Editor's Note: Some linked articles may be behind subscription paywalls.
1. Dollar stabilizes after nearing years-long low
The value of the U.S. dollar seemed to ease out of a fall as it neared a long low not seen in more than three years, Reuters reports. The news agency points to uncertainty over tariffs for the currency's volatility.
"Investors are concerned that Tokyo and Brussels might not be able to secure deals with Washington ahead of the deadline as progress on agreements with Japan and the European Union has been slow, despite multiple rounds of negotiations," Reuters reports. "The dollar index, which measures the currency against six major counterparts, rose 0.41% to 97.363 and briefly hit a one-week high."
While that index has creeped up, it's still near the lowest point in three and a half years and is down 10% since the start of the year.
2. Holiday travelers hit by thousands of flight delays
Travelers heading home after the July 4 holiday faced more than 5,000 flight delays Sunday, with those in Chicago and Washington, D.C., the worst hit, Forbes reports.
Chicago O'Hare International Airport saw 800 delays due to weather on Sunday.
There were also 9,100 delays reported on July 4.
3. How one London GM manages a dual-brand property
While dual-brand properties are not new in the hotel industry, they can still be a challenge to execute properly, despite the efficiencies they offer. CoStar News' Terence Baker checked in with one London-based general manager on how he makes the most of the setup.
David Hayden is general manager of the 282-room Mercure London Earls Court and the 226-room Ibis London Earls Court, and he sees their positioning as a big advantage.
“The two brands operating across economy and midscale markets provides us with key market information across a wider segmentation, which I feel has allowed us access to the intel needed to better understand our performance and be able to make better commercial decisions in the future,” he added.
4. Tariffs are reshaping global supply chains
With a 90-day pause on tariffs set to expire, the BBC took a look at how U.S. tariffs are changing the patterns of global supply chains.
Rick Woldenberg, CEO of educational toy company Learnings Resources, told the news agency that his company saw its import taxes jump from roughly $2.5 million a year to $100 million.
"This kind of impact on my business is just a little bit hard to wrap my mind around," he said.
His response has been to move more production to factories in Vietnam and India, but he remains uneasy with the shift.
"We don't know if they can handle the capacity of our business, much less the whole world moving in there at the same time," he said.
5. American travelers see international pushback
The Wall Street Journal reports that outbound American travelers are more likely to face unwelcoming crowds in some international destinations, as the State Department issues a broad travel alert related to “the potential for demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests abroad.”
The issue of international pushback on American policies is being magnified in markets that are generally facing blowback due to overtourism, particularly southern European destinations such as Barcelona and Lisbon.
"Travel agents recommend checking local news sources during any trips to know of places to avoid in the case of future demonstrations," the newspaper reports.