Holiday shopping turned out even better than expected in December as shoppers picked up the pace to close out a strong 2023, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. Retail sales increased 0.6% for the month, buoyed by a pickup in clothing and accessory stores as well as online non-store businesses. The results were better than the … Read more
Javier Ghersi | Moment | Getty Images Corporate debt defaults soared last year and could be a problem again in 2024 as cash-strapped companies deal with the burden of high interest rates, S&P Global Ratings reported Tuesday. The number of companies that failed to make required payments on their debt totaled 153 for 2023, up … Read more
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller acknowledged Tuesday that interest rate cuts are likely this year, but said the central bank can take its time relaxing monetary policy. The comments, delivered during a speech in Washington, D.C., seemed to counter market anticipation for aggressive easing this year. “As long as inflation doesn’t rebound and stay elevated, … Read more
Ajei Gopal, CEO, Ansys Scott Mlyn | CNBC Semiconductor design and software firm Synopsys on Tuesday announced it would acquire Ansys, a engineering and product design software firm, in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $35 billion. Synopsys will pay consideration of roughly $390 per share: $197 per-share in cash and roughly one-third of a … Read more
Medical personnel use a mammogram to examine a woman’s breast for breast cancer. Hannibal Hanschke | dpa | Picture Alliance | Getty Images SAN FRANCISCO — An established but promising group of cancer drugs was a red-hot market in 2023, and more companies could look to the treatments to fuel growth in the year ahead. … Read more
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 15, 2023. Nathan Howard | Bloomberg | Getty Images The U.S. government ran up another half a trillion dollars in red ink in the first quarter of its fiscal year, the Treasury Department reported Thursday. For the period from October 2023 through December 2023, the budget … Read more
Prices that consumers pay for a variety of goods and services rose more than expected in December, according to a Labor Department measure Thursday that shows inflation still holding a grip on the U.S. economy. The consumer price index increased 0.3% for the month, higher than the 0.2% estimate at a time when most economists … Read more
Consumers shop at a retail chain store in Rosemead, California, on December 12, 2023. Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images Economists expect that inflation nudged higher in December, a trend that could call into question the market’s eager anticipation that the Federal Reserve will slash interest rates this year. The consumer price index, … Read more
(L-R) Gary Swidler, chief financial officer of Match Group, Greg Blatt, chairman of Match Group, Sam Yagan, CEO of Match Group and co-founder and CEO of OkCupid and Nelson Griggs, vice president of Nasdaq, pose for a photo in Times Square after celebrating Match Group’s initial public offering (IPO) at the NASDAQ stock exchange on … Read more
Federal Reserve Bank Governor Michelle Bowman gives her first public remarks as a Federal policymaker at an American Bankers Association conference In San Diego, California, February 11 2019. Ann Saphir | Reuters Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman, who had been one of the central bank’s staunchest advocates for tight monetary policy, said Monday she’s adjusted … Read more
