuntman, Chad Stahelski.
