Finance

Hammond ‘can raise £7bn a year by scrapping tax breaks’

Resolution Foundation urges chancellor to tighten wealth taxation to boost public sector Philip Hammond could raise an additional £7bn a year for the Treasury by scrapping tax breaks for the richest in society and tightening up existing wealth taxes, research from one of Britain’s leading thinktanks shows. In a report prepared ahead...

Time for politicians to make ‘stark choices’ over climate change

MPs must show leadership on issues such as meat production and air travel, says Clive Lewis Politicians must persuade consumers to make dramatic lifestyle changes if devastating climate change and mass extinctions are to be averted, according to the shadow Treasury minister Clive Lewis. From cutting back on red meat to taking fewer flights,...

Super rich Americans are getting younger and multiplying

A survey of U.S. investors with $25 million or more finds their average age dropped by 11 years since 2014, to 47. These fabulously rich Americans, whose ranks have more than doubled since the depths of the Great Recession, are younger than less wealthy millionaires. The average age of...

US average mortgage rates steady; 30-year stays at 4.45 percent

WASHINGTON — U.S. long-term mortgage rates held steady this week for the second straight week, sticking at their lowest levels in nine months after six weeks of decline. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate on the benchmark 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage was unchanged from last week at 4.45...

Ross says US remains far from a trade deal with China

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Thursday the U.S. is "miles and miles" from a trade deal with China. "Frankly, that shouldn't be too surprising," Ross said in a "Squawk Box" interview. The U.S. and China have "lots and lots of issues," Ross continued, and the Trump administration will need to...

Commerce chief tells strapped federal workers to get loans

Workers affected by the government shutdown should seek loans to pay their bills and financial institutions should make credit available, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Thursday as employees were poised to miss their second paycheck. In an interview on CNBC, Ross said it was "disappointing" that some federal workers...

SEC ‘has’ to investigate Christmas Eve sell-off, says ex-SEC attorney

The market sell-off on Christmas Eve shouldn't be ignored by regulators, a former attorney for the Securities and Exchange Commission told CNBC on Thursday. Dec. 24, 2018, was the worst Christmas Eve trading day ever for U.S. equities, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunging 653 points. Teresa Goody, who worked...

Will robots take your job? Quarter of US workers at risk

Robots aren't replacing everyone, but a quarter of U.S. jobs will be severely disrupted as artificial intelligence accelerates the automation of existing work, according to a new Brookings Institution report. Thursday's report from the Washington think tank says roughly 36 million Americans hold jobs with "high exposure" to automation —...

AP Explains What a Venezuelan oil embargo could mean for US

NEW YORK — Diplomatic relations between U.S. and Venezuela have hit a new low over President Donald Trump's decision to recognize the leader of the South American country's opposition as its legitimate president. But the two countries have long history of interdependency when it comes to oil that has...

Fed might be ending its rally-killing balance sheet reduction

Federal Reserve officials are nearing a decision on when to end the reduction of the bonds the central bank is holding on its balance sheet, a key consideration for investors watching how far the central bank will go in tightening monetary policy, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The Fed...