supermarket

There is a canary in the mine that is reminiscent of the subprime crisis: people in the US paying in installments for their supermarket purchases

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The United States faces a disturbing financial phenomenon that is beginning to spread throughout Europe: 91.5 million people finance their purchases with interest-free deferred payment services, and 25% of them use them for something as basic as filling the refrigerator. Defaults continue to grow: 34% in 2023 42% this year. The alarm does not come from pessimistic analysts, but fromNigel Morris, co-founder of Capital One and investor in Klarna. Someone who built an empire by understanding exactly how much financial stress the average American can endure before going bankrupt. Why is it important. In addition to the data itself, because the majority of these loans do not appear in traditional credit histories. Regulators call it “phantom debt.” A bank may consider someone who is drowning on five simultaneous microloans between Klarna, Affirm and PayPal solvent. The system flies blind. Morris sums it up: “If I’m a BNPL provider and I don’t look at credit agency data, I’m completely unaware that someone may have taken out ten of these loans last week.” And that is exactly what is happening. Between the lines. BNPL dangerously replicates pre-2008 logic: debt concentrated in vulnerable borrowers, packaged and sold to investors who believe they understand the risk. Elliott Advisors bought Klarna’s UK portfolio for $39 billion. KKR agreed to acquire up to $44 billion in BNPL debt from PayPal. The difference with the crisis subprime is that much of that debt remains invisible to the financial system. In Xataka The secret business behind your interest-free purchases: this is how El Corte Inglés turns your installments into financial gold The contrast. The Biden Administration attempted to regulate BNPL like credit cards. Trump backed down in May after pressure from the industry, revoking 67 rules. Days later, the Financial Protection Bureau published a surprisingly optimistic report: customers repaid their loans 98% of the time. The discrepancy with the 42% real delinquency rate reveals the problem: no one really knows what happens when someone manages several simultaneous accounts. Yes, but. By not reporting to the credit agencies, these companies prevent their customers from building a history to access cheaper credit. “Some companies don’t want that to happen because they don’t want the consumer to graduate,” Morris acknowledges. It’s part of the business model: keeping users trapped. And Europe is not immune. Klarna has been operating as a licensed bank since 2017 and has expanded its model to large Spanish shopping areas. The integration with Apple Pay and Google Pay makes it as simple as bringing your mobile phone closer to the dataphone. What started as a niche payment option is becoming integrated financial infrastructure. {“videoId”:”x9b3a8a”,”autoplay”:false,”title”:”IF YOU SHARE A TENTH OF THE CHRISTMAS LOTTERY you have to KNOW THIS… 😓 #shorts”, “tag”:”loteria”, “duration”:”50″} turning point. Morris does not predict a collapse, but vigilance is urgently needed. In the United States, signs are accumulating: rising unemployment, end of student loan moratoriums, accelerated deregulation… The combination creates conditions where problems could escalate quickly. And when consumer debt becomes unsustainable, the pain spreads. Also even the investors who financed this ecosystem. In Xataka |The data that revives the ghosts of Spain and the real estate bubble: €8,000 of average debt for each tenant Featured image | appshunter.io (function() { window._JS_MODULES = window._JS_MODULES || {}; var headElement = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)(0); if (_JS_MODULES.instagram) { var instagramScript = document.createElement(‘script’); instagramScript.src=”https://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js”; instagramScript.async = true; instagramScript.defer = true; headElement.appendChild(instagramScript); – The news There is a canary in the mine that is reminiscent of the subprime crisis: people in the US paying in installments for their supermarket purchases was originally published in Xataka by Javier Lacort .

A loaf of bread costs one euro in the supermarket. For the same price Europe just bought 18 fighter jets

