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The yen was steady after data showing a rebound in Japanese manufacturer sentiment and President Donald Trump announced the first tranche of mega-investments Tokyo is making in the U.S. The kiwi held gains before a decision by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, which is widely expected to hold on rates.

Iran said ‌progress had been ⁠made ⁠in nuclear talks with the U.S. in Geneva, while peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia continued. With many markets in Asia remaining closed for Lunar New Year holidays, investor focus remained on the Fed’s readout of its last meeting and key U.S. economic data due on Friday.

“Weaker risk sentiment, because of concerns around renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and volatility in U.S. equity markets, briefly supported the USD,” Samara Hammoud, a currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, wrote in a note. “However, reports that the U.S. and Iran made progress ⁠and reached ‌a ‘general agreement’ during nuclear negotiations in Switzerland helped ease those concerns.”

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, was little changed at 97.11 after a two-day advance. The ⁠euro was steady at $1.1852.

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The yen strengthened 0.1% to 153.12 per dollar. Sterling held at $1.3563, after a 0.5% slide in the previous session.
Iran and the U.S. reached an understanding on the main “guiding principles” in a second round of indirect talks over their nuclear dispute on Tuesday, although a deal is not imminent, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said. Elsewhere in Geneva, negotiators from Ukraine and Russia concluded the first of two days of U.S.-mediated peace talks in Geneva, with Trump pressing Kyiv to act fast to reach a deal to end the four-year conflict.

The Fed’s Open Market Committee issues minutes ‌from its January meeting later on Wednesday, while the Commerce Department on Friday will issue its first estimate for U.S. gross domestic product for the fourth quarter.

In Japan, data showed exports rose for a fifth consecutive month in ⁠January, while the Reuters Tankan poll showed that confidence among the nation’s manufacturers improved in February for the first time in three months.

The International Monetary Fund urged Japan to keep raising interest rates and avoid loosening fiscal policy further. The Trump administration announced three projects valued at $36 billion to be financed by Japan, the first of some $550 billion in projects Tokyo agreed to undertake in order to lower U.S. tariffs.

The Australian dollar was steady at $0.7083, while the kiwi traded little changed at $0.6047. New Zealand’s first female central bank chief Anna Breman chairs her debut meeting on Wednesday, with rates widely expected to stay on hold.

In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin fell 0.08% to $67,597.50, while ether declined 0.18% to $1,995.63.

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Americans set a new record for domestic air travel in 2025 even as travel patterns shifted, a new analysis found.

AAA Northeast examined several years of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint data and found that over 904 million travelers went through a TSA checkpoint last year, an increase of 2.57 million passengers compared with 2024.

That figure marks a new annual record for domestic air travel, though the year-over-year increase was under 1% growth – much cooler than in prior years.

By comparison, the number of passengers going through TSA checkpoints was up 5.3% in 2024 from 2023, which had a 13% growth from 2022.

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AAA Northeast found that 2025 set a record for domestic air travel, though the rate of growth slowed. (Matthew Hatcher/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Fewer travelers flew on Mondays and Tuesdays in 2025, with passenger volume declining by 0.39% and 3%, while more travelers caught flights on Thursdays and Sundays with growth of 1.89% and 1.87%, respectively.

AAA’s report noted that the data could reflect “softness in business travel early in the workweek and continued strength in leisure travel, which tends to occur closer to weekends.”

The data also showed that 2025 had lower passenger volumes in the first part of the year when compared with 2024, with four of the first six months of last year showing declining growth compared with 2024.

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The number of extremely busy travel days increased in 2025 despite the modest year-over-year increase in overall travel. (Reuters/Maja Smiejkowska)

January 2025 saw passenger volumes rise by 1.75%, though February experienced a 2.97% decline. A 0.17% decline in March and 0.23% gain in April were followed by declines of 1.48% in May and 0.45% in June.

Passenger volumes rebounded around the Fourth of July holiday, with the month of July seeing 1.16% growth, and the momentum carried over through October when volumes were up 3.63% year-over-year.

The holiday travel season was slightly slower in 2025 than in 2024, as volumes were down 0.15% in November and 0.08% in December. AAA suggested the decline could’ve been due to the effects of the government shutdown, although it added that travel during the actual shutdown was 2.2% higher than the prior year after a 6.2% decline in the final shutdown’s final week.

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The holiday travel season was slightly slower in 2025 than in 2024, AAA Northeast reported. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

AAA also noted that there was an uptick in the number of extremely busy days with over 3 million passengers passing through TSA checkpoints. 

There were eight such days in 2025, as May 23, June 22, July 6, July 13, July 20, July 27, Oct. 10 and Nov. 30 all saw passenger volumes top 3 million. By contrast, there were only two such days in 2024: July 7 and Dec. 1.

