Business
Tax season presents boom-or-bust test
Customers near a Ford Maverick pickup truck at a Ford dealership in Richmond, California, US, on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
DETROIT – The strength of the U.S. automotive industry will face an early test this spring that has nothing to do with cars or trucks.
With tax season starting, industry experts are projecting that some Americans, many of whom have been priced out of the new vehicle market, will use anticipated higher tax returns to purchase a new or used vehicle.
Extra cash on hand could lend a needed boost to an industry that’s suffering from slowing vehicle sales — or it could reveal continued problems for the automotive industry with inflated prices and consumers still reluctant to spend on big-ticket items.
“Their new tax bill is actually going to be less, and they’re going to be getting more in their tax return. It’s going to be a little bit of a surprise, we think, for a lot of potential buyers out there,” said Cox Automotive senior economist Charlie Chesbrough at a recent auto analyst conference.
The average IRS tax refund is up 10.9% so far this season, compared to the same point in 2025, according to early filing data. As of Feb. 6, the average refund amount was $2,290, compared with $2,065 reported about one year prior.
The increases were expected under tax changes by the Trump administration, including the One, Big Beautiful Bill Act signed in July. That legislation removed taxes on overtime and tips and allowed eligible taxpayers to deduct up to $10,000 in annual interest paid on loans for new, U.S.-assembled vehicles purchased, among other adjustments.
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Many of the tax changes were made retroactive to January 2025, which means taxpayers may have withheld more than they will ultimately owe.
“Although it’s a bit of an unknown, it feels like it could be really beneficial to vehicle sales, particularly in that sort of Q1-Q2 timeframe,” said David Oakley, GlobalData manager of Americas vehicle sales forecasts.
March is historically one of the top months for U.S. vehicle sales, especially for used vehicles. The month has represented 9.1% of annual new vehicle sales on average over the past 12 years, according to Cox, trailing only the month of December at 9.3% of sales.
Many of the recent tax changes also assist middle- and higher-income consumers who may decide to pull ahead a vehicle purchase. The industry saw a similar dynamic during the Covid pandemic when the Trump administration issued many Americans $1,400 stimulus checks.
Back then, though, federal interest rates were near zero compared to the current Federal Reserve funds rate of 3.5%–3.75% and inventory of new vehicles was low. Now, with higher borrowing costs, but improved inventory, the equation could be different.
More buyers are agreeing to longer-term loans amid higher financing costs and prices. Putting down extra cash ahead of time can help lower monthly payments, which Carmax’s Edmunds reports reached a record of $772 per month for new vehicles during the fourth quarter.
The average transaction price for new vehicles in the U.S. was hovering around $50,000 toward the end of last year, up 30% from the start of 2020, according to Cox.
“What we don’t know is with consumer finance so stressed already, is that extra money already spent? Whether that’s going to be in the pockets. It’s a really mixed bag out there,” Chesbrough said.
Consumers could choose to use higher tax returns to pay off credit card debt — which nationally stands at a record level of $1.28 trillion, according to a report last week by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York — or replenish their savings after a period of persistent inflation.
U.S. consumer confidence fell to 84.5 in January, the lowest level since May 2014, driven by intense anxiety over high prices and a weakening labor market.
“It’s only confident people, people who feel comfortable about their economic fortunes of the economy of the United States, that are going to be interested in taking out a $40,000 or $50,000 auto loan,” Chesbrough said. “It’s a very difficult situation right now.”
– CNBC’s Kate Dore contributed to this report.
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Understanding the Role of an Ovulation Tracker in Modern Fertility Care
Advances in digital health have transformed fertility awareness from traditional methods into precise, personalized monitoring.
Today, individuals have access to tools that provide real-time insights into their reproductive cycles, helping them make informed decisions about conception and overall reproductive health. Central to this evolution is the ovulation tracker, a device that measures key hormonal changes to identify fertile windows with high accuracy.
For many women, pinpointing ovulation is essential. The fertile window is brief, often only a few days each cycle, and timing intercourse or conception-related interventions within this period can significantly improve the likelihood of pregnancy. While calendars, basal body temperature charts, and cervical mucus observation can offer rough guidance, they lack the precision of hormonal measurement. An ovulation tracker detects surges in luteinizing hormone (LH), the biological signal that triggers ovulation, offering definitive insight into the most fertile days of the cycle.
How Digital Ovulation Trackers Work
Unlike traditional paper-based or visual strip methods, modern ovulation trackers integrate technology to provide quantifiable data. They use biochemical sensors to detect LH levels in urine, translating subtle hormonal fluctuations into clear, interpretable results. This approach reduces the risk of misreading faint test lines and provides a numerical indication of hormone concentration, which is particularly valuable for individuals with irregular or modest LH surges.
Many digital trackers are paired with smartphone applications. The combination of physical measurement and software analysis enables users to automatically record results, visualize trends over time, and generate forecasts for upcoming cycles. These features transform a single diagnostic measurement into a comprehensive fertility intelligence tool, enabling users to understand patterns rather than relying on isolated data points.