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A loaf of bread from a supermarket or basic bakery usually around the euro in many cities. An automatic coffee machine in stations, hospitals or universities is also found at that price (okay, not always). In supermarkets, seasonal fruits such as a large apple, a banana or a loose piece of fruit can be around the amount. Even a single bus ticket in some cities is still close to the euro. What we were never going to imagine is that what a loaf of bread costs, 18 fighter jets cost. A strategic transfer. The transfer of 18 F-16 fighters from the Netherlands to Romania for the symbolic price of one euro It is, on the surface, an administrative gesture, but in practice it constitutes a strategic move with direct implications for the European security architecture and for the war in Ukraine. The formalized operation the full incorporation of these devices to the European F-16 Training Center (EFTC), installed at Fetești Air Base 86, in the southeast of Romania, and whose function is train Romanian and Ukrainian pilots in the management of the F-16 under interoperable NATO standards. Further. The presence of these aircraft on Romanian territory no longer depends on Dutch ownership, which allows expand and secure training places, adjust training rhythms to Allied needs and consolidate Romania as a key country on the eastern flank, in a context marked by Russian pressure in the Black Sea and on the border with Ukraine. Romania as a hub. The EFTC has become a space where instructors, pilots and technical personnel from multiple NATO countries and Ukraine work under homogeneous methodsensuring that new F-16 operators not only learn to fly the device, but also to integrate it into air defense doctrines, airspace control and combined operations. The center benefits from a tripartite structure: Romania provides the base, infrastructure and logistical support; The Netherlands provided the aircraft, and Lockheed Martin, as manufacturer, supplies instructors and advanced maintenance. Implications in war. This combination facilitates training of ukrainian pilots in an environment that reproduces real mission patterns and also guarantees constant course rotation without depending on US airspace or dispersed structures. The fact that these F-16s are European AM/BM standard models, the same ones that Ukraine has begun to receive from various allies, allows for immediate continuity: what is learned in Romania is translated without transition to combat operation. Relevance for Ukraine. The nation has received commitments to deliver dozens of F-16s from from Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Belgiumand its arrival has marked a slow but cumulative turning point in the modernization of its air force, until now dominated by MiG-29 and Su-27 Soviet design. The pilots trained in Romania (and in parallel in the United States) are already operating on defensive missions against Russian attacks with missiles and drones, and the value of the F-16 depends on both its number and the degree of training and the ability to sustain its maintenance and doctrine. In that sense, the EFTC is a structural piece, since it guarantees not only initial learning, but continuous trainingthe accumulation of Ukrainian instructors and the doctrinal integration with allies who have already dominated the apparatus for decades. Furthermore, the future possibility of these same aircraft transferred to Romania ending up in Ukraine is not ruled out, especially as Romania moves towards adoption of the F-35planned for after 2030. Implications. Plus: The strengthening of the EFTC reflects a broader shift in European defense: The progressive reduction in the number of F-16 operators in Western Europe, replaced by the F-35, has left room to reorient these aircraft to training, interoperability and reinforcement functions on the eastern flank. Romania, together with Bulgaria and Slovakia, is part of the group of new F-16 operatorsbecoming recipients of capabilities previously concentrated in northern and western countries. This geographical shift of air capabilities towards the east is significant because it accompanies the shift from the center of gravity strategic of NATO after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Training, maintenance, doctrine and response capabilities are now concentrated in territories closer to the possible confrontation. Other transfers. The symbolic sale of weapons between allies has relevant precedents that show how the financial price can be irrelevant compared to the strategic objective. The best known case is the transfer of 22 fighters MiG-29 from Germany to Poland in 2002 for one euro per unit, an operation that allowed Polish air capacity to be maintained while Berlin advanced in its modernization and that, years later, facilitated the shipment of those same devices to Ukraine. Another example is the transfer of former Hamilton class coast guard cutters by the United States to the Philippines. for a dollarwithin the program Excess Defense Articlesstrengthening Philippine naval capabilities in the South China Sea without a prohibitive cost. Added to this is the howitzer transfer self-propelled M109L from Italian arsenals to Ukraine, also under symbolic conditions, when the priority was no longer their accounting value, but rather putting proven, repairable and compatible systems with available ammunition in the hands of the Ukrainian army. At one euro. The sale for one euro It is not an isolated symbolic gesture, but the formalization of a capacity transfer process that consolidates Romania as NATO strategic node in air training and preparation, reinforces the technical base of the Ukrainian air force in transition, and reflects the structural readjustment of European defense to the east. He EFTC It provides not only pilots, but also doctrine, interoperability and operational continuity at a time when the stability of the eastern flank depends both on the number of aircraft and the quality and consistency of those who operate them. Image | US Air Force, Dutch Ministry of Defense, Romanian Ministry of Defense In Xataka | A very dangerous idea is gaining strength in the corridors of Europe: paying Russia in kind In Xataka | The war in Ukraine has triggered delays and canceled flights. And Europe has the solution: a wall of drones

No one has found the goose that laid the golden eggs, but from the price of eggs in the supermarket it seems that way

