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Inflation spike in Europe is tied to the Olympics, Taylor Swift: UBS

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A general view of the Eiffel Tower with the Olympics rings pictured with national flags of competing countries from the Place du Trocadero ahead of Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 21, 2024 in Paris, France.

Kevin Voigt | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images

The Olympic Games are causing a surge in prices, but French consumers aren’t likely to feel its pinch.

Mega events like the Olympics, or even big concerts like Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, lead to a rise in demand for hotel — rooms and airline tickets, as well as other goods and services needed by the influx of visitors. Even so, most consumers may not feel the impact, according to UBS. 

Still, the data might suggest otherwise. That’s because the method for calculating consumer price changes might pick up the spiking costs in industries associated with tourism — like hotels — and provide a distorted impression.

“The Olympic Games or a Taylor Swift concert create a sudden demand shock,” wrote Paul Donovan, chief economist at UBS Global Wealth Management, in a recent analyst note. “The measurement method for these prices is more likely to capture the unusual and transitory pattern of demand, and it is here that the increase in consumer price inflation takes place.”

Taylor Swift performs onstage during The Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium on June 21, 2024, in London.

Kevin Mazur | Getty Images

This was already seen with the Eras Tour, as it boosted hotel revenue in cities across the U.S. where Swift was performing.

This year, U.K. hotel prices increased in June, but Donovan said the higher costs “may have been borne by a select group of aficionados of Swift’s music” given that the Eras Tour came to Wembley Stadium that month.

Meanwhile, the Summer Games are causing a similar phenomenon in Paris. “The tourists flocking to Paris for the Olympics, and paying the price, are not representative of French consumers,” he wrote.

A Parisian hotel boom?

Though hotels in the City of Light struggled in the beginning of July, with an estimated 60% drop in occupancy rates that prompted hotels to discount rates, the trend during the Games has reversed. Paris hotel occupancy levels during the Olympics, which started on July 26 and run until Sunday, are up versus last year, according to global real estate data company CoStar. But in the days after the closing ceremony, Paris hotel bookings are projected to drop from a year ago.

The city’s hotel industry has also seen massive year-over-year price increases. For each day during the first full week of this year’s Games from July 28 until Aug. 3, CoStar found a 206% year-over-year growth in weekly revenue per available room. That was fueled by a 17.4 percentage point rise in occupancy to 85.4% as well as a gain in the average daily rate (ADR) of 143%.

The Paris tourist office expects an occupancy rate of 86% from Aug. 5 through Sunday.

A notable price surge has also been seen in other parts of France. In the surrounding Île-de-France region, CoStar found that ADR grew 83.4% in the week ended July 27 from a year ago. At the same time, Paris occupancy fell 5.7 percentage points year over year, while ADR jumped by 90.8%.

“Is your average French person looking to stay in Paris at the moment? No, they are absolutely not, not unless they’re insane or going to the Olympics,” he told CNBC in an interview. “Most of them are unaffected by the surge in prices.”

Olympic gains

That said, the Games are drawing huge numbers of tourists. During the first week alone, the Paris tourist office reported 1.73 million visitors in Greater Paris, an 18.9% increase from 2023.

Of these, 924,000 were international tourists — about a 14% uptick from last year — with the largest number of foreign visitors coming from the U.S. French tourists coming to the city rose 25.1% to 803,000 from last year.

In all, the tourist office has estimated a total of 15.3 million visitors for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, with 11.3 million for the former and 4 million for the latter.

Tourists take selfies in front of the Arc de Triomphe on July 07, 2023 in Paris, France. Paris will host the Summer Olympics from July 26 till August 11, 2024. 

Matthias Hangst | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images

Tourists pass near a banner with the Paris 2024 logo before the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games on June 17, 2024 in Paris, France. 

Chesnot | 

Small businesses across the city have also seen gains. Visa found that those businesses received a year-ove-year sales boost of 26% from cardholders in the Games’ first weekend.

While the long-term economic impact of the Paris Olympics is still uncertain, Donovan expects that “on balance it will probably be a positive,” citing past Games that have seen tourism booms like Barcelona in 1992. “If you get it right, it can be a boost,” he said, noting that Summer Olympics tend to garner more attraction than the Winter Olympics in general.

Paris 2024 may generate as much as $12 billion, or 11.1 billion euros, in long-term economic impact, a recent study from the Centre for Law and Economics of Sport estimated. The International Olympic Committee said the next two Summer Olympics could see even more value being created.

“What we see is that the economic impact of the Games is very substantial,” said Christophe Dubi, the Olympic Games executive director. “This is an injection of resources in the local economy that leaves a profound impact now and in the future.”

The IOC’s Agenda 2020 reforms have helped the events become more sustainable economically, according to Victor Matheson, an economist and professor at the College of the Holy Cross.

This will be the first Summer Games projected to cost under $10 billion since Sydney 2000. Money was saved by having 95% of the venues be preexisting or temporary and the strategy could mark a “turning point” for the the Olympic movement, Matheson said.

“The IOC has allowed Paris to come through with an Olympics that doesn’t build these billion-dollar monuments at the Olympics and doesn’t gold-plate everything there,” he said. “Those sorts of things that can drive up costs pretty quickly, they don’t appear to be pushing that.”

Disclosure: CNBC parent NBCUniversal owns NBC Sports and NBC Olympics. NBC Olympics is the U.S. broadcast rights holder to all Summer and Winter Games through 2032.

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Accounting

Business Transaction Recording For Financial Success

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Business Transaction Recording For Financial Success

In the world of financial management, accurate transaction recording is much more than a routine task—it is the foundation of fiscal integrity, operational transparency, and informed decision-making. By maintaining meticulous records, businesses ensure their financial ecosystem remains robust and reliable. This article explores the essential practices for precise transaction recording and its critical role in driving business success.

