Workers resist office return
And more of the week's best financial insight

Here are three of the week's top pieces of financial insight, gathered from around the web:
Workers resist office return
"Companies and workers are living in two different realities when it comes to returning to the office," said Erica Pandey in Axios. Return-to-work dates are popping up again as America moves past Omicron, but there's a growing "disconnect between leadership and the rank-and-file." A recent poll by Pew Research Center found that "61 percent of teleworkers are working from home because they're choosing to." That's a big difference from earlier in the pandemic, when most offices were closed. Just 42 percent of respondents said fear of infection was their reason for remaining home, compared with 57 percent in October 2020. "Executives are three times as likely as employees to want to return" to the office.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Homebuilders prepare to pull back
A slowdown in home construction in January "could reflect a number of headwinds for home builders," said Jacob Passy in MarketWatch. Part of the 4 percent decline might be attributable to shortages in supplies; notably "the number of homes completed fell in January, while the number of homes under construction rose" — a sign that in some places construction is at a standstill. But homebuilders are also trying to gauge "whether a rise in mortgage rates will correspond with a softening in demand." Buyers have been pushed toward new construction by a shortage of older homes; "however, newly built homes are more expensive, and with interest rates soaring, that may give buyers pause." Those seeing rising rates are rushing to lock in their terms, but that will soon ebb.
Will index funds rule the boardroom?
Charlie Munger is wary about the shift toward passive investing, said Orla McCaffrey in The Wall Street Journal. The 98-year-old vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway and longtime business partner to Warren Buffett warned last week that index funds now hold the power to "sway corporate decision making." Passive investment funds, which track indexes rather than specific stocks, have "delivered better returns than many active funds during the market's decade-long rally," increasing their popularity among investors. With that growth in assets, they have also become "the biggest investors in most large stocks," with corresponding voting power belonging to the managers of those funds. "I think the world of Larry Fink," Munger said, referring to the leader of index-fund giant BlackRock, "but I'm not sure I want him to be my emperor."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The end of WeightWatchers?
Talking Point The diet brand has filed for bankruptcy in the US as it struggles to survive in era of weight-loss jabs
-
Visa wants to let AI make credit card purchases for you
The Explainer The program will allow you to set a budget and let AI learn from your shopping preferences
-
A newly created gasoline giant in the Americas could change the industry landscape
The Explainer Sunoco and Parkland are two of the biggest fuel suppliers in the US and Canada, respectively
-
Discount stores were thriving. How did they stumble?
The Explainer Blame Walmart — and inflation
-
Could a private equity deal be the end of Walgreens?
Today's Big Question The pharmacy chain will be taken private in a $10 billion deal
-
Eggs too pricey? Rent a chicken.
Under the Radar The cost of eggs increased more than 15% in January
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Will Trump's tariffs hurt Walmart?
Today's Big Question The world's biggest retailer 'isn't immune' to trade impacts