Signed sales contracts on existing homes dropped 7.7% in April compared to March, the slowest pace since April 2020, according to the National Association of Realtors. These so-called pending sales are a forward-looking indicator of closed sales one to two months later. Pending sales were 7.4% lower than in April of last year. Sales were expected to be flat compared ...
New York Federal Reserve President John Williams on Thursday said inflation is still too high, but he is confident it will start decelerating later this year. With markets on edge over the direction of monetary policy, Williams offered no clear indication of his position on possible interest rate cuts. Instead, he reiterated recent positions from the central bank that it ...
Retail’s biggest winners during first-quarter earnings aren’t thriving because consumers are suddenly spending more on discretionary goods — it’s because they’re executing well and cash-strapped shoppers are choosing them over competitors. If there’s one takeaway from results posted by the largest U.S. retailers over the last few weeks, it’s that shoppers are still spending — but being far more selective about where. Feeling the ...
Tesla is recalling 125,227 vehicles in the United States due to a malfunction in its seat belt warning system that can increase the risk of injury in a collision, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Friday. The regulator said the vehicles failed to comply with the federal safety requirements as their seat belt warning light and audible chime may ...
As Donald Trump became the first former US president to be convicted of a felony on Thursday, the historic verdict sparked huge interest – and a fair amount of schadenfreude – in China. As a rising authoritarian superpower, China has long sought to project its political system as superior to American democracy. But while Trump’s trial has been a boon for that narrative, ...
Like many victims of sexual abuse, it took years for Santiago to acknowledge that he was raped as a teenager. Four decades on, he is still waiting for a measure of justice to address his claims against Sodalitium Christianae Vitae (SCV), a secretive Roman Catholic society founded in Peru that has been mired in scandal since its layman founder Luis Fernando Figari ...
This is a historic and pivotal year for democracy across the globe. Around 70 countries – from the United States to South Africa, via Mexico and Taiwan – will hold elections in 2024. After India’s huge and ongoing six-week ballot, however, the biggest election in terms of voter numbers will happen next week, when 373 million Europeans can go to the polls and elect 720 members of the next ...
The US and Chinese defense chiefs are holding a rare in-person meeting Friday as the two powers navigate a contentious security landscape across the Asia-Pacific and a range of frictions between them from China’s intimidation of Taiwan to American’s strengthening alliances in the region. The meeting, between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and China’s Minister of National Defense Adm. Dong ...
Early results from South Africa’s election suggest the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party could lose its majority for the first time in 30 years. With results in from 22% of polling stations at 4 p.m. local time, support for the ANC stood at 43.5%. The official opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), had 24.7% of the vote, while the far-left ...
Catherine, Princess of Wales, will not be returning to royal duties with an appearance at the Colonel’s Review, a military parade in London in early June, as she continues her treatment for cancer. The ceremonial display on June 8 is the traditional dress rehearsal for the King’s official birthday parade known as Trooping the Colour, which takes place a week ...