At last, the labor market is showing signs that it’s finding a happy medium: New unemployment claims are inching up while overall unemployment is still at a historic low. While this isn’t the gangbusters labor market of summer 2022, it’s also not the COVID shutdown, with sky-high furloughs and layoffs. In this episode, why slowed hiring is a good sign. Also, retail stories, big and small: big-box stores cut costs where they can, street vendors scrape by and Toyota sticks to hybrids.