Salesforce is buying AI-powered cloud data management company Informatica in an approximately $8 billion deal.
Informatica’s shareholders will receive $25 per share, a premium of about 11% from Friday’s closing price of $22.55.
The transaction will give Salesforce access to Informatica’s data management capabilities.
Informatica was taken private in 2015 by private equity firm Permira and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for about $5.3 billion. It went public again in 2021.
“Joining forces with Salesforce represents a significant leap forward in our journey to bring data and AI to life by empowering businesses with the transformative power of their most critical asset — their data,” Informatica CEO Amit Walia said in a statement on Tuesday. “We have a shared vision for how we can help organizations harness the full value of their data in the AI era.”
Robin Washington, president and chief operating and financial officer at Salesforce, said in a statement that the acquisition will look to take advantage of Informatica’s capabilities quickly, particularly in areas such as the public sector, life sciences, health care, and financial services. San Francisco-based Salesforce is set to report its quarterly financial results Wednesday after the bell.
Both companies’ boards have approved the deal, which is expected to close early in Salesforce’s fiscal year 2027.
Shares of Salesforce rose slightly before the market opened, while Informatica’s stock jumped 5.7%.
Stragglers beware: U.S. travelers flying with United Airlines will have to check in to domestic flights a little earlier starting next week. That is, if they’re customers only taking carry-on bags.
Effective June 3, United’s “check-in cutoff” for most U.S. flights will be 45 minutes before departure. That’s the same deadline United has for passengers checking luggage at the airport, but 15 minutes earlier than the current one for people without bags to check.
In an email to The Associated Press, a United spokesperson said the change to a single cut-off minimum “brings greater consistency for our customers” and conforms with the policies of many other airlines.
Checking in for a flight confirms a passenger’s booking and intent to travel ahead of takeoff. Most major U.S. carriers have online check-in systems that can be used at least 24 hours in advance, so the process no longer reflects when many travelers arrive at the airport. But it’s still an important step since boarding passes are issued once check-ins are completed.
Other U.S. and international carriers have tightened their check-in and boarding policies as part of their strategies for maintaining on-time departures, particularly amid the high demand that followed the COVID-19 pandemic.
Generally speaking, checking in allows airports and airlines to prepare for upcoming flights, from confirming seat assignments to making sure passenger names are at the security checkpoint. Check-in cutoffs, or the latest possible time to claim a flight reservation, are typically earlier for international flights to account for the time needed to check passports and clear customs.
Still, requirements may vary by airline and airport. Dubai-based Emirates, for example, closes online check-ins 90 minutes before departure. Ireland’s Ryanair allows online check-in up to two hours before a flight; passengers may still check in at the airport 40 minutes in advance, but for a fee.
Here’s what check-in cutoffs look like for United and some other U.S. carriers.
United Airlines
Again, if you’re flying United within the U.S., you’ll need to check in to your flight at least 45 minutes before takeoff as of June 3.
While the new cutoff applies to most of United’s domestic trips, check-in deadlines may vary by location and route. The carrier’s website notes that St. Thomas’ airport in the U.S. Virgin Islands has a check-in time limit of 90 minutes before departure — the same cutoff listed for flights between Guam and Honolulu.
For international flights, United requires checking in at least an hour before departure. But many airports have earlier deadlines, such as 75 minutes for major airports in Paris and Dubai, and 90 minutes for the airports in Toronto and Lagos, Nigeria.
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Delta Air Lines
Delta passengers not checking any bags still have a minimum of an hour before a domestic flight to check in. Travelers with luggage to check need to get to the airline ticket counter at least 45 minutes prior, Delta’s website notes, per an update that went into effect last month.
In a statement sent to the AP on Tuesday, Delta said it had made this “minor change” so that “Delta teams can ensure all customers have a great experience.”
For international flights, Delta travelers must check in at least 1 hour before departure. But, like other carriers, Delta’s minimum check-in requirements can vary by location for certain airports. Delta customers checking bags at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, for example, are supposed to check in an hour before departure, whether their flights are domestic or international.
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American Airlines
If you’re flying with American Airlines within the U.S., the deadline for checking in and checking a bag before a flight is 45 minutes ahead of departure, according to the carrier’s website.
For trips to or from locations outside the U.S., the cutoff to both check in for your flight and check a bag is 60 minutes ahead of takeoff. But again, a handful of airports have earlier requirements.
