• Towns around the nation are being forced to use state and local funds in order to keep national parks open in these last few weeks of the tourism season. All national parks were closed as a result of last week’s government shutdown, according to the Wall Street Journal.
• The U.S. Military is making a large shift toward more energy-efficient fuels and practices. The primary motivation is not environmentalism, but safety. Fuels like solar energy present much less of a risk to troops than do fuel tankers in dangerous regions of Afghanistan, according to Bloomberg.
• Walmart Stores Inc., after struggling in Asia with regulations, slowing economies and competition, is now open to potential deals in China. China represents a large chunk of the discount giant’s plan for expansion in Asia, according to the Wall Street Journal.
•A survey conducted by George Washington University revealed that more than a third of Americans currently lack basic financial literacy, meaning they cannot compound interest or understand the differences in mutual funds and common stocks. The lack of knowledge can directly correlate to poor financial decision-making in the current complex economy, according to the New York Times.
• The federal income tax celebrated its 100th birthday on Friday, Oct. 4. This century old tax’s big day brought with it a discussion on whether the tax needs to be reformed to fit today’s changing economy, according to CNBC.
• After releasing detailed plans about their initial public offering, the social media site Twitter received a message that its 218-million-user audience may still be too small for many large-scale advertising companies, according to the Wall Street Journal.
• Cattle and hog prices are expected to rise in the coming months due to a decrease in the supply of animals going to butcher. There has also been a recent increase in the demand for the meat, according to Bloomberg.