TSA also set the record for largest passenger volume twice in 2025: June 22 had 3.09 million passengers screened, while Nov. 30 broke the new record with 3.13 million passengers.

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The transformation of tattooing from a subcultural phenomenon into a recognized art form and a significant segment of the creative economy brings renewed attention to issues of professionalization and sustainability of business processes within the industry.

Against the backdrop of global market growth and increasing competition, the traditional tattoo studio operating model—often based on simple workspace rental—reveals its limitations. It does not consistently contribute to the long-term development of artists, the construction of their personal brands, or the implementation of unified ethical and service standards.

As a result, there is a growing need for new organizational structures capable of ensuring not only commercial success but also the creative growth of professionals and increased trust in the industry as a whole. The purpose of this article is to analyze and conceptualize the “creative hub” model as a factor of sustainable development in the tattoo business, using the Art Integration project as a case study.

The Concept of the Creative Hub in the Context of Art Business

The term “creative hub” refers to a physical or virtual space that brings together individuals engaged in creative industries for the purposes of knowledge exchange, collaboration, and joint development. Scholars such as Charles Landry emphasize that such ecosystems act as catalysts for innovation and economic growth in cities and regions [1]. Unlike traditional office spaces or coworking environments, creative hubs focus on community building and the provision of resources aimed at developing specific professional competencies.

As noted by Andy Pratt, the value of such spaces lies in the synergistic effect generated through interaction among talented individuals, as well as access to shared infrastructure and knowledge [2]. In the context of the art business, this model implies a shift from the artist’s individual activity toward the creation of a supportive environment that helps address administrative, marketing, and educational challenges.

Systemic Problems of the Traditional Tattoo Studio Model

An analysis of interviews with recognized industry professionals and data related to the Art Integration project reveals a number of systemic shortcomings inherent in the widely used tattoo studio business model. In many cases, the studio functions merely as a landlord, providing workspace and basic infrastructure, while its income may exceed that of the artist. Such a structure does not incentivize studio owners to invest in the long-term development of artists, their education, or their professional promotion.

As a result, artists are forced to independently manage marketing activities, client acquisition, and personal brand development, diverting time and resources away from their core creative work. The lack of a systematic approach to mentorship and professional skill development slows the growth of emerging specialists and contributes to stagnation within the industry.

The Art Integration Model as an Example of a Creative Hub

The Art Integration project, developed by Valerii Sirko, offers a solution to the aforementioned challenges through the creation of a new type of creative hub. This model replaces traditional rental relationships with a partnership-based ecosystem in which the studio actively invests in the development of its residents. The hub’s activities are built upon several fundamental principles.

The first principle is talent development. The program aims to create optimal conditions for creativity, continuous learning, and knowledge exchange among artists. This includes the organization of master classes, access to modern technologies, and structured mentorship.

The second principle is personal brand building. The hub assumes responsibility for the marketing promotion of artists, supporting their entry into the international market. This enables artists to focus on their creative work while entrusting business processes to a team of professionals.

The third principle is the implementation of high ethical and service standards. Art Integration is focused on promoting tattooing as a form of high art and on establishing exemplary client service. This includes in-depth psychological engagement with clients, the creation of exclusive designs, and the provision of maximum comfort and safety.

Analytical Synthesis and Application Potential

The Art Integration model demonstrates how creative hub principles can be adapted to address the specific challenges of a particular industry. Investments in human capital, according to the work of Gary Becker, represent the most effective strategy for long-term growth [3]. By creating conditions for artists’ development, the hub enhances their competitiveness and, consequently, its own commercial success. The centralization of business functions—such as marketing and administration—enables the achievement of economies of scale that are unattainable for individual practitioners.

The implementation of unified ethical and service standards contributes to greater transparency and trust in the industry from the consumer perspective, which is a necessary condition for sustainable development, as highlighted in studies on the economics of trust [4]. Thus, the proposed model not only optimizes business processes but also fulfills an important social function by fostering a more professionalized and ethically regulated market.

The study shows that the traditional rental-based tattoo studio model has systemic constraints that limit sustainable development for both individual artists and the industry as a whole. The “creative hub” model developed using the Art Integration project as a foundation offers an effective alternative. It shifts the focus from short-term extraction toward long-term investment in human capital, the development of strong personal brands, and the formation of higher ethical standards.

The synthesis of a creative environment with centralized business infrastructure enables artists to realize their potential more fully, while improving the industry’s prestige and investment attractiveness. Practical recommendations for implementation include establishing structured mentorship programs, developing an integrated marketing strategy, and formalizing ethical codes and client service standards. The proposed model is scalable and can be adapted to other segments of the creative economy where individual mastery is the core source of value.