Sometimes, when Japanese academics select the single written character that best captures the essence of the year gone by, there are surprises. In 2020, there could only be one choice: mitsu, meaning “close”, “intimate” or “dense”. The selection attests to a word whose usage has been recast by Covid-19. Nearly a year into the pandemic,
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In 1931, America was in the midst of the Great Depression but, in cultural terms, it was booming. Hollywood was entering its golden age and, while the music industry was struggling to turn a profit, a handful of singers and musicians were riding high. Cab Calloway released “Minnie the Moocher”, about a rough, tough woman
On December 24, 2020, the U.K. and the EU struck a provisional free-trade agreement that ensures the two sides can trade goods without tariffs or quotas. However, key details of the future relationship remain uncertain, such as trade in services. The deal still needs to be approved by the U.K. and EU parliaments, but the
Details of the historic free trade agreement between the UK and EU have been published in full, as EU ambassadors began the process of assessing and approving the terms of the deal before the end of the year. The landmark trade deal, which was announced by UK prime minister Boris Johnson and the European Commission
The writer is a Harvard professor of constitutional law If, as Alexander Pope reflected in 1711, “to err is human, to forgive, divine,” then the US Constitution’s pardon power — the prerogative of forgiveness — should be beyond reproach. Instead, a godless US president who appears incapable of forgiveness has seemingly perverted this instrument of
On December 24, 2020, the U.K. and the EU struck a provisional free-trade agreement that ensures the two sides can trade goods without tariffs or quotas. However, key details of the future relationship remain uncertain, such as trade in services. The deal still needs to be approved by the U.K. and EU parliaments, but the
The outlook for markets in 2021 among investors and analysts is easy to describe: cautious optimism. Almost universally, fund managers believe the year will bring a rebound in economic activity, supporting assets that have already soared in value since the depths of the pandemic crisis in March, but also lifting sectors that had been left
The two US equity funds with the strongest returns in 2020 both focus on clean energy, in a vindication for investors who have sought out holdings with strong environmental, social and governance credentials. The two funds — both run by the asset manager Invesco — have more than tripled in value thanks to a surge
As U.S. stocks continue soaring to record high after record high, investors anticipating an inevitable plunge have yet another cause for sleepless nights. The CAPE ratio, a measure of stock valuations devised by Nobel Laureate economist Robert Shiller of Yale University, is now at a higher level than it was before the Great Crash of 1929, the Financial Times reports,
Craig Deitelzweig looked like a proud shopkeeper as he took in what has been an all too rare scene at America’s decimated shopping malls: throngs of customers, many laden with bags, strolling around the Cross County Center in Yonkers, New York. Shopping malls have become one of the most challenged parts of the real estate
Most teenagers have fended off the physical effects of Covid-19 or avoided symptoms altogether. But there is growing evidence of the worrying toll the pandemic is taking on the mental health of children and adolescents in the UK. One general practice doctor working in a coastal town near Bristol, in the west of England, said
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) has joined a group of leading technology companies that have filed an amicus brief with the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in support of a lawsuit by Facebook, Inc. (FB) subsidiary WhatsApp Inc. against spyware vendor NSO Group Technologies Limited. Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp sued NSO Group in 2019, alleging
“The people want the fall of the regime” was the slogan made famous by the Arab Spring. In 2011, what the people wanted, they often got, as authoritarian governments were toppled in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. The lesson of that year looked similar to that learnt in Europe in 1989: if enough demonstrators come out
The Trump administration is demanding that travellers from the UK get a negative coronavirus test 72 hours before flying to the US, under new restrictions designed to stop the spread of the new strain of the disease. The US government announced the measure on Thursday night, becoming the latest country to impose travel restrictions on
Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS) are popular with bondholders, particularly when the economy isn’t performing well. For many investors, TIPS seem like an obvious choice when there is above-average uncertainty about inflation and market returns. Unfortunately, TIPS do not always live up to their billing, primarily because most people don’t understand this investment as well as
In April, with California’s coronavirus rates among the lowest in the country, many of the state’s nurses flew to different parts of America to help with the pandemic. This Christmas, it is the Golden State’s hospitals that are desperate. “You just never really know if you’re going to get enough staff,” said Valerie Ewald, who
In the worst moments of 2020, I have told myself that things could have been worse. The virus might have particularly affected children; scientists might not have discovered any effective vaccine. Former British transport secretary Chris Grayling could still be in government. Dan Brown could have published another novel. The Queen could have . . . And so, with
With so many different types of online stock brokers and robo-advisors available to investors, it can be tough to choose one that works best for you. That’s why we put these U.S.-based firms through a comprehensive review process that included hands-on research to determine the best in the industry. Over the last few years, brokers
Lawyers for the voting machine company at the centre of Donald Trump’s election conspiracy theories have demanded that a string of rightwing news outlets retract claims they have made about the company in recent weeks. A legal firm working for Dominion Voting Systems has written to Fox News, two other rightwing networks — One America
More than four years after the UK voted for Brexit, the terms of Britain’s future relationship with the EU are settled. From January 1, the UK’s economic relationship with the EU will be governed by a tariff-free trade deal. The agreement also safeguards vital co-operation in areas such as the fight against terrorism and the
Do you know your insurance score? Most people don’t even realize they have one until they receive an adverse action notice in the mail notifying them that, based on their insurance score, they don’t qualify for the lowest pricing available from their insurance provider. To help you decipher what all this means, we’ll go over what the insurance
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. NYSE At the close of trading next Thursday, the bull market will be ready to run into 2021 but probably at a slower pace. January is the month that Wall Street tradition says sets the tone for the year — “so goes January, so
Among European leaders on Thursday evening there was little sign of the open rejoicing that could be heard in Downing Street, as capitals digested the historic EU-UK trade deal forged following nine months of negotiations. Micheál Martin, Irish premier, put it bluntly, saying that there was no such thing as a good Brexit for his
A provincial court in Pakistan has ordered the release of four men convicted over the murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl, a development that analysts said would further strain Pakistan’s ties with the US. Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh was sentenced to death for organising the kidnapping and murder of Pearl, who was beheaded after being
Key Takeaways Investment losses can help you reduce taxes by offsetting gains or income. Even if you don’t currently have any gains, there are benefits to harvesting losses now, since they can be used to offset income or future gains. If you have more capital losses than gains, you may be able to use up
Turkey raised its interest rates for a second month in a row as the central bank chief pushed on with a drive to rebuild the country’s shattered credibility. The bank’s monetary policy committee, headed by governor Naci Agbal, said it would lift the main interest rate from 15 per cent to 17 per cent, its
Your local corner shop Henry Mance It’s hard to remember those weeks in March and April when pasta vanished from supermarket shelves and online grocery delivery slots were like golden tickets. It was at that point that corner shops came into their own. They didn’t close, they didn’t complain, they barely ran out of goods.
Key Takeaways If you’ve sold your investments due to market ups and downs, reinvesting can help get your plan back on track. Staying disciplined with your saving and investing is key to helping account balances recover and achieving long-term goals. A financial plan is helpful when everything is booming, but it’s critical in economic downturns.
Florida’s seniors will be next in line to get coronavirus vaccines under a plan laid out by governor Ron DeSantis, bucking guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that gave equal consideration to workers defined as essential. US petroleum demand remained weak ahead of the holiday period, according to Energy Information Administration
China’s market regulator on Thursday announced an antitrust investigation into Alibaba, the country’s biggest tech company, a month after authorities halted sister company Ant’s $37bn initial public offering. The investigation is one of the first of its kind into a large Chinese tech company and comes as authorities are subjecting Alibaba’s ecommerce and fintech activities