Once, central bankers knew what they needed to do to handle inflation. As they grapple with the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, the consensus on how best to foster low and stable price growth has broken down. After years of setting interest rates on the basis of inflation forecasts and seeking to hit a
Investing
Even without the pandemic, 2020 would have been a very difficult year for Bruce Nauman. In May, his wife Susan Rothenberg passed away. She was acclaimed for the raw, essential poetry of her paintings of horses, and Rothenberg’s loss was felt far beyond the New Mexico ranch where she and Nauman made their home. Nauman’s
A rental property owner can get many benefits from tax deductions. Most of the expenses associated with your building can be deducted for tax purposes. If your building brings in $1,000 in rental income, you have to pay taxes on the full $1,000 if you don’t deduct a single rental expense. But, if you believe
Mudrick Capital Management, the hedge fund run by Jason Mudrick, netted a swift profit from the return of the meme stock-trading frenzy after buying and quickly selling a stake in the cinema chain AMC Entertainment. AMC on Tuesday announced that it had raised $230.5m by selling 8.5m new shares to Mudrick at just over $27
UK ministers are preparing to add a handful of countries to the government’s “green list” of travel destinations this week, but will stop short of the major expansion the leisure industry has called for. Territories under consideration include Spain’s Balearic and Canary Islands, plus Malta, although UK government officials said no final decisions have been
FedEx Corporation (NYSE: FDX) is famous for its express service, but the company also offers ground shipping and freight services. With 490,000 team members, FedEx moves shipments to more than 220 countries and territories around the world. In addition to deliveries and time-sensitive express service, FedEx Offices stores are brick and mortar locations that provide
ArcelorMittal, one of the world’s biggest steel producers, is among a number of companies poised to swoop for the French steel plants of beleaguered metals tycoon Sanjeev Gupta. German steel producer Saarstahl and Italy’s Beltrame Group are also in the running to buy Gupta’s French plants Ascoval and Hayange, sources familiar with the situation confirmed.
Italy avoided falling into recession in the first three months of the year as revised statistics showed that the economy had expanded, pointing to unexpected resilience ahead of a rebound forecast for the second quarter. Gross domestic product rose 0.1 per cent in the first quarter compared with the previous one, according to revised data
An information cascade occurs when a person makes a decision based solely on the decisions of other people, while ignoring their own personal knowledge to the contrary. It’s a theory used in the field of behavioral economics and has important implications for financial markets. Recognizing and avoiding this behavior can help people make better financial
Singapore’s government hopes to lift pandemic-related restrictions from June 13 if it can get a number of local clusters under control. The health ministry on Monday confirmed 16 new cases of locally transmitted Covid-19 infection, of which 13 are linked to previous cases. Lee Hsien Loong, prime minister, said testing would be stepped up even
Last month, Nick Woodward* was carefully choosing a bottle of wine from his cellar. It was an important occasion: he was heading to his ex-wife’s house, where their two daughters were living for that half of the week. They had all just got back from holiday together, so it felt like the right time to take
A Ginnie Mae security is a type of mortgage-backed security offered by Ginnie Mae. Mortgage-backed securities offered by Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac are often classified together in what is known as government supported mortgage-backed securities. Key Takeaways A Ginnie Mae security is a type of mortgage-backed security offered by Ginnie Mae. Ginnie
Israel’s opposition leaders are locked in frantic final-hour negotiations to nail down a minority government that could potentially end prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year reign as premier of the Jewish state. The unlikely coalition, which straddles the political spectrum — from the far-left Meretz party, to the ultranationalist Yamina, anchored by centrists Yesh Atid —
Brazil on Monday stepped in to host the forthcoming Copa America football tournament, despite suffering one of the world’s worst coronavirus crises and facing a looming third wave of the disease. The announcement came after previous co-hosts Argentina and Colombia pulled out. Buenos Aires cited an increasing number of Covid-19 cases and Bogotá pointed to
When Was the First Swap Agreement and Why Were Swaps Created? Swap agreements—derivative contracts by which the parties exchange cash flows or liabilities from two financial instruments—originated from agreements created in Great Britain in the 1970s to circumvent foreign exchange controls adopted by the British government. The first swaps were variations on currency swaps. The British government