The Importance of Detailed Transaction Recording
At the heart of accurate financial management is detailed transaction recording. Each transaction must include not only the monetary amount but also its nature, the parties involved, and the exact date and time. This level of detail creates a comprehensive audit trail that supports financial analysis, regulatory compliance, and future decision-making. Proper documentation also ensures that stakeholders have a clear and trustworthy view of an organization’s financial health.

Establishing a Robust Chart of Accounts
A well-organized chart of accounts is fundamental to accurate transaction recording. This structured framework categorizes financial activities into meaningful groups, enabling businesses to track income, expenses, assets, and liabilities consistently. Regularly reviewing and updating the chart of accounts ensures it stays relevant as the business evolves, allowing for meaningful comparisons and trend analysis over time.

Leveraging Modern Accounting Software
Advanced accounting software has revolutionized how businesses handle transaction recording. These tools automate repetitive tasks like data entry, synchronize transactions in real-time with bank feeds, and perform validation checks to minimize errors. Features such as cloud integration and customizable reports make these platforms invaluable for maintaining accurate, accessible, and up-to-date financial records.

The Power of Double-Entry Bookkeeping
Double-entry bookkeeping remains a cornerstone of precise transaction management. By ensuring every transaction affects at least two accounts, this system inherently checks for errors and maintains balance within the financial records. For example, recording both a debit and a credit ensures that discrepancies are caught early, providing a reliable framework for accurate reporting.

The Role of Timely Documentation
Prompt transaction recording is another critical factor in financial accuracy. Delays in documentation can lead to missing or incorrect entries, which may skew financial reports and complicate decision-making. A culture that prioritizes timely and accurate record-keeping ensures that a company always has real-time insights into its financial position, helping it adapt to changing conditions quickly.

Regular Reconciliation for Financial Integrity
Periodic reconciliations act as a vital checkpoint in transaction recording. Whether conducted daily, weekly, or monthly, these reviews compare recorded transactions with external records, such as bank statements, to identify discrepancies. Early detection of errors ensures that records remain accurate and that the company’s financial statements are trustworthy.

Conclusion
Mastering the art of accurate transaction recording is far more than a compliance requirement—it is a strategic necessity. By implementing detailed recording practices, leveraging advanced technology, and adhering to time-tested principles like double-entry bookkeeping, businesses can ensure financial transparency and operational efficiency. For finance professionals and business leaders, precise transaction recording is the bedrock of informed decision-making, stakeholder confidence, and long-term success.

With these strategies, businesses can build a reliable financial foundation that supports growth, resilience, and the ability to navigate an ever-changing economic landscape.

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Economics

A protest against America’s TikTok ban is mired in contradiction

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AS A SHUTDOWN looms, TikTok in America has the air of the last day of school. The Brits are saying goodbye to the Americans. Australians are waiting in the wings to replace banished American influencers. And American users are bidding farewell to their fictional Chinese spies—a joke referencing the American government’s accusation that China is using the app (which is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese tech giant) to surveil American citizens.

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Economics

Home insurance costs soar as climate events surge, Treasury Dept. says

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Firefighters battle flames during the Eaton Fire in Pasadena, California, U.S., Jan. 7, 2025.

Mario Anzuoni | Reuters

Climate-related natural disasters are driving up insurance costs for homeowners in the most-affected regions, according to a Treasury Department report released Thursday.

In a voluminous study covering 2018-22 and including some data beyond that, the department found that there were 84 disasters costing $1 billion or more, excluding floods, and that they caused a combined $609 billion in damages. Floods are not covered under homeowner policies.

During the period, costs for policies across all categories rose 8.7% faster than the rate of inflation. However, the burden went largely to those living in areas most hit by climate-related events.

For consumers living in the 20% of zip codes with the highest expected annual losses, premiums averaged $2,321, or 82% more than those living in the 20% of lowest-risk zip codes.

“Homeowners insurance is becoming more costly and less accessible for consumers as the costs of climate-related events pose growing challenges to both homeowners and insurers alike,” said Nellie Liang, undersecretary of the Treasury for domestic finance.

The report comes as rescue workers continue to battle raging wildfires in the Los Angeles area. At least 25 people have been killed and 180,000 homeowners have been displaced.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the costs from the fires are still unknown, but noted that the report reflected an ongoing serious problem. During the period studied, there was nearly double the annual total of disasters declared for climate-related events as in the period of 1960-2010 combined.

“Moreover, this [wildfire disaster] does not stand alone as evidence of this impact, with other climate-related events leading to challenges for Americans in finding affordable insurance coverage – from severe storms in the Great Plans to hurricanes in the Southeast,” Yellen said in a statement. “This report identifies alarming trends of rising costs of insurance, all of which threaten the long-term prosperity of American families.”

Both homeowners and insurers in the most-affected areas were paying in other ways as well.

Nonrenewal rates in the highest-risk areas were about 80% higher than those in less-risky areas, while insurers paid average claims of $24,000 in higher-risk areas compared to $19,000 in lowest-risk regions.

In the Southeast, which includes states such as Florida and Louisiana that frequently are slammed by hurricanes, the claim frequency was 20% higher than the national average.

In the Southwest, which includes California, wildfires tore through 3.3 million acres during the time period, with five events causing more than $100 million in damages. The average loss claim was nearly $27,000, or nearly 50% higher than the national average. Nonrenewal rates for insurance were 23.5% higher than the national average.

The Treasury Department released its findings with just three days left in the current administration. Treasury officials said they hope the administration under President-elect Donald Trump uses the report as a springboard for action.

“We certainly are hopeful that our successors stay focused on this issue and continue to produce important research on this issue and think about important and creative ways to address it,” an official said.

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