China’s benchmark lending rates were kept unchanged, the country’s central bank said Monday, as the world’s second-largest economy showed more signs of recovery from its COVID reopening. The one-year loan price rate remained unchanged at 3.65% and the five-year LPR was steady at 4.3%, said the People’s Bank of China. The unchanged LPR was widely … Read more
United Nations atomic agency inspectors have detected uranium that has been enriched to near weapons-grade in Iran in recent weeks, three senior diplomats said Sunday, a finding that will deepen concerns about Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Iran has been producing highly enriched, weapons-grade material of 60% purity since early 2021, but the material found was of 84% purity, according … Read more
Since Elon Musk took over, Twitter Inc. has faced a growing list of claims that it hasn’t paid its bills as the social-media company aims to break even this year. Landlords, consultants and vendors in recent months have made demands for payments in at least nine lawsuits, with their complaints totaling more than $14 million plus interest. Among those alleging past-due … Read more
Many of the people in the U.S. who pay hundreds of dollars every few months to get Botox plan to keep spending money on cosmetic injections despite the economic downturn. Botox’s not exactly recession-proof. AbbVie ABBV, +1.19%, which sells Botox and Juvederm fillers, said demand softened over the last six months of 2022, even while … Read more
Dear MarketWatch, I currently own one home, no mortgage with rental income. I own another home that will be paid off the year I turn 55. Both valued at $750,000. I have a 401(k) and other stocks and investments totaling another $750,000. My debt will be all paid by the year I turn 55. I … Read more
At the end of 2022, Americans racked up credit-card debt at the fastest pace New York Federal Reserve researchers have ever seen, underscoring how many people are turning to cards to keep up with rising costs. Credit-card balances grew by $61 billion during the fourth quarter, totaling $986 billion as Americans shopped for the holidays … Read more
Dear MarketWatch, I make over $100,000 a year, and expect to for the foreseeable future. As of now, I am contributing 8% of my income to my 403(b) with a 3% 401(a) match; all Roth. It would be more, but I am maxing out a Roth IRA and an HSA as well each year. I … Read more
It’s a bad day to be a paper pusher. Artificial intelligence is on a rapidly aggressive pace to take over “clerical white collar work,” IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said. Amid the explosion of language-based AI ChatGPT, a “marketing moment” Krishna called “incredible” during an interview with the Financial Times, he also forecasted what sort of jobs the tech will … Read more
Friday marks two weeks since a Norfolk Southern Corp. freight train carrying hazardous materials in a few of its cars derailed at East Palestine, Ohio, on the Pennsylvania border. While no one was hurt in the initial derailment, the frightening incident — and the ominous black cloud when officials intentionally burned off the lingering chemicals … Read more
The strange sight of a suspected Chinese spy balloon floating across America has caused one of the more unusual diplomatic rows of recent years, with Washington and Beijing locking horns over the giant object, which was shot down off the South Carolina coast. With the U.S. on high alert, other “unidentified” objects have subsequently been … Read more