Frank Phillips, the owner of a handful of coffee franchises based in Paulding, Georgia, says he once received 200 job applications when opening a new location. For his most recent opening in March, he had 35. One factor he blames is the unemployment benefits that laid-off workers have been collecting during the pandemic, sweetened with
This year sees the 90th anniversary of what is widely believed to be the first single by an African American artist to have sold more than 1m copies. Still strangely compelling today, Cab Calloway’s “Minnie the Moocher” tells the cautionary tale of a good-hearted woman’s fatal descent into drug addiction — although the casual listener would
Harley-Davidson Inc. (HOG) is a motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company was founded in 1903 by William S. Harley and brothers Walter and Arthur Davidson. In the years since Harley-Davidson has become one of America’s most renowned motorcycle companies. In 2020, Harley-Davidson earned $4.05 billion in revenue for the year, despite a 17% decrease in worldwide retail sales due to
The queues at ATMs form early, often before dawn. People bring plastic chairs or stools, or mats to recline on. As the sun rises higher, they shield themselves with umbrellas or hug the shade and wait. Myanmar is in the grip of a cash shortage. Since the military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in
UK government efforts to encourage pensions funds to invest more in infrastructure, venture capital and private equity are at risk of failing because scheme managers fear the move will leave retirement savers worse off. Popular pension schemes, with tens of billions of pounds in assets, largely steer clear of these less liquid sectors owing to
There are essentially two ways to make money in the stock market: fast and risky or safe and steady. While traders adhere to the former paradigm, most investors fall into the latter category. Armed with the mantra of “buy low, sell high,” these investors seek out undervalued stocks and buy them with the intent to
Instagram is changing its app to show more viral and current affairs posts amid complaints from its staff that pro-Palestinian content was not seen by users during the recent conflict in Gaza. Until now, the social media app has prioritised original content in the “stories” that it displays at the top of a user’s feed
An employee preps a John Deere & Co. excavator for sale at Martin Equipment in Rock Island, Illinois. Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images With May coming to a close, Wall Street analysts are fine tuning their recommendations as COVID-19 vaccinations pave the way for further economic re-opening this summer. We used TipRanks
Israel’s opposition parties have banded together to try and form a minority government that could unseat the country’s longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and head off the country’s fifth election in two years. The self-styled “change government” must now present its plans to President Reuven Rivlin. If he approves the proposal the 120-seat Knesset must
A bond is a debt security issued by a company or government to raise money and cover spending needs. A municipal bond, also known as a muni, is debt security used to fund capital expenditures for a county, municipality, or state. Municipal bonds are commonly tax-free at the federal level but can be taxable at
Shortly after beginning to loosen one of the longest and strictest lockdowns in the world, President Alberto Fernández promised in December that 10m Argentines would be vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of February. Months later, that promise has still not been fulfilled. Just 9m of Argentina’s 45m inhabitants have received one dose, of whom
The £57bn BT pension fund has hit out at proposals by the UK regulator to cap investment in unlisted assets, saying the move was a “blunt tool” that could hamper the nation’s shift to a green economy. The Pensions Regulator has proposed restricting pension scheme investment in private market assets, such as property and infrastructure,
Given the restrictions on cryptocurrency transactions imposed by China’s government, NEO has the potential to emerge as the cryptocurrency of choice in the heavily regulated nation, and perhaps across the globe. Since its inception, NEO’s Onchain technology was designed to be regulator-friendly with a centralized approach that is quite different from that of most cryptocurrencies. That may help
Asked by a reader what I miss about the UK, I say without thought — and therefore with candour — the proximity of other countries. After some self-reproach (“You weren’t so rootless when the naturalisation forms came through”), I realise I would have said the same had I come from France or Germany. The nation
Japan is heading for a warmer-than-average summer, according to weather forecasters, in a development that could mean periods of extreme heat at the Tokyo Olympics. Forecasts by the Japan Meteorological Agency and Weathernews, the private meteorological company, suggest the North Pacific High pressure zone will extend towards Tokyo in July. If the early predictions are