Fed’s Mester casts doubt on the need for ‘shock’ interest rate hikes ahead

Cleveland Federal Reserve President Loretta Mester said Friday she’s in favor of raising interest rates quickly to bring down inflation, but not so quickly as to disrupt the economic recovery. That means a strong likelihood of backing a 50 basis point rate hike at the next Fed meeting and perhaps a few more after, but…

Why the U.S. is going after yachts and mansions of Russian billionaire oligarchs

From chasing down yachts to seizing Italian villas, the global effort to punish Russian oligarchs for their financial ties to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has been unprecedented. For its part, the U.S. has arranged its own special task force — known as Task Force “KleptoCapture” — within the Department of Justice to seize the…

Getting close to retirement? Be sure your plan includes managing this risk

Musketeer | Getty Images For anyone who’s nearing retirement and watching the stock market nervously, those jitters may mean it’s time to review your portfolio. While stocks over time offer the best opportunity for long-term growth despite periods of volatility, a persisting market downturn heading into retirement can be problematic if you’re tapping those assets…

Cuts to unemployment benefits didn’t spur jobs, report says

A “We’re Hiring” sign hangs on the front door of a toy store in Greenvale, New York, on Sept. 30, 2021. John Paraskevas/Newsday RM via Getty Images State cuts to pandemic unemployment benefits last summer had a small impact on hiring, suggesting enhanced funding for the unemployed didn’t play a big role in labor shortages,…

Benefits of Principled Tax Policy: EU VAT Reform Results

“New own resources should fulfil the criteria of simplicity, transparency, predictability, and fairness.” One would think that the above recommendation came from a Tax Foundation report on principled EU own resources policy. While we would like to claim credit, the recommendation, rather, comes from the EU’s own 2016 Monti report and more recently, the EU’s…

It’s the French election this weekend — here’s what Wall Street expects to happen

As French voters head to the polls Sunday, Wall Street is forecasting market upset if far-right candidate Marine Le Pen proves victorious. Timothy A. Clary | Afp | Getty Images French voters head to the polls on Sunday to cast their ballots in the final round of a close presidential race between incumbent Emmanuel Macron…

Gap stock slides 18% after cutting sales guidance; CEO of Old Navy division to leave

In this article GPS An employee hands a customer a shopping bag at an Old Navy Inc. store in San Francisco. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Gap Inc. announced Thursday that the CEO of its Old Navy division, Nancy Green, is leaving the business this week. Gap Chief Executive Sonia Syngal will…

Fintech giant Stripe jumps into crypto with a feature that lets Twitter users get paid in stablecoin

Illustrative image of two commemorative bitcoins with a green background. Artur Widak | Nurphoto | Getty Images Stripe will allow businesses to pay their users via cryptocurrencies, starting with Twitter, in the latest sign of how large financial firms are warming to digital assets. The $95 billion online payments company said Friday it will start…

Here’s what to do if you missed the April 18 tax filing deadline

Sergey Mironov | Moment | Getty Images If you missed the April 18 tax deadline, you may cut back on penalties by filing your return promptly, according to the IRS.  While it’s too late to request an extension, you can still reduce monthly late fees. Failure to file costs 5% of unpaid taxes per month and late payments incur…

74% of people do not think they will ever achieve high-net-worth status, survey finds

cdwheatley | E+ | Getty Images People have wide-ranging views of what it means to be “high net worth,” according to a survey from digital wealth manager Personal Capital. Yet most people — 74% — don’t see themselves ever fitting into that category. When 2,209 adults were asked what they would consider high net worth,…

Major retailers boost Black female entrepreneurship as employment gap lingers

Ulta Beauty has doubled the number of Black-owned brands that it carries. Ulta Beauty Major beauty retailers are boosting small, minority-owned businesses as Black female entrepreneurship helps bridge an employment gap. As of last year, 17% of Black women in the U.S. were in the process of starting or running new businesses, according to the…