Finance
Bay Area gas prices near $4: The mental toll on drivers and financial strain on small businesses
Gas prices reach $4 in Bay Area
The rising cost of gas isn’t just hurting your commute because the cost to transport inventory and the cost of goods goes right up with it. FOX 13’s Ariel Plasencia reports
TAMPA, Fla. – According to new data from AAA, average gas prices in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Sarasota Counties are currently sitting just pennies below $4 a gallon.
In Citrus County, the average has already crossed that threshold, according to data.
The pain at the pump is becoming impossible to ignore for Bay Area drivers, and the rising costs are creating a ripple effect that is also hitting local small businesses hard.
Why you should care:
Why does that $4 mark trigger such a strong reaction from drivers?
“We have a bias towards round numbers. It’s why companies set prices at $9.99 instead of $10,” University of Tampa microeconomist Aaron Wood, who studies consumer behavior, said. “We have these reference points, these anchors in our brain. We use these heuristics to make consumption decisions.”
Wood, an associate professor of economics at UT, told FOX 13 it comes down to how our brains process the expense.
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“When you’re standing there, pumping your own gas, you see the rotation of the number and so it’s different than like, if the Netflix price goes up or your lawn service — even sometimes grocery prices — gas is more upsetting. You’re watching it happen as opposed to something being buried in your credit card statement. So I think it’s upsetting to everybody because it’s so visceral, and it’s in your face,” Wood added.
Local perspective:
But that rising price tag isn’t just hurting daily commuters: It’s forcing local business owners to make tough choices, too.
Chris Gonzalez has owned Mona’s Floral Creations in Tampa for seven years. He says fuel costs are constantly on his mind.
“I’ve actually started watching the news every morning just to see how much it’s gone up from the day prior,” Gonzalez said. “I think about it more and more, like not even daily. It’s almost like every few hours I have to think about it, because I try to pass along the best, most competitive prices to my consumer — not only in my flowers, but also in my delivery charges.”
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Mona’s has been serving the Tampa community for nearly 50 years. In the seven years Gonzalez has owned the shop, he has only had to raise his delivery prices twice, from $10 to $12, and then to $15, which is the current rate. Now, he’s unsure what he’ll have to charge next week.
Gonzalez says he hopes that if he does have to raise delivery prices again—potentially up to $18, it will only be temporary.
“I’m trying to be as competitive as possible and continue the Mona’s brand that people know and love around here,” Gonzalez added.
What’s next:
To cope with the surge, Gonzalez is making adjustments to his shop’s daily operations. Instead of delivering a floral arrangement immediately after it’s made, his team is now holding orders so they can group deliveries together based on geographical routes.
“It just makes more sense from a fuel perspective,” he noted.
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And with Mother’s Day right around the corner, Gonzalez said he will be closely watching the changes in gas prices.
“We are in planning mode right now. We’re ordering our flowers. We’re planning what types of arrangements we’re going to offer for sale for moms,” Gonzalez said. “But now I have that additional thing: I have to think about what’s the price of gas going to be like in two months when Mother’s Day’s here?”
The Source: This article was written with information gathered by FOX 13’s Ariel Plaencia.
Finance
Sports betting should be regulated as a financial product, not gambling, aspiring prediction market provider says
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Sports betting should be regulated as a federal financial product rather than a state-licensed casino product, two panelists said Thursday.
Appearing at Consensus Miami 2026, Jacob Fortinsky, co-founder and CEO of sports betting platform Novig, said the legacy sportsbook model is structurally broken because it treats winning bettors as cheaters.
“Sports betting is really the only industry in the country that regularly limits and bans their power users,” Fortinsky said. He framed sports event contracts as binary financial instruments that “for so long have been treated as a gambling product and instead should really be treated as a financial product.” Globally, he said, sports betting is “a $2 trillion asset class still dominated by these legacy casinos.”
Adam Mastrelli, founder of 57 Maiden, a firm that builds AI-driven trading strategies for prediction markets, validated the critique with personal experience.
“My partner and I got kicked off of two big sportsbooks within two months of trading because we were sharp,” he said, It’s like “LeBron James getting kicked out of the NBA for being too good,” he added.
Mastrelli said the team turned to Novig, which he said charges no fees and allows traders to create synthetic positions.
Mastrelli said his firm’s edge decayed quickly, and of 154 proposed trading strategies, only three currently run profitably.
“This edge will go away,” he said, “so if you can build systems that can keep up with that edge and that alpha… then it becomes really, really intriguing.” His most profitable season, he said, was the WNBA.
Fortinsky said Novig is on track to transition this summer from a sweepstakes model live in 35 states to a federal DCM framework that will let it operate in all 50 states. An earlier attempt to be regulated at the state level in Colorado, he said, was a wake-up call. “Regulators told us essentially you’re naive if you think we care about consumer protection or innovation or market efficiency. We really just care about our tax revenue,” he said.
