A CFA Member works on controlled back burns along Putty Road on November 14, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. Australia’s most populous state was paralyzed by “catastrophic” fire conditions Saturday amid souring temperatures, while one person died as wildfires also ravaged the country’s southeast. “Catastrophic fire conditions are as bad as it gets,” New South Wales Rural Fire Services Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told reporters. It follows the death of a 24-year-old man in a road crash in South Aus

Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive, speaks during a news conference in July 2019 in Hong Kong, China. While on a trip to Taiwan, a Hong Kong man strangled his Hong Kong girlfriend, then returned home and confessed. Xi’s crackdown spilled over dramatically into the streets of Hong Kong in the early hours of January 27, 2017. When she began studying at the University of Hong Kong, Lam intended to be a social worker. Zhang took a “hardline” position, they said, telling the visitors it was urge

On a Saturday morning earlier this month, I went out with my daughter on the annual urban pilgrimage to buy a Christmas Tree in New York City. We live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, where if you didn’t know better, you might believe was in Indiana, Pennsylvania (reputed “Christmas Tree Capital of the World”), or some town in Wisconsin, or Oregon (probably the actual Christmas tree capitals), as there are Christmas tree pop-up locations every six blocks. So why not a Christmas tree? After t

They’re often more willing to spend their hard-earned dollars on making memories than on buying tangible things. For a fun night out to celebrate the start of 2020, millennials (defined here as those 23 to 38) are willing to spend an average of $228.10, according to a recent survey from ticketing site Eventbrite. Even though millennials are known to spend less than previous generations, the amount they’re willing to put toward a New Year’s outing is about $42 more than the average amount America

The hot spots might surprise you/ Here are the most popular tourist destinations around the world where people Ubered in 2019:1. Empire State BuildingPerhaps the most iconic building in Manhattan’s skyline, the Empire State Building provides impressive views from its 102nd floor observatory. The Empire State Building was completed in 1931, and attracts four million visitors a year. Buckingham PalaceThe royal residence Buckingham Palace is one of the most popular tourist attractions in London. Mo

It’s a job seeker’s market in today’s tight labor economy, where there are more job openings than there are workers to fill them. Those willing to pack up and move for a new job may want to consider a relocation to North Dakota or South Dakota, according to ZipRecruiter’s latest analysis of the hottest hiring markets for 2020. The career site evaluated metro areas across the U.S. to find which markets had a large number and high variety of jobs, growing demand for workers, generous pay and more

The qualified business income or QBI deduction made its debut in 2018, a feature of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The new write-off allows owners of “pass-through” entities, including S-corporations and partnerships, to deduct up to 20% of their qualified business income. “The issue with the QBI deduction came with calculating it,” said Michael D’Addio, a principal at Marcum LLP. Here’s another consideration: The QBI deduction is only around until the end of 2025, when it will expire unless Congres

So says KraneShares’ Brendan Ahern about his bullish forecast for Chinese stocks in 2020, which he’s attributing to the largely overlooked strength of the consumers who are fueling the world’s second-largest economy. “From just an economic perspective, the trade war has been an inhibitor to growth,” Ahern said Wednesday on CNBC’s “ETF Edge.” Alibaba’s recent secondary share listing in Hong Kong confirmed both the company’s strength and the appetites of its customers. As investors increasingly ta

That’s an all-time high, and its a serious blow to the job market in the retail sector. Since reaching a peak in January 2017, retail has lost more than 197,000 jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. But one of the biggest culprits, of course, is the proliferation of online sales, which accounts for 16% of total retail sales in the U.S. today, according to UBS estimates. The video retailer is hoping to improve its annual profit generation by $200 million by fiscal 2021. Parent company

‘Small Business Saturday,’ American ExpressPresident Barack Obama buys ice cream for his daughters Malia and Sasha at Pleasant Pops during Small Business Saturday on November 28, 2015, in Washington, DC. Getty ImagesCredit card company American Express started the “Small Business Saturday” campaign in the dregs of a recession in November 2010. American Express estimates Small Business Saturday spending has reached $103 billion since the day it began. Goodson said Small Business Saturday “took a

