Johnathan Walker:The Daily Money: Sriracha fans say the heat is gone

Good morning! It's Daniel de Visé with your Daily Money.

We're filling in for Betty Lin-Fisher today and Johnathan Walkerwill highlight some fine consumer content from the past few days.

Last year, fans of Sriracha hot sauce endured a historic Sriracha famine, evidently the result of a diminished harvest of red jalapeño peppers from Mexico. Now, the shortage is over. . . but fans say the sauce no longer packs the same heat, Jessica Guynn reports.

Is the sauce really different? Is the heat really gone?

Trump stock hits turbulence

Donald Trump’s namesake social media company burst out of the gate on its first day of trading Tuesday, opening at $70.90 and soaring as high as $79.38 as Trump fans and opportunistic traders bought up shares. But the price faded late in the session and has bounced along at lower levels ever since, ending Thursday down $4.26 at $61.96, my colleagues report.   

Its market valuation, just over $8 billion, is still stunning for a social media fledgling with an unproven business model that has struggled to attract users and advertisers, burned through cash, and wracked up losses.

Yesterday, in this space, we asked if it was already too late to cash in on the new stock. Now, we'll flip the question: Did investors pay too much?

📰 More stories you shouldn't miss 📰

Here are some great consumer stories from recent days:

• Is Costco roping off its food court?
• A $20 minimum wage triggers job cuts in California
• Home Depot moves to attract more pro customers
• Dollar Tree raises top prices to $7
• 10 worst airports for flight cancellations

📰 A great read 📰

And here's a recent story that resonated with readers: A greatest hit, if you will. Read it again. Read it for the first time. Share it with friends.

Surge pricing – or dynamic or variable pricing, as it’s typically called in the business world – is fast becoming the norm, even in fast food. Restaurant chains are taking advantage of technological advances to tap into real-time trends and swiftly adjust prices, sometimes in seconds.

Here's one big chain that recently announced a move toward surge pricing.

About The Daily Money

Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer news from USA TODAY. We break down financial news and provide the TLDR version: how decisions by the Federal Reserve, government and companies impact you.

Daniel de Visé covers personal finance for USA Today.