The federal-state fight, Fortinsky added, is “going to get to the Supreme Court in the next two or three years,” with 15 pending lawsuits between the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Kalshi, Robinhood and various states. Within prediction markets, he argued sports is “counterintuitively actually the safest vertical,” given the bigger insider-trading and manipulation concerns around political and event-driven contracts.
Mastrelli, who said he avoids offshore platforms entirely, compared prediction markets to equities exchanges: “When I see a robust equities market now, this is AQR against SIG. It doesn’t go away.”
Harley-Davidson’s new CEO wants to transform how people think about the iconic motorcycle brand, so the company is trying something different.
This week, Harley announced a new strategy that focuses on lower-priced bikes, rather than relying on older, more affluent customers to buy its higher-margin touring models.
“Back to the Bricks builds on our core strengths and competitive advantages, harnessing the passion of our riders to deliver profitable growth for the Company and both our dealers and shareholders,” Harley CEO Artie Starrs said this week. “As we drive towards this new phase of growth, we remain committed to the craftsmanship and dedication that define our brand.”
Entry-level Harley-Davidsons cost about $13,000, while the higher-end Adventure Touring models average about $23,250, and the Premium Range &CVO models cost about $38,500, according to Reuters.
Harley’s new strategy targets a core profit of over $350 million from its motorcycle business by 2027 and over $150 million in cost reductions.
To kick off the new strategy, Harley is introducing Sprint, a new entry-level model powered by a smaller 440cc engine, later in the year.
What is Harley-Davidson’s “Back to the Bricks” strategy?
Harley’s new strategy relies on more than just pushing buyers toward cheaper vehicles to increase volume. The 123-year-old company has a set of five pillars on which it is building its future.
Harley-Davidson “Back to the Bricks” 5-point plan
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Deep appreciation of Harley-Davidson’s competitive advantages and legacy: The Company’s iconic brand, diversified and powerful revenue channels, and best-in-class dealer network provide a powerful foundation for growth.
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Renewed commitment to exclusive dealer network to drive enterprise profitability: Harley-Davidson’s dealers are a competitive advantage. The Company is planning actions to enable dealers to double profitability in 2026 and then double it again by 2029.
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Immediate actions to recapture share in areas where Harley-Davidson has right to win: Harley-Davidson has strong legacy equity in existing markets including new motorcycles, used motorcycles, Parts & Accessories, and Apparel & Licensing. The Company’s new strategy is focused on positioning the Company to regain share and drive meaningful volume growth in categories where it benefits from credibility, scale, and deep rider connection.
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Strong financial position with a path to stronger free cash flow and EBITDA margin: Cost and restructuring actions already underway support a path to stronger free cash flow and EBITDA margin over time.
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Bolstered management team with balance of fresh perspectives and institutional knowledge: Harley-Davidson has made a number of leadership appointments that support the Company as it leverages its innate strengths.
Written by Jitendra Parashar at The Motley Fool Canada
Dividend investing can be one of the simplest ways to build long-term wealth while creating a steady stream of passive income. But in my opinion, a good dividend stock is about much more than just a high yield. Beyond dividend yield, investors should also look for companies with durable businesses, reliable cash flows, and a history of rewarding shareholders consistently over time.
That’s exactly why many investors turn to financial stocks. Banks and asset managers often generate recurring earnings through lending, investing, and wealth management activities, allowing them to support stable dividend payments even during uncertain market conditions.
Two Canadian financial stocks that stand out right now are AGF Management (TSX:AGF.B) and Toronto-Dominion Bank (TSX:TD). Both companies offer attractive dividends backed by solid financial performance and long-term growth strategies. In this article, I’ll explain why these two financial stocks could be worth considering for income-focused investors right now.
AGF Management stock continues to reward shareholders
AGF Management is a Toronto-based asset manager with businesses across investments, private markets, and wealth management. Through these divisions, the company offers equity, fixed income, alternative, and multi-asset investment strategies to retail, institutional, and private wealth clients.
Following a 59% rally over the last 12 months, AGF stock currently trades at $16.67 per share with a market cap of roughly $1.1 billion. At current levels, the stock offers a quarterly dividend yield of 3.3%.
One reason behind AGF’s strong recent performance is its increasingly diversified business model. The company has expanded its investment capabilities and broadened its geographic reach, helping it perform well across varying market environments.
In the first quarter of its fiscal 2026 (ended in February), AGF posted free cash flow of $36 million, up 14% year over year (YoY), driven mainly by higher management, advisory, and administration fees. These fees climbed to $92.5 million as demand for the company’s investment offerings strengthened.
AGF has also been focusing on expanding its alternative investment business and introducing new investment products. With strong cash generation and growing demand for alternative investments, AGF Management looks well-positioned to continue rewarding investors over the long term.
TD Bank stock remains a dependable dividend giant
Toronto-Dominion Bank, or TD Bank, is one of North America’s largest banks, serving millions of customers through its Canadian banking, U.S. retail banking, wealth management and insurance, and wholesale banking operations.
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