Southwest Airlines
Passengers with more than a carry-on bag should get to the airline counter at least 45 minutes before a scheduled flight on Southwest. The carrier warns that baggage destined for a plane’s cargo hold is considered a “late check” and not guaranteed to get on your flight if it’s dropped off less than 45 minutes ahead of departure.
Beyond baggage, if Southwest travelers aren’t checked in and in the boarding area at least 10 minutes before departure, their reservation could be canceled, a Southwest spokesperson told the AP via email.
The carrier did not specify any additional, firm check-in cutoffs for domestic flights. For international trips, Southwest’s website notes that all passengers and their luggage must be checked in a minimum of 60 minutes before departure. And again, that can vary, with flights departing Aruba, for example, having an earlier deadline of 75 minutes before takeoff for passengers with or without checked bags.
Alaska Airlines
Alaska requires a minimum of 50 minutes before takeoff to check in passengers for flights within the U.S., whether or not they have bags to check. The cutoff is 60 minutes for international flights, the carrier’s website notes.
Again, there are exceptions for certain locations and airports. Passengers traveling from Guadalajara, Mexico, for example, have to check in their baggage and into their flights at least 90 minutes ahead of time.
Americans’ views of the economy improved in May after five straight months of declines sent consumer confidence to its lowest level since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, largely driven by anxiety over the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose 12.3 points in May to 98, up from April’s 85.7, its lowest reading since May 2020.
A measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for their income, business conditions, and the job market jumped 17.4 points to 72.8, but remained below 80, which can signal a recession ahead.
The proportion of consumers surveyed saying they think a U.S. recession is coming in the next 12 months also declined from April.
Trump’s aggressive and unpredictable policies — including massive import taxes — have clouded the outlook for the economy and the job market, raising fears that the American economy is headed toward a recession.
However, Trump’s tariff pullbacks, pauses, and negotiations with some trading partners may have calmed nerves for the time being.
“The rebound was already visible before the May 12 US-China trade deal but gained momentum afterwards,” said Stephanie Guichard, senior economist at The Conference Board.
Trump had initially imposed a stunning 145% tariff on most goods from China, but agreed to a 90-day pause for negotiations. The U.S. also came to an agreement with the U.K. earlier in May.
Over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, Trump and European Union leaders announced that the president’s 50% tariff on imports from the E.U., which he announced Friday, is on hold until July 9. That announcement would not have impacted the Board’s survey, which closed on May 19.
The Conference Board said the rebound in confidence this month was broad-based across all ages and income groups.
Consumers’ assessments of the present economic situation also improved, except their view on job availability, which weakened for the fifth straight month despite another strong U.S. jobs report.
However, less than 25% of respondents said they were worried about losing their jobs, compared with the 50% of respondents who said they were concerned about not being able to buy the things they need or want.
The Labor Department earlier this month reported that U.S. employers added a surprising 177,000 jobs in April, and the unemployment rate remained at a low 4.2%.
Write-in responses to the survey showed that tariffs are still consumers’ biggest concern. Inflation is also still weighing on their minds, though some noted that inflation seemed to be easing, along with gas prices.
Earlier in May, the Commerce Department reported that consumer prices rose just 2.3% in March from a year earlier, down from 2.7% in February. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.6% compared with a year ago, below February’s 3%. Economists track core prices because they typically provide a better read on where inflation is headed.
Gas prices have hovered around $3.17 per gallon this month, down from $3.59 a year ago, but up a few pennies from April.
The slowdown in inflation could be a temporary respite until the widespread duties imposed by Trump begin to push up prices in many categories. Most economists expect inflation to start ticking up in the coming months.
Robert Frick, an economist with Navy Federal Credit Union, said that while the tariff rollbacks may have boosted Americans’ confidence this month, that optimism may be fleeting.
“When prices start rising from existing tariffs in a month or two, it will be a sobering reminder that a new inflation fight has just begun,” Frick said.
The Board’s survey on Tuesday also showed that Americans’ plans to spend on homes, cars, and vacations also increased from April, with significant gains coming after the May 12 China tariff pause.
It's the end of the "Bags Fly Free" era on Southwest Airlines. The carrier has notified employees that it will begin charging $35 to check a bag, plus $45 for an additional checked item, starting Wednesday. Southwest had previously said it planned to implement bag fees, but had not disclosed how much it would cost. "Bags Fly Free" was once so integral to Southwest's ethos that it has the phrase trademarked, but financial and investor pressures have forced it to abandon that and other popular policies.
