People on the go have long reached for energy drinks for that extra boost to get them through a physically demanding day on the job, a tough workout or even just a sleepy afternoon at the office, but value was never part of the appeal. Lately, that has been changing, reports my colleague Jennifer Williams.

Beverage companies raised prices on tea, soda and coffee in recent years to help offset their own higher costs. In the energy drink aisle, meanwhile, price increases have come at a slower rate, in part because the caffeine-infused cans have historically been priced at a premium compared with other beverage options, meaning there wasn’t as much need, or room, to raise prices, analysts said.

Celsius Holdings is getting a boost of its own as wallet-conscious customers looking for a caffeine fix are seeing the more relative value in its energy drinks compared with other beverages.

The company’s sales soared in the second quarter thanks to the acquisition of social-media darling Alani Nu, recent efforts to reach beyond its core audience of gym-goers and athletes, and new fruity flavors including two fizz-free options: pink lemonade and dragonfruit lime. Consumers are also sipping the brand’s energy drinks because of the comparative value, said Celsius Chief Financial Officer Jarrod Langhans.

“The price point is helping energy, because if you think about the price increases that have gone through across most of beverage, they’ve been much higher than what energy has pushed through,” he said. “So the price gaps are much tighter.”

📈 Economic Indicators

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Economic Policy Symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyo.

One in five U.S. employers surveyed by the Conference Board plans to slow hiring in the second half of 2025, nearly double the rate of companies that anticipated bringing on fewer people at this time last year.

The latest report from the research group marks the second year in a row that many chief human resource officers polled were planning on fewer new hires. The last time executives were broadly optimistic about hiring was the second quarter of 2023, when more than half expected to increase head count, according to past surveys by the Conference Board, which has more than 1,000 public and private corporations as members.

📈 Earnings wrapup

• Walmart Wins Over More Shoppers as Tariffs Push Prices Higher
• Sinopec’s First-Half Net Profit Slid on Low Oil Prices
• Dutch Insurer Aegon Evaluates Relocation to U.S.
• Chili’s Pays Fat Bonuses to Staff After Record-Setting Sales

📰 Other headlines

• Exclusive: Divisions Grow Inside Fed Ahead of Decision on September Rate Cut
• Exclusive: NBCUniversal and MLB Nearing 3-Year Deal Approaching $600 Million
• Boeing in Talks to Sell China Hundreds of Planes as Part of U.S. Trade Deal
• Tesla Hasn’t Filed Crash Reports on Time. Federal Investigators Want to Know Why.
• Exclusive: Meta Freezes AI Hiring After Blockbuster Spending Spree
• Peter Thiel Leads Pack of Investors Piling Into Ether
• Suppliers Get Burned in Expensive Bankruptcy Cases
• Why We’re Leaving the Office Earlier but Still Showing Up on Time
• Canada PM Carney Touts ‘Productive’ Call With President Trump Over Trade

The Securities and Exchange Commission said Judge Margaret “Meg” Ryan has been named director of the division of enforcement, effective Sept. 2. Acting Director of Enforcement Sam Waldon will return to his previous role as chief counsel for the division. 

The Wall Street Journal's CFO Journal offers corporate leaders and professionals CFO analysis, advice and commentary to make informed decisions. We cover topics including corporate tax, accounting, regulation, capital markets, management and strategy.

Follow us on X @WSJCFO. The WSJ CFO Journal Team comprises reporters Kristin Broughton, Mark Maurer and Jennifer Williams, and Bureau Chief Walden Siew.

You can reach us by replying to any newsletter, or email Walden at walden.siew@wsj.com.