Featured Articles in Business

Energy Stocks Lag as Oil Prices Ease

Energy markets faced renewed pressure this week as crude prices softened amid mixed signals on global demand and steady U.S. production. Benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude drifted lower, weighing on shares of major producers and oilfield services companies. Analysts cited cautious demand forecasts from Asia and Europe, along with stable output from U.S. shale basins, Read More…

Daines Says Tariff on Russian Palladium Safeguards Montana Mining

Steve Daines praised the Trump administration’s decision to impose a 132.83% anti-dumping duty on Russian palladium imports, calling the move a critical step to protect Montana mining jobs and counter what he described as market manipulation by Moscow. The Commerce Department’s duty, enforceable upon publication in the Federal Register, is aimed at offsetting what U.S. Read More…

War Department Invites 25 Vendors to Compete in Phase I of Drone Dominance Program

The War Department announced today that 25 vendors have been selected to compete in Phase I of the Drone Dominance Program (DDP), a sweeping acquisition reform initiative aimed at rapidly fielding low-cost, unmanned one-way attack drones at scale to strengthen America’s Arsenal of Freedom. The program reflects one of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s core Read More…

Montana Unemployment Holds at 3.4%

Montana’s unemployment rate rose slightly to 3.4 percent in December, extending the state’s streak of over four consecutive years with unemployment at or below that level, according to the Montana Department of Labor & Industry. The state’s jobless rate remains well below the national average of 4.4 percent, keeping Montana among the top ten states Read More…

All in: Business

1M homes to be powered by Montana coal mine expansion

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of the Interior on Tuesday approved expansion of coal mining in Montana, marking the second largest coal expansion since President Donald Trump took office in January as 33.75 million tons of federal coal will be recovered, 300 jobs ensured, and a million homes powered by the decision. The Read More…

Montana Maintains Near-Record Low Unemployment

Montana’s unemployment rate held steady at a remarkably low 2.8% in June, marking the ninth consecutive month below 3% and extending a historic run of four straight years with unemployment at or below 3.4%, according to Governor Greg Gianforte. “With more Montanans working now than ever before and historically low unemployment, we’re seeing the results Read More…

Small Business Sentiment Surges as “One Big Beautiful Bill” Takes Effect

Small business owners across the nation are showing renewed confidence in the economy, according to CNBC’s latest Small Business Survey, coinciding with the implementation of President Donald J. Trump’s landmark One Big Beautiful Bill and his broader pro-growth policies. The survey reveals a significant upswing in optimism: Nearly half of small business owners now rate Read More…

Meghan McCain calls CNN’s Kaitlan Collins a ‘hack’ and ‘imbecile,’ demands she be stripped of WH credentials

Meghan McCain is calling for CNN Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins to have her press credentials revoked, calling her an “absolute imbecile” and a “pure partisan hack” following a tense exchange during a White House press briefing. McCain’s criticism comes after Collins clashed with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and White House Press Read More…

Inside the ‘arms race’ to win the new luxury cruise ship market

Once viewed by wealthier vacationers as mass market, déclassé venues for watery cocktails, garish waterslides, buffet stampedes and Norovirus outbreaks, cruises are now chic. Everyone from Martha Stewart and Tom Brady to Kendall Jenner and Dakota Johnson was onboard the Ritz’s recent launch of Luminara, the hotel brand’s new ship, which has been floating around the Mediterranean. Savvy investors and luxury brands are Read More…

Target drops popular perk for shoppers after more than a decade

Target is dropping its price-matching policy with rivals Walmart and Amazon after more than a decade as the company aims to reposition itself amid slowing sales and competitive pressure. Under its new Price Match Guarantee policy, taking effect July 28, customers of the Minneapolis-based retail giant will be able to price match other Target products in the Read More…

Trump makes gains on economy, policy with small business owners, even among Democrats

Join us for Small Business Playbook Virtual Event on August 6th! Register now! Small Business Playbook Events Small Business Playbook Event 2025 Concerns about inflation and tariffs are still relatively high on Main Street, but small business owners are more confident in the economy and business outlook than earlier in 2025. President Trump’s approval ratings Read More…

Simplot to Acquire Clarebout Potatoes

The J.R. Simplot Company and Clarebout Potatoes announced this week Simplot’s intention to acquire the operating business of Clarebout, in a move that unites two family-owned leaders in the frozen potato industry. The transaction, expected to close in 2025 pending regulatory approvals, will significantly expand Simplot’s footprint in Europe and enhance its global processing and Read More…

KRAMBU Unveils Plans for World’s Most Sustainable AI Factory in Montana

KRAMBU, Inc., a sustainable high-performance computing infrastructure company, announced this week the development of a next-generation AI data center campus in Montana—what the company is calling the world’s most sustainable “AI Factory.” The project is designed to redefine the future of artificial intelligence infrastructure by integrating direct liquid cooling (DLC) technology, renewable energy sources, and Read More…

Bozeman Tops List as Most Expensive U.S. Airport for Summer Car Rentals, Survey Finds

Travelers heading to Montana this summer may face sticker shock at the rental car counter. Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) has been named the most expensive airport in the country for car rentals, according to a new survey from travel website Cheapcarrental.com. The survey, which analyzed rental rates across 100 U.S. airports for the peak Read More…

Irrigation in Montana: Sustaining agriculture, landscapes and communities

Montana’s wide-open spaces and fluctuating climate make water a precious resource. Across the state, irrigation is central not only to agriculture but also to the health of residential landscapes and community green spaces. From century-old canal systems feeding hay fields to backyard sprinklers keeping lawns green in dry summers, water use in Montana requires careful Read More…

Bridger Aerospace Welcomes Executive Order to Reshape Wildland Firefighting

Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: BAER), one of the nation’s leading aerial firefighting companies, today praised the recent Executive Order aimed at restructuring the U.S. wildland firefighting system and emphasized the impact of a significant increase in the Department of the Interior’s fiscal 2026 budget request. Sam Davis, CEO of Bridger Aerospace, said, “Bridger Read More…

Gianforte Appoints Marta Bertoglio as Department of Commerce Director

Governor Greg Gianforte announced the appointment of State Representative Marta Bertoglio as the new Director of the Montana Department of Commerce, signaling a continued focus on economic growth and job creation in the state. “Marta has been a strong partner in the Legislature and is a driven leader, dedicated to making Montana the best place Read More…

Performance Engineering Earns National Honors

Performance Engineering continues to gain national attention for combining rapid growth with a people-first workplace culture, earning two prestigious 2025 awards from the Zweig Group: Best Firms to Work For and Hot Firm. The Montana-based civil engineering firm was recognized as one of the 100 fastest-growing Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) firms in the U.S. Read More…

Clearwater Properties Honors Top-Producing Agents of 2024 Across the Mountain West

Clearwater Properties, a leading real estate brokerage in the Mountain West, has announced the recipients of its prestigious Top Producer Awards for 2024, recognizing the firm’s ten highest-performing agents and brokers across the region in total sales volume. The annual awards, presented each April, celebrate not only exceptional production but also the agents’ deep commitment Read More…