Benefits of Consistent Ovulation Tracking
The value of an ovulation tracker lies not only in the immediate detection of fertile days but also in long-term cycle analysis. Hormone levels can fluctuate from month to month due to lifestyle, stress, illness, or metabolic changes. Consistent monitoring across multiple cycles provides a clearer picture of an individual’s unique hormonal rhythm, helping identify irregularities or shifts in ovulation timing.
Beyond conception planning, ovulation tracking offers insights into overall reproductive health. Irregular ovulation patterns can indicate endocrine issues such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or thyroid imbalances. By tracking hormone trends consistently, users can recognize deviations early and seek timely medical advice. This proactive approach aligns with the principles of preventive healthcare, placing control and awareness in the individual’s hands.
Enhancing Accuracy with Technology
Accuracy is paramount in fertility monitoring. Advanced ovulation trackers employ calibrated biochemical assays and sensitive detection technology to ensure reliable readings. Devices often include features to account for baseline hormone variability, reducing the likelihood of false positives or negatives. This precision allows users to plan with confidence and provides data that can be shared with healthcare professionals if needed.
Digital ovulation trackers also improve accessibility. They reduce the need for repeated clinical visits, allowing discreet, home-based monitoring without compromising quality. This autonomy encourages regular use, which is crucial for understanding personal cycles and identifying long-term fertility trends.
Integrating Fertility Data into Healthcare
The integration of ovulation trackers into broader digital health ecosystems enables more personalized reproductive care. Data collected by the device can be securely shared with healthcare providers during consultations, enabling clinicians to evaluate cycle patterns remotely. This capability supports informed decision-making and enables timely interventions when irregularities are detected.
The combination of at-home monitoring, precise hormonal measurement, and digital analytics exemplifies the direction of modern fertility care. Users gain actionable insights, while healthcare professionals receive accurate, structured data to enhance clinical guidance.
The Future of Fertility Monitoring
As technology continues to advance, ovulation trackers will likely become even more sophisticated. Predictive algorithms may analyze multi-cycle data to anticipate subtle hormonal shifts, while integration with other health metrics could provide a holistic view of reproductive well-being. Artificial intelligence and machine learning have the potential to make cycle prediction more precise than ever before, moving fertility monitoring from reactive measurement toward proactive optimization.
Miracare ovulation tracker represents the intersection of biotechnology, digital health, and user-centric design. When providing accurate hormone measurements, consistent cycle tracking, and actionable insights, it empowers individuals to take control of their fertility journey. As the landscape of reproductive healthcare evolves, these tools will continue to play a vital role in enabling informed decisions and enhancing overall reproductive wellbeing.
Business
The Bureau of Labor Statistic released a report about deadly work injuries
Check out what’s clicking on FoxBusiness.com.
More than 5,000 deadly work injuries were recorded in the U.S. in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with truck drivers and construction trades workers accounting for a large proportion.
“There were 5,070 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2024, down 4.0 percent from 5,283 in 2023,” the BLS revealed on Thursday.
The data notes 1,018 fatal occupational injuries involving motor vehicle operators in 2024, including a whopping 798 among heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
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A construction worker helps build a support column using steel rebar during the building of a condo tower on Feb. 10, 2025 in Miami, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)
“Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles decreased 8.5 percent to 1,146 in 2024 from 1,252 in 2023, while pedestrian incidents involving motorized land vehicles increased 19.0 percent to 369 in 2024 from 310 in 2023,” the bureau said.
There were 788 deadly injuries among construction trade workers in 2024, according to the report, and 239 among grounds maintenance workers.
A significant number of the overall fatal occupational injury figure involved homicides and suicides, at 470 and 263 in 2024 respectively.
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A tractor trailer on an interstate during a winter storm in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
There were 410 tied to drug and alcohol overdoses.
“The decrease in fatal injuries in 2024 was largely driven by a 16.2 percent drop in fatalities due to exposure to harmful substances or environments (to 687 cases from 820). This decrease was in turn driven by a decline in drug or alcohol overdoses which accounted for 59.7 percent of fatalities in this category, dropping to 410 fatal injuries in 2024 from 512 fatalities in 2023,” BLS noted.
Among forest, conservation and logging workers, there were just 53 deadly occupation injuries in 2024, and among fishing and hunting workers, just 24, the data indicates.
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Workers at a construction site for the Gateway Program Hudson Tunnel Project in New York on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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But both categories had a high incidence of deadly work injuries for every 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, with logging workers at 110.4 per 100,000 workers, and fishing and hunting workers at 88.8 per 100,000 in 2024, according to the BLS. Among roofers, that figure is 48.7 per 100,000 workers.
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Okeanis Eco Tankers Corp. 2025 Q4 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation (NYSE:ECO) 2026-02-20
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