The U.S. Federal Reserve is widely expected to finally start taking its foot off the interest rate brakes this week, and that will give authorities at China’s central bank room to act too. By extension, the move in Washington, D.C. could also spell good news for Chinese stocks. “U.S. monetary easing could be a catalyst for a rerating of growth sectors in Chinese markets, with growth outperforming value,” by an average of 44 percentage points, HSBC analysts said late last week, referring to the higher price-to-earnings ratios they think stocks in China may command. “We stress that earnings growth is…
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Editor’s Note: This article is part of U.S. Democracy Day, a nationwide collaborative on Sept. 15, the International Day of Democracy, in which news organizations cover how democracy works and the threats it faces. To learn more, visit usdemocracyday.org.California is ruled by Democrats, but it’s also one of the most small-D democratic states in the nation.Direct democracy – or legislating through the ballot – has been baked into the Golden State’s political system for well over a century, allowing voters to legislate and amend the constitution at the ballot box, placing them on equal footing with state lawmakers.It’s a right…
The end of 2023 was not a great time for the crypto industry. In November, Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange, learned that no amount of Michael Lewis gymnastics could save him from being convicted on seven charges of fraud and conspiracy. He was eventually sentenced to 25 years in prison after disappearing $11 billion of other people’s money. The following month, Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent letters to three crypto industry giants, the Blockchain Association, Coin Center, and Coinbase, criticizing them for undermining efforts to rein in crypto’s use in terrorist financing.Around the same time, crypto groups…
California may be a veritable paradise on Earth, with a salutary climate, famously pleasant weather year-round, and abundant natural resources, but it’s no secret that the Golden State also has its share of natural disasters. Recent years have seen an acceleration of wildfires in California, born of warm weather, extensive forests – and human activity. Of the 20 largest wildfires recorded in the state, 13 have occurred in just the last decade.The year 2019 was a particularly difficult year for California, as the wildfires were devastating and widespread, and in some cases were started by problems in the state’s utility…
Alanis and Prop. 36“Retail theft and housing are issues in state Assembly race in Stanislaus County,” (modbee.com, Feb. 13)As a lifelong resident of Modesto, I know two things that will have my vote this election year: Proposition 36 and Assemblyman Juan Alanis.Alanis has been talking about the need to make changes to Proposition 47 since the first time he ran, and now he is getting behind a movement that will make our community safer to live in.We are lucky to have purchased a home before the pandemic. There is no chance that we would be able to afford a home…
When the time comes, you will also need to decide how to use it to generate your retirement income. Similarly to other types of personal pension, contributions are boosted by tax relief equivalent to the rate of income tax you pay and when you access it, you will be able to take 25pc as a tax-free lump sum.But unlike other schemes, stakeholder pensions need to meet certain criteria. Lucie Spencer, of wealth manager Evelyn Partners, says: “A stakeholder pension must meet set government standards – such as minimum requirements on charges and contributions – to make sure it is good…
If all goes as the market expects, the Federal Reserve is less than a week away from cutting interest rates for the first time since the onset of the covid-19 pandemic. Though the move is widely anticipated, its effects will likely play out across the markets for some time.With inflationary pressures finally easing from their recent 40-year highs, investors expect the central bank to reduce the target federal-funds rate by at least a quarter of a percentage point from the current range of 5.25%-5.50%. More recently, investors have been debating the likelihood of a half-point cut. That would be a…
Two Fresno-area gun stores have shut down after years in business.The owners of both businesses blamed strict California gun laws and high taxes as the primary reason for closing.They said there was little to no money to be made as a gun store owner, citing newer California laws that they said increased owner expenses and turned off customers from buying as much guns and ammunition as before.That’s all on top of increases in rent and energy bills along with workers’ compensation and insurance — inflation factors that all types of businesses deal with, especially those in California.So after 16 years,…
When you can purchase a great company at a fair price, it is often a good time to buy. When the price tag looks cheap, it can be a great time to buy.Confectioner Hershey (NYSE: HSY) looks somewhere between fairly priced and cheap. Don’t miss the chance to buy it because of a little near-term uncertainty. Here are three big reasons to jump at the chance to own the stock today.1. Hershey looks like a bargainEvery business rides along a sine curve, with good times followed by bad ones, and vice versa. Right now, Hershey is dealing with a few…
If the Duke of Sussex uses his 40th birthday to reflect on the past decade, he’ll have plenty to ponder.Prince Harry will celebrate privately on Sunday, with his wife and children, in Montecito in California before heading off on a break with friends.Messages came from the Royal Family, who haven’t publicly acknowledged Prince Harry’s birthday for two years.First, a social media post from Buckingham Palace wishing him “a very happy 40th birthday”.Then, just over an hour later, the same message was reposted by the accounts of the Prince and Princess of Wales. The posts didn’t come with personal messages but…