The US’s S&P 500 index has risen more than 20 per cent for the second year in a row, as investor excitement about artificial intelligence fuels strong gains in megacap technology stocks. Despite a sell-off in December, the basket of blue-chip stocks has ended 2024 up 23.3 per cent, following a 24.2 per cent gain
Home Depot navigated a challenging 2024 marked by elevated interest rates and a cautious consumer. But as the year progressed, signs of recovery emerged, setting the stage for a rebound in 2025, fueled by increased housing turnover and pent-up demand in the home improvement market. Year-to-date performance: up 12% Forward price-to-earnings multiple: 25 versus a
“President Trump and I had a great meeting to discuss our shared priorities for the President’s second term,” said Bowser. ”President Trump and I both want Washington DC to be the best, most beautiful city in the world and we want the capital city to reflect the strength of our nation.” DC.Gov President-elect Donald Trump and Washington,
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. French President Emmanuel Macron has said that he takes responsibility for the political divisions caused by his decision to hold snap parliamentary elections in the summer, saying the move had created “more instability than peace”.
Germany’s kindergartens are in crisis, with staff shortages wreaking havoc in the lives of working parents, damaging the nation’s productivity and risking the future prospects of a generation of children. The lack of trained childcare workers in the EU’s largest economy is causing overcrowding in day-care centres, emergency closures and a shortage of available places
Enjoy complimentary access to top ideas and insights — selected by our editors. President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House has placed public finance leaders on the defensive, as tax policy changes may impact the industry’s investor base, increase borrowing costs and stymie certain infrastructure finance opportunities. Looking to the past offers some insight
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Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the US economy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Defaults on US credit card loans have hit the highest level since the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, in a sign that lower-income consumers’ financial health is waning after years of high inflation. Credit
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Poland aims to complete a border wall and seal off its border with Belarus by next summer, in order to stop an influx of migrants Warsaw describes as Russia’s hybrid war. The additional infrastructure works
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Vladimir Putin has apologised to Azerbaijan for what he described as a “tragic incident” involving an Azerbaijani aircraft in Russian airspace on Christmas Day. Moscow phoned Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev and the Russian president expressed
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. US tech stocks slid lower on Friday as investors pivoted away from companies that had led markets higher for much of this year. The S&P 500, Wall Street’s main equity benchmark, dropped 1.6 per cent
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has been working furiously the past 30 days launching her budget proposal and closing the door on a special session to deal with costs associated with a record-breaking 2024 wildfire season.Oregon Governor’s Office It’s been a busy 30 days for Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek. Since Thanksgiving, she has approved legislation drafted
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The writer is a former global head of equity capital markets at Bank of America and is now a managing director at Seda Experts Bitcoin’s spectacular surge this year has reignited a dilemma on Wall
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the UK tax myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Tax experts have questioned Sir Keir Starmer’s claim that a “typical family” farm will receive a £3mn exemption from inheritance tax. They argue the government’s figure is “misleading” because it requires farmers to meet complex
“This ruling protects critical funding that helps us provide public safety, infrastructure and other essential services for our residents,” Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan said.City of Round Rock, Texas A Texas judge ruled largely in favor of six cities that sued the state comptroller over a move that would have cost them millions of dollars
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Russian anti-aircraft fire may have caused a plane to crash in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day, according to defence experts and officials in the region. The Azerbaijan Airlines flight was en route from Azerbaijan’s capital Baku
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. India has eclipsed China as Asia’s top market for company listings this year, as buoyant stock prices spark a boom in initial public offerings. Propelled by companies including Swiggy and Hyundai Motor, India will be
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the War in Ukraine myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Russia has carried out a Christmas Day attack on Ukraine’s energy system, leaving more than half a million consumers without heating, water and electricity. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack, the 13th large-scale
A housing development in the Denver suburbs. Infrastructure for most new residential development in Colorado is financed through metropolitan district bonds.Bloomberg News A flurry of first time and repeated technical bond defaults by Colorado metropolitan districts in December is raising concerns about the debt, which finances public infrastructure such as roads, sewers, parks, and recreation
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Syria’s rebel factions have agreed to disband and become part of the interim government’s defence ministry as the new administration rushes to consolidate power within revamped institutions. The new government’s commander-in-chief Ahmed al-Sharaa — former