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There’s no use beating around the bush: eggs are expensive. Very expensive. And it is not a personal impression. According to the National Institute of Statistics, have gone up 15.9% so far this year and, according to the OCUthe growth has been 105% compared to 2021. When, a few months ago, we commented that the price of eggs had risen so much in the US that they had started smuggling them along the Mexican border, we did not expect that the crisis will arrive in Spain with the same force. But we already have him here. And why is all this happening? As always, the rise is multifactorial. As we explained this month of March, the first key is the demand itself. The sector has registered an increase that dates back to 2024with a 8% risemuch higher than that recorded for meat or refrigerated foods. And no one can be surprised: in times of marked inflationary tendencypeople naturally switch to cheaper options and eggs, with or without rising prices, are a protein source economical. But the situation, of course, does not stop there. More things. Many more things. To the increase in supply, we must add the increase in costs. It is not only the end of bonuses on the electricity bill, the increase in the cost of labour or the boom in the price of grain in the world after the invasion of Ukraine; is that the regulation that aims to eliminate cages has subjected the sector to more uncertainties of the usual ones. And then there’s the flu. A ghost haunts the farms of the world. With more than 300 million dead birdsthe world is experiencing one of the worst outbreaks (if not the worst) of bird flu in memory. And, surprisingly, Spain had avoided it. It is true that we all suspected that it was not a situation that was going to last too long: 2025 premiered with Portugal reporting the first focus of highly pathogenic influenza. It seemed like a matter of time. Therefore, taking into account that the flu was one of the key factors in the problems of Americans with eggs, this article is the “chronicle of a crisis foretold.” Because, today, in addition to the 45 wild outbreaks, there are eleven outbreaks in poultry throughout the country. And we must not forget that the fact of detecting a single sick bird entails “the sacrifice of 100% of the poultry herd on the affected farm.” In other words, to the problems of demand and costs, problems of supply are added. What can we expect? At this point in 2025, everything seems to indicate that there is only one scenario on the table: that of egg prices that will continue to grow. The reason is simple. There is no not one of the factors that are behind the “ovoflaction” that seems to be improving. In fact, the thealth, regulatory and macroeconomic order it can only cause (at least temporarily) supply to sink further. As I said at the beginning, according to the INE, the egg is the food that more has risen in price in 2025. And the problem begins to be another: that this rise could drag down the rest of the essential products (and the cheapest proteins) throughout 2026. What is clear is that no one has found the goose that lays the golden eggs. Image | Being organic in the EU In Xataka | The United States has been immersed in extreme egg prices for months. Spain now faces the same problem

The Greek yogurt has conquered the supermarket yogurts. All thanks to the magic word: protein

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On my last visit to the supermarket I realized that it was no longer enough to choose between natural or flavors. Now the labels speak of “Greek” or “protein”, without forgetting the “0% fat.” “Choose your own adventure,” we might think at first glance. However, my approach focuses on the Greek yogurt, because the “protein yogurt” we already know that we are in the It was of chic protein. But what is special for Greek yogurt to have become the protagonist? Is it really better for health or is it a triumph of marketing? More than an exotic name. Greek yogurt is no recent invention. In the Mediterranean basin it has been consumed for centuries as a basic food: thick, satiating and easy to conserve thanks to the casting that eliminates part of the serum. In Greece it is usual to serve it with honey and nuts, and in Türkiye or in the Middle East it is used in salty sauces and dishes. His jump to global fame arrived just two decades ago, when international brands began to market it. And what distinguishes it is not its passport, but rather its process: the liquid serum is sneaking, which gives it a thicker and more creamy texture, and a protein content greater than that of a conventional yogurt. A chute of protein. It seems that here is the kit of the matter. In a New York Times reportEthan Balk, a professor of nutrition at the University of New York, defined it as a complete protein: it contains the nine essential amino acids that the body does not produce for itself. In addition, clinical studies They have demonstrated that consuming it as a snack helps reduce hunger and delay the following meal. Also, a meta -analysis Add that This high protein density can help reduce total caloric intake and to increase metabolism when it is part of a balanced diet. But the Greek yogurt does not stay there. The interesting thing comes when we see what else contributes. Loses part of calcium in the process. And yes, this occurs in the casting part, but still remains a good source of this mineral and protein, key to bone health. In an article for News Medical Today They point out that An adequate intake of both nutrients can reduce the risk of osteoporosis. In addition, a 2014 study He found a relationship between the usual consumption of yogurt and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. The intestine, great protagonist. All yogurts with live crops, including Greek, contain probiotics: the famous “good bacteria.” Andrew T. Chan, Harvard gastroenterologist, He continued for years To more than 130,000 adults and observed something striking: those who ate yogurt twice a week had 20% less risk of a subtype of colon cancer compared to those who barely tried it. This does not prove that yogurt is a coat against cancer, because it was an observational study and did not distinguish varieties. But it does add to a body of increasing evidence on the value of those fermented in the diet. For its part, Since May ClinicThey add that yogurt bacteria participate not only in digestion, but also in the regulation of the immune system and in the production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, fundamental for mood. Not all Greek yogurts are the same. At this point it seems obvious, but it should be remembered: not everything that the label “Greek” deserves the same place in the fridge. Some Greek yogurts of flavors can carry both added sugar that go from healthy food to outrage, The New York Times warns. Since May Clinic They recommend fixing in which the container indicates “living and active crops”, since not all yogurts maintain probiotics after the pasteurization process. In addition, dietitian Elaine Siu, cited by NYTsuggests accompanying it with fruit, nuts or seeds: thus we add the fiber that the beneficial bacteria need to multiply. And if you do not consume dairy, the most balanced nutrient alternative is the fortified soy yogurt with calcium and vitamin D. A superfood? This word has become very fashionable and we cannot say that Greek yogurt is. However, if we can clarify that it is a dense product in nutrients: complete proteins, vitamin B12, probiotics and calcium in a single container. In a saturated market of labels and claims, the conclusion seems clear: the value of the Greek yogurt is not called “Greek” but to presume to be another value in the fever of the protein. Image | Freepik Xataka | To the question of whether ultraprocessed foods are as bad as they have told us, science still has no clear answer