The world’s biggest players in logistics and packages are racing to make commercial drone delivery a reality, with Loop Capital Markets saying ” UPS and Alphabet have the early lead” on Amazon , FedEx and others. A mix of giant e-commerce, logistics and technology companies are battling to win regulatory approval and roll out commercial drone delivery networks. The lucrative potential of a last mile drone network is why Loop says “everyone is watching” Amazon. “Drone delivery would be a signific

Traders work on the floor at the closing bell of the Dow Industrial Average at the New York Stock Exchange. Many Wall Street analysts remain publicly bullish on Boeing even as the grounding of the 737 Max stretches into the new year with each negative headline taking the stock down another peg. Analysts are standing their ground, seeing a rebound in 2020 by double digits once the Max returns to the skies. Of those surveyed by FactSet, 83% gave the stock a buy rating as of Feb. 28, with an averag

Wall Street analysts said this week that there’s no shortage of quality stocks for clients to explore with upside potential. CNBC did a deep dive into some of the most recent Wall Street research in search of stocks that analysts say are “undervalued.” Stocks include Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, G-III Apparel Group, GoDaddy, Anthem, and DuPont. An analyst said he came away impressed with the management, website opportunity, and customer care center, and went on to say he “continues to

It also could make certain gaming stocks a more attractive investment in the new year. MGM Resorts, meanwhile, has gained just over 3% since then while Boyd Gaming has lost about 15%. Penn National Gaming has plummeted more than 24% in that time. By 2023, he estimates the U.S. sports betting market will grow to $13 billion. Penn National Gaming and Boyd Gaming are among the companies that could benefit from these trends given their regional exposure, Santarelli said.

Chris Hibben | U.S. Air ForceWASHINGTON — Geopolitical uncertainty coupled with a colossal uptick in U.S. military spending could make defense stocks a winning trade once again in 2020. Also, a historic boost to the U.S. defense budget should be a boon for defense stocks in 2020. The Pentagon’s spending power has never been larger at a cool $738 billion, up from $717 billion in 2019. Democratic presidential hopefuls Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have both spoken out against the $21billion

The game featuring the best two teams in the National Basketball Association is the most-watched NBA game on any network since opening night on the channel, according to officials from Turner. The network added the Thursday night game was also the most-watched regular-season game on TNT since the Jan. 15, 2018 game between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. Lakers All-Star LeBron James finished with his sixth triple-double of the season (21 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists). In th

Crewmasters with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, prepare to refuel an F/A-18 Hornet over the W-291 training area in southern California, March 6, 2019. Dominic Romero | US Marine CorpsWASHINGTON — President Donald Trump approved a colossal defense bill Friday that authorizes a topline of $738 billion for fiscal year 2020. Of that total, the Defense Department requested $11.2 billion to buy 78 F-35 jets. Last month, the Pentagon a

United States President Donald J. Trump signs the Tax Cut and Reform Bill in the Oval Office at The White House in Washington, DC on December 22, 2017. President Donald Trump signed bills Friday to prevent a government shutdown and make major changes to U.S. health policy. The president approved the $1.4 trillion appropriations package with only hours to spare before funding lapsed Saturday. In a statement from the White House press office, Trump said, “The government funding bills I just signed

If you’re a Star Wars fan, you’re likely eager to watch “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” which premiers this week to much anticipation. But if you Google the film with the intent of pirating it, you may risk fraudsters stealing your credit card information. People searching for “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker watch free” may have compromised their credit card information, according to a press release from global cybersecurity company Kaspersky. “These websites collect unwary users’ credit c

“It’s hard to see how things get much better,” Emily Roland, a co-chief investment strategist at John Hancock Investment Management, told members of the media during the company’s recent 2020 outlook event in New York. The market has a lot of “year-over-year positive momentum,” says Scott Colbert, chief economist at Missouri-based Commerce Trust Company, who also expects the bull market to continue and stocks to keep rising into 2020. Earnings reports: Quarterly reports released by public compan