US Finds First Severe Bird Flu Case; California Calls Emergency

Dec 18, 2024 | Markets

Hospitalized patient was exposed to sick and dead birds California declares state of emergency to respond to outbreak A Louisiana resident has been hospitalized with bird flu, marking the first severe human case of avian influenza in the US, while California declared...

Fed cuts rates by quarter point, scales back cuts for 2025

Dec 18, 2024 | Markets

The Federal Reserve reduced interest rates by a quarter percentage point Wednesday and scaled back the number of cuts it expects to make next year. In a split vote, the central bank voted to reduce its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to a new range of...

NJ Officials Skeptical as Pentagon Denies Involvement in Drones

Dec 18, 2024 | Markets

The US Defense Department denied its involvement in the mysterious drone activity that’s confounded officials in New York and New Jersey, prompting skepticism among some local leaders. Major General Pat Ryder told reporters Tuesday that none of the drones spotted in...

China’s Billionaires Are Making Money for First Time Since 2020

Dec 17, 2024 | Markets

Stimulus has boosted wealth after property crisis, crackdowns The nation’s richest person changed a record number of times China’s billionaires are slowly starting to recover their wealth after three years of losses from a property crisis and Xi Jinping’s push for...

Economists Boost 2025 US Inflation Forecast on Tariff Concerns

Dec 17, 2024 | Markets

Bloomberg survey shows price gauges backing away from Fed goal Three rate cuts seen in 2025 as core inflation averages 2.5% Economists raised their projections for US inflation next year on tariff concerns and now expect one less interest-rate cut from the Federal...