It is getting back much more in origin than in the supermarket

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The story is known: from 2021 the price of olive oil He started up quickly. On the one hand, the extreme weather conditions had ruined the olive harvest and, on the other, The Ukraine War had caused A sudden increase in production costs. It was a “perfect storm” and we noticed it. What if we notice. What we are not noticing is the opposite phenomenon. Chronicle of a climb. At the end of 2022, The liter was worth 114% more than two years agothe campaign was going very badly and the sector began to understand that it was heading to a dead end. The problem had only started, of course. For summer of 2024, The oil was worth 100.4% more than in 2022 and 62% more than in 2023. demand (showing its inelasticity) I had not fallen so much, but I had fallen 44.5% in just two years. In addition, as a logical market response, the rest of consumer oils grew a lot. But now the thing has changed. The campaign has been fantastic and that has caused the price of oil in origin to fall rapidly. In fact, As we have commented in recent weekshas fallen below four euros the liter that, traditionally, supposed the olive line of profitability in Spain. Spurred by the delicate financial and productive situation of the sector, the descent has been very very very. We could say that, in a year, The price has dropped 53.3%; However, that descent is concentrated in recent months or even weeks. What happens in supermarkets? What happens is that it is not exactly what we are seeing in supermarkets. According to Facuathe one -liter bottle (on average) has only dropped 24%. It is not a surprise. It has been months for months that the world’s main bottling companies They announced that prices were not going to fall so fast. According to their logic, they could not impact all the oil rise to consumers and that generated financial problems (the owner of brands such as hojiblanca or carbonell, lost 34.3 million euros in 2023): 2024 was time to recover. And that’s what is happening: the famous “Cohete-Plum Effect“That we see with gasoline. The prices rise very fast and go down very slowly. What can we expect? Continuity. Prices have to go down in supermarkets, that is given by all analysts. The big question (In the middle of the very satisfactory campaign) It is how much the great actors in the sector will be contained. Image | Villa Vyctor | Jorge Fraganillo In Xataka | “Blood, sweat and tears” with olive oil: we see the light at the end of the tunnel, but the next months will be very long

China lives a cherry fever and Chile has become supermarket. It is a danger to the Chilean industry

