WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Contracts to buy U.S. previously owned homes plunged to a record low in January as higher mortgage rates and house prices reduced affordability for prospective buyers. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) said on Thursday its Pending Home Sales Index, based on signed contracts, dropped 4.6% last month to 70.6, an all-time…
SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday described China as Russia’s ally and threw his weight behind Beijing’s claims over Taiwan, while stating that no countries had anything to fear from deepening Sino-Russian cooperation. The two countries have not declared a formal military alliance, but Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed…
By Anna Voitenko and Dan Peleschuk BUCHA, Ukraine (Reuters) – As Russian troops approached Dniprorudne in their February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the city’s long-term mayor Yevhen Matvieiev could have fled to safety. Instead, he stayed behind to coordinate humanitarian aid and security for its residents as Moscow’s forces occupied the southeastern Ukrainian city. Weeks later…
By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) – EU antitrust regulators are investigating whether the fees charged by Visa and Mastercard have a negative impact on retailers, an EU document seen by Reuters showed. The European Commission, which enforces EU competition rules, sent questionnaires about both Visa and Mastercard to retailers and payment service providers in…
By Jamie McGeever ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) – When Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues meet this week to discuss their next interest rate move, they’ll face a much more complicated situation than they did only two months ago, due to the historic rise in long-dated Treasury yields since the central bank’s jumbo rate…
LONDON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s pledge to impose a universal 10% tariff on imports and 60% on Chinese goods is likely only a starting point for negotiations, ratings agency S&P Global said in a note on Thursday. Tariffs are unlikely to be imposed at those levels, but were Trump to follow though, the…
(Reuters) – Shares in European spirits makers and brewers fell on Friday after the U.S. surgeon general called for cancer warnings on alcoholic drinks. Alcoholic drinks should carry a label warning consumers about their cancer risks, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said in an advisory, noting that their consumption increases the risk of developing breast,…
PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday announced investment pledges to bolster France’s artificial intelligence sector totalling 109 billion euros ($112 billion)over the coming years. The financing, unveiled during the Paris AI summit, includes plans by Canadian investment firm Brookfield to invest 20 billion euros in AI projects in France and financing from…
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – U.S. chipmaker Nvidia’s proposed acquisition of AI startup Run:ai will have to be approved by EU antitrust regulators before the deal can be completed, the European Commission said on Thursday. The EU competition enforcer said Nvidia will have to formally seek its approval for the deal, following a request from the Italian…
By Alex Lawler, Ahmad Ghaddar and Yousef Saba LONDON (Reuters) – OPEC+ at its Dec. 5 meeting made further changes to its oil production policy, by delaying a planned increase in output further into next year as it faces a weaker oil demand outlook. The oil producer group on Thursday pushed back the start of…