$326 million in estimated box office is a new four-day Memorial Weekend record for domestic cinemas.
The LILO and MISSION tandem, combined with a variety of other recent films still performing well, reaffirms for the umpteenth time in recent years that movie theaters remain a stronghold at the epicenter of the pop culture zeitgeist.
It's never a perfect science, but people respond and big things happen when studios produce widely appealing movies and turn them into one-of-a-kind events experienced best, and exclusively, on the big screen.
Thanks as always to the great Sarah Whitten for her coverage at CNBC.
“Everything came together at the right time with two eagerly anticipated, positively reviewed tentpoles courting a diverse range of audiences,” said Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory. “This record holiday frame continues a box office winning streak which began in the spring and has now grown into bona fide momentum for what will likely be a $4 billion-plus summer at domestic cinemas thanks to a string of promising blockbusters on the slate.”
Salesforce has secured a deal to acquire Informatica for about $8 billion. In an agreement announced Tuesday, Salesforce will pay $25 per share for the data-management software firm. The two companies discussed a deal last year, but talks fizzled after they couldn’t agree on terms. Informatica shares have dropped recently, sending its market value below $7 billion. Salesforce, meanwhile, has a market value of over $260 billion; it's slated to report quarterly results on Wednesday.
Fears of a recession have resurfaced among investors, but accurately predicting when an economic downturn will begin or how severe it might be is notoriously difficult, even for experts. Generally, a recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of declining gross domestic product (GDP), though the official declaration comes from the National Bureau of Economic Research. Often, the public only realizes a recession is underway after it has already started. To gauge the health of the U.S. economy, economists monitor several key indicators, though none offer perfect foresight, and each is influenced by various factors.
Key Economic Indicators to Watch
Real GDP
GDP measures the total value of goods and services produced within the country and is the primary gauge of economic health. Year-over-year growth signals a robust economy, while slowing or negative growth raises concerns. In the first quarter of 2025, U.S. GDP contracted by 0.3%. This decline was mainly attributed to a surge in imports as companies stocked up ahead of anticipated tariffs, suggesting the contraction is not an immediate sign of recession. However, personal consumption grew at its slowest pace in nearly two years, hinting at possible weakening consumer confidence.
Consumer Spending and Sentiment
Consumer spending accounts for nearly 70% of GDP, making it a vital component of economic health. In the first quarter of 2025, real personal consumption expenditure rose by 1.8% compared to the previous quarter. While this does not currently signal an alarm, consumer sentiment has dropped sharply. The key question for economists is whether actual spending will eventually reflect this pessimism.
Employment
The labor market remains a cornerstone of economic stability. The April 2025 nonfarm payrolls report showed continued job growth, albeit at a slower pace than in March. However, potential risks loom from federal workforce reductions, shifting trade policies, and changes in immigration policy, all of which could dampen job growth in the coming months.
Inflation
Inflation is another critical indicator. In April 2025, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was up 2.3% year-over-year, with the Core CPI (excluding food and energy) rising 2.8%. These figures are just above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. The full impact of new tariffs on consumer prices may take time to materialize. If inflation accelerates, the Fed might consider raising interest rates, though this could be challenging if the economy is slowing.
Interest Rates and Yield Curve
The Federal Reserve balances its dual mandate of maximum employment and stable prices, typically aiming for 2% inflation. As of April 2025, the Fed has indicated it will wait for more data on the effects of tariffs before making any rate changes. The yield curve, which plots bond yields across maturities, is currently inverted—short-term yields are higher than long-term yields. Historically, such inversions have preceded recessions, reflecting expectations of lower future growth and inflation.
Stock Market Performance
The stock market does not always move in lockstep with the broader economy. After new tariffs were announced in early April 2025, the Morningstar US Market Index dropped 20% but rebounded after a 90-day pause on tariffs was announced. Despite this recovery, analysts expect continued volatility as trade negotiations continue. It’s important to note that the stock market’s performance is not a comprehensive reflection of the entire economy.
Interpreting the Data
No single indicator provides a complete picture of economic health, and even widely watched metrics like GDP can be noisy in the short term. Each indicator must be interpreted in context, considering both current data and underlying trends. While some warning signs are emerging—such as slower consumer spending growth and an inverted yield curve—there is not yet a clear signal of imminent recession. Ongoing monitoring of these indicators remains essential for understanding where the U.S. economy is headed.