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The culinary tastes and customs of some countries may seem peculiar. It is not necessary to go very far: a few years ago The #Swedengate occurred for the controversy that, in Sweden, Guests did not feed. It is a more Nordic custom that clashes with the Mediterranean. If we go the other tip of the world, in China, we find that They have predilection for one stinky fruit that put even in pizza. But they also like cherries. Much, very much, so much that they buy them from Mansalva to a country that has become its great supplier and with which they have opened up to a commercial route exclusively for that. And that country is Chile. Grapes Cherries at the end of the year. Each country has its customs and rites associated with certain festivities. The twelve end of the year grapes are the perfect example. While in Spain fresh and green grapes are used, traditionally, in Portugal And some Latin American countries are also twelve, but raisins. In China, tradition is not so much to eat, but to give away, being the fruit predicts the cherry. The reason is that cherries are seen as a symbol not only of good luck to face the new year, but also of renewal. Its red color is associated with fortune, joy and is common as a gift and element of great importance in family celebrations. Globalization. Cherries in China not only symbolize good luck, but also family union. It is not something new, but its cultural impact has been modified in recent years due to a single reason: globalization. In the past, the consumption and gift of cherries was associated with some quality that, therefore, was exclusive. Almost like a luxury article for families. And it was so because in China, although cherries are grown, at this time of year production is limited due to climatic conditions. That’s where Chile, where it is summer, entered the equation, supply The Chinese market with its cherries. Fever. Because of this, its consumption shot. In 2016, Chile exported around 40,000 tons of cherries to China. In 2023, it increased to more than 370,000 tons. For the last season, it is estimated that the figure will be close to 660,000 tons. Chile is flooding the Chinese market and that has allowed this exclusive article to become something more common and that everyone who wants to access. Impact on Chile. Of course, to the Chilean market, this has come as a ring to the finger. Cherry is one of its main products, representing almost 40% of the fruit production value in the country, and it is estimated that this demand from China has caused that more than 90% of exports to that market are cherries. Cherry Express. You had to find new ways to export cherries to China to cover two needs: increase the number and that they would reach the Asian giant faster. Not only to expedite everything, but for the fruit to remain fresh. The road? The “Cherry Express”, a commercial route Inaugurated at the beginning of 2024 focused on improving the communication of the Chilean ports of San Antonio and Valparaíso with that of Tianjing In China. It is a port very close to Beijing, an epicenter of cherry consumption, and with this route the times are shortened and the processes are expedited, which also allows you to lower the price of cherries in the destination market. Besides, I know They incorporated to the route ships a series of technological innovations to monitor all the parameters of the refrigerated containers and guarantee the optimal state of the fruit. Concern for prices. This flood of cherries has a negative appearance that producers are seeing these last months: overproduction and overexport. Seeing China’s taste for cherries, Chilean farmers have focused precisely on their cultivation. It is estimated that production has increased by 40% for the last harvest, but in China they are not sold as many as those exported, the price collapses. It is something that is already worrying To Chilean producers because estimate is that the price of cherries in the last season is between 30% and 60% lower. Not only is there on the price, but a demand that has been reduced Due to the state of the Chinese economy, which can reduce the consumption of non -essential products. Chilean reaction. This situation is making the Latin American country wonder about the long -term sustainability of the industry, so much that there are strategies and the ones it promotes Prochilepointing to the diversification of markets and the improvement of competitiveness with an objective in mind: that the industry does not depend on prices for a single product. Images | Prochile In Xataka | China has been building a megapuerto in Peru for eight years. It has just been released to revolutionize South America

Three dead and two injured police officers within a supermarket in Indiana

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A shooting inside Martin’s Super Market in Elkhart, Indiana, left two people lifeless on Monday afternoon, according to Elkhart Police Department (EPD). Police reports point out that the incident occurred around 5:30 pm, when the agents arrived at the scene and found the victims with gunshot wounds. Subsequently, it was determined that both were declared dead on the site. Elkhart police reported that after the shooting there was a confrontation between the police and the suspect outside the establishment. During this exchange of shooting, the alleged attacker was killedABC News said. In addition, two officers were injured during the incident, but their condition is stable and have been transferred to a local hospital to receive medical care. “In this horrible situation, words cannot express the pain that is felt in our community when a tragic incident like this happens. This pain is especially the families of the victims, the officers who came to the place, the families of the wounded officers and all the witnesses of this tragic incident, ”said the police chief, Dan Milanese. Indiana governor reaction The governor of Indiana, Mike Braun, also spoke about the event through an X publication, expressing his condolences and ensuring that he is in contact with local authorities to obtain more information about what happened. For its part, the Elkhart County Homicide Unit has assumed the investigation of the case. In a statement issued shortly after the incident, it was assured that there is no imminent danger to the public. The identities of the victims and the suspect have not been revealed while relatives are notified. Meanwhile, the authorities continue to work to clarify the details of the shooting and provide support to those who were affected by this tragedy. With information from ABC News Continue reading: – “Right to remain silent” and “Do not sign anything”: advice to NYC immigrants before ‘La Migra’– Mayor of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, after arrest of Missouri’s woman for burn business: “Tourists will always continue to reach our coasts”– Suspects of possession of weapons in the Bronx avoided prison by “diversion” program of arms; They are now accused of execution style murder (Tagstotranslate) Indiana

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