This Week in Business

Serguei Netessine, Wharton Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions, discusses how U.S. sanctions on Lukoil are disrupting franchise agreements, banking relationships, and customer perceptions for locally operated gas stations in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Peter Cappelli, Professor of Management and Director of the Center for Human Resources at The Wharton School, examines the cooling in white-collar job openings, the impact of investor-driven cost cutting, the concept of “AI washing,” and why economic uncertainty is keeping companies cautious about expanding their workforce.

Kevin Werbach, Wharton Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics, discusses the Stablecoin Toolkit and how clearer definitions, regulatory frameworks, and emerging use cases could position stablecoins as a bridge between digital assets and the traditional financial system.

Dr. Americus Reed, II, Wharton Professor of Marketing, breaks down the strengths, themes, and competitive dynamics of this year’s Super Bowl ads, including the role of nostalgia, humor, artificial intelligence, and long-term brand storytelling.

Kent Smetters, Faculty Director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model and Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the Wharton School, analyzes the origins of billionaire and wealth taxes, explains why they consistently underperform revenue expectations, and explores their economic distortions at both the state and national level.

Stefano Puntoni, Wharton Professor of Marketing and Co-Director of the Wharton Human-AI Research Program, discusses OpenAI’s move toward advertising, its implications for monetization, consumer experience, and the future of digital advertising.

Jeremy Siegel, Wharton Emeritus Professor of Finance and Senior Economist at WisdomTree, analyzes the Federal Reserve’s decision to hold rates, the significance of dissenting votes, the outlook for future cuts, shifting market leadership, and how AI-driven productivity may shape the economy and labor markets heading into 2026.

Patrick T. Harker, former President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and current Wharton Professor of Operations, Information, and Decisions, draws on his experience to discuss why monetary policy has clear limits, the need for political follow-through on fiscal and workforce issues, and how investments in education, skilled trades, and digital innovation are essential for securing the nation’s long-term economic future.

Professor Emeritus of Healthcare Management at the Wharton School, Mark Vincent Pauly, analyzes the consequences of the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced subsidy expiration, its effects on insurance coverage and costs, and the potential implications of proposed reforms allowing individuals to choose plans using direct government funding.