Germany again defended its economic surplus on Thursday, despite increased criticism from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Europe. Jens Weidmann, president of the German central bank, all but ruled out an increase in public spending during a speech. “Raising public spending in order to reduce Germany’s current account surplus would likely be a futile […]
Read moreA newly discovered security flaw is affecting Apple‘s iPhone and Mac computers. Software developer Abraham Masri claimed to have found the bug, called “chaiOS,” and posted it on programming site GitHub on Tuesday afternoon. The so-called “text bomb” typically causes an iPhone to crash and, in some cases, restart. Sending a message which contains the […]
Read moreFrench President Emmanuel Macron is visiting the U.K. Thursday for the first time since taking office, in an attempt to secure defense cooperation post-Brexit. “I do think this meeting is particularly about quick resolutions,” Aarti Shankar, policy analyst at Open Europe, told CNBC Thursday. The meeting “will be setting the roadmap, I think, for what […]
Read moreEuropean markets are set to open slightly higher on Thursday morning, with investor sentiment buoyed by a rally on Wall Street overnight. The FTSE 100 is expected to open little changed at 7,715; while the German DAX is seen up by 50 points at 13,218 and the CAC 40 is set to open 15 points […]
Read moreThe nation’s homebuilders are taking a step back from their tax cut euphoria and starting the year on a slightly less sanguine note. Builder sentiment fell 2 points to 72 in January, according to a monthly survey from the National Association of Home Builders (HMI). The downward move comes after the measurement hit an 18-year […]
Read moreInternational tourism is growing at its fastest clip in seven years, but the U.S. is on pace for its sharpest drop in foreign travelers since the wake of the recession. It’s a worrying trend for the travel and retail industries. International travelers tend to stay longer and spend more than their domestic counterparts. In the […]
Read moreBritain’s Rolls-Royce said on Wednesday it was considering the sale of its commercial marine business, which has been hit by weak demand in offshore oil and gas markets, as part of a restructuring of the company into three core units. Shares in the company jumped after it said the loss-making unit could be sold. They […]
Read moreFragile markets are “on the edge of chaos,” according to one asset management firm, which has compared what it deems an overvalued stock market to cryptocurrency bubbles. “Stocks are in complete bitcoin territory,” Francesco Filia, chief executive at asset management firm Fasanara Capital told CNBC Wednesday. The impending tipping point for markets, per Fasanara’s analysis, […]
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THE great Sir Isaac Newton may have revolutionised our knowledge of the world but he still had his blind spots. He was sucked into the great mania of his day, the South Sea Bubble (pictured) and lost a lot of money. “I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies but not the madness of people,” […]
Read moreCurrency, United States Finance
World entering 'critical period of intensified risks' in 2018, WEF says
Extreme weather events and natural disasters are the likeliest global risks to occur in 2018, according to experts surveyed by the World Economic Forum. WEF’s latest Global Risks Report 2018, published Wednesday, showed that environmental disasters, cybercrime, large-scale involuntary migration and illicit trade were among the most notable risks, in terms of likelihood, facing the […]
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