The dollar recorded its best week since early November after a series of strong U.S. economic data releases that make a near-term cut in interest rates unlikely. Earlier this week, the U.S. reported that the domestic homebuilding market was regaining steam and the manufacturing sector was stabilizing. That has driven the dollar index up 0.56% this week. The pound was last 0.03% stronger against the dollar, at $1.301, and up 0.48% against the euro at 0.851 pence. In thin pre-holiday trade, the eu

An employee arranges gold bars for a photograph at the YLG Bullion International headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand on January 13, 2016. Gold prices held firm on Thursday as investors awaited further developments on U.S.-China trade, while political uncertainty in Washington failed to move markets across the board. Spot gold was up 0.3% at $1,479.87 per ounce. The 17-month-long trade dispute has triggered a 15% rise in gold prices in the year, and fanned global recessionary fears. Among other pre

The oil tanker ‘Devon’ prepares to transfer crude oil from Kharg Island oil terminal to India in the Persian Gulf, Iran, on March 23, 2018. Brent crude gained 37 cents to settle at $66.54 per barrel, for its sixth straight day of gains. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained 29 cents, or 0.48%, to settle at $61.22 per barrel. The deal between the world’s two largest economies has improved the global economic outlook, lifting prospects for higher energy demand next year and underpinning oil pr

Vietnamese coffee drinks are brewed with robusta beans, which have a sharper, bitter flavor and higher caffeine content than more mild arabica beans. Robusta beans are available all over Vietnam, whereas arabica beans are served in most Western coffee outlets. Local chains charge less for coffee, adapt more quickly to new trends and have a huge footprint. Among the international chains trying to grow in Vietnam, Starbucks stands out, despite its high price tag. What are international coffee chai

Why is Brexit so complicated? It has been more than three years since U.K. voters said they wanted to leave the European Union. Yet despite being scheduled to depart from the EU in March 2019, Brexit has now been postponed several times. So, what is the hold up? CNBC’s Silvia Amaro explains why the process is taking so long.

And to someone with no savings and an annual salary of $75,000, the idea of putting away $2 million for retirement can seem like an impossible goal. As a rule of thumb, most financial advisors suggest you save 10% to 15% of your salary. But if your goal is to get to $2 million, the percentage you need to invest will vary widely based on how old you are when you start. NerdWallet crunched the numbers, and we can tell you exactly how much of your $75,000 you’ll need to tuck away to get there. Just

That decision came in a case called Citizens United vs. the Federal Election Commission. Four years later, following the Citizens United decision, such groups spent seven times that total. To make real change come January 2021, we need to attack corruption head-on, and that starts with a constitutional amendment overturning Citizens United.” Dark money creeps inThe dark-money organizations also saw an uptick in spending in the 2012 presidential election cycle following Citizens United. In 2012,

How to retire with $2 million if you make $75,000 a year4 Hours AgoAs a rule of thumb, most financial advisors suggest you save 10% to 15% of your annual salary. That percentage may be much higher if your yearly salary is $75,000 and your goal is to retire with two million in the bank. It’s not impossible, however, with dedication and a lot of time. Here’s exactly how much of your salary you’d need to tuck away to get there.

Use unique passwords for your financial accounts and keep a password manager. Improve your personal savings rateYour personal savings rate is the amount of your disposable income you do not spend in a given time frame. Remember, your savings figure should include any contributions to your savings account, retirement accounts, health care savings accounts, including an FSA or HSA, 529 plans and any other investments. Increase your credit scoreImproving your credit score can help you secure lower

In 2013, Gallup found that 70% of U.S. adults considered a college education to be “very important,” 23% felt it was “fairly important” and 6% said it was “not too important.” But analysts stress that earning a college degree remains a strong investment. “Getting a college degree, if done right, is still the best investment you’re ever gonna make,” Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate tells CNBC Make It. ScandalAnother potential reason students’ belief in higher education has been s

When Tesla unveiled its highly anticipated, all-electric pickup called the Cybertruck, it quickly took over the internet. A failed demonstration of shatter-resistant glass and a scientifically contested tug-of-war with a Ford F-150 kept the vehicle in the headlines. Prospective buyers could reserve a truck by putting down a $100 fully refundable deposit. To understand the divide, CNBC found six people who put the $100 down for the vehicle and asked what made them take the plunge. Watch the video

The S&P 500 just crossed 3,200 for the first time ever, hitting its seventh round-number milestone of 2019, a year that has a good chance at being one for the record books. With less than two weeks left in 2019, the S&P 500 is up more than 27%, about 2 percentage points away from 2013’s gain of 29.6%. Based on the historic performance going back to 1950, the majority of December’s gains in the S&P 500 have tended to happen toward the end of the month, according to Ryan Detrick, senior market str

Former Bank of England deputy governor Andrew Bailey, one of the City of London’s most experienced financial regulators, is set to be named as the new governor of the British central bank, a person familiar with the process said. Other names lined with the jobs have included BoE deputy governor, Minouche Shafik, Shriti Vadera, chair of Santander UK, and former Federal Reserve policymaker Kevin Warsh. In his current job at the FCA, Bailey has been criticised for not publishing in full a report in

“I don’t accept gifts,” the NBA Hall of Famer recently told The New York Post’s Page Six. Instead, he prefers to spend his holiday every year handing out gifts to hundreds of kids in need through his Shaq-A-Claus event. “Then one day, when I thought I wasn’t getting anything for Christmas, he surprised me with a [signed] Dr. J basketball.” It inspired me to be who I am today,” O’Neal told The News-Herald in 2009. On Wednesday, O’Neal visited Wesley Lakes Elementary School in Atlanta to deliver h

Chance the Rapper announced that he’s canceling his 2020 tour to “take this time to be with family,” he wrote in an Instagram caption Sunday. The artist, whose name is Chancelor Bennett, has previously said it has been “very strenuous” having to divide his “time and energy between family and work.” Bennett originally postponed The Big Tour, which was supposed to begin in September, after his daughter, Marli, was born that month. “[A]s a husband and father of two I realize that I can’t make that

The kids wouldn’t get shuffled to and from school and math tutors and track practice and doctors appointments and gymnastics and sleepovers. Certainly the kids wouldn’t feel so secure in their lives. Has it crossed your mind that “men take risks and women don’t” as has been alleged against a WeWork executive? Additionally, women’s earnings peak about 10 years earlier, around 44 for women versus 55 for men. In fact, while women outearn men in 25% of all couples, it’s been found that when “she mak

“I think we are going to get an excess 50 basis points of additional growth in GDP as a result of this agreement. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says the replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement will boost the U.S. economy by .5%, but some leading economists do not agree. Trump, who counts manufacturers as one of his key constituents, has called NAFTA the “worst trade deal ever made,” blaming it for a decline in U.S. manufacturing jobs. The revised deal that the U.S. first

Consumer dataWe’ll get consumer spending and personal income economic data on Friday. Consumer spending data will come out at 8:30 a.m. from the Commerce Department. Key inflation measureThe Bureau of Economic Analysis releases the latest core personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, a key inflation gauge on Friday. Economists polled by Dow Jones are expecting Core PCE rose 0.1% in November, the same reading as October. The core PCE price index rose 1.7% on a year-on-year basis in Oc

Stocks jumped to record highs once again as investors shrugged off President Donald Trump’s impeachment and disappointing economic data. Wall Street was able to look past President Donald Trump’s impeachment in the House since the odds of the Republican-led Senate convicting him are so slim. “It’s fairly obvious that there just not going to be a removal,” remarked one investor on Thursday. Meanwhile, the disappointing jobless claims and business conditions data from the Philadelphia Federal Rese

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, one of just three Democrats to vote against President Donald Trump’s impeachment in the House of Representatives, will become a Republican, Trump announced Thursday. Perhaps more pressing for Van Drew, however, was the difficult path to reelection he faces in 2020. And ahead of Van Drew’s announcement Thursday afternoon, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee press secretary Robyn Patterson shared a portion of Van Drew’s internal polls showing similar results. Just a yea