Finance news

Impact of Middle East war on Hong Kong’s inflation limited, finance chief says

Hong Kong’s finance chief has said the Middle East war has played only a limited role in driving up local inflation, noting the city’s service-based economy and stable energy supplies from mainland China have mitigated the effects of external shocks. Briefing the Legislative Council on Monday