Finance & economics | Fun while it lasted

Is the global investment boom turning to bust?

Why capex spending is now heading in the wrong direction

2B8M2YB Orlando, Florida. March 02, 2019. People having fun The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universals Islands of Adventure
Check the screwsImage: Alamy
|SAN FRANCISCO

Almost wherever you look, companies seem to be scaling back their ambitions. Meta, the owner of Facebook, recently said that it would invest less in 2023 than previously promised. Disney is slimming its capex plans for this year by a tenth, meaning punier investment in its theme parks. Calavo Growers, a huge producer of avocados and other fruit, intends to reduce its capital expenditures “while we navigate near-term uncertainties”.

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Fun while it lasted”

From the March 18th 2023 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

Discover more

illustration of a stern-faced man in a suit with a green tie, set against a bright green background. A small building with a flag is depicted in the pocket of his suit

The great-man theory of Wall Street

Why finance is still dominated by bold individuals

Hong Kong’s property slump may be terminal

Demographics and geopolitics will make a recovery harder


A float is inflated in preparation for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Why everyone wants to lend to weak companies

An unanticipated side-effect of Donald Trump’s election victory


American veterans now receive absurdly generous benefits

An enormous rise in disability payments may complicate debt-reduction efforts

Why Black Friday sales grow more annoying every year

Nobody is to blame. Everyone suffers

Trump wastes no time in reigniting trade wars

Canada and Mexico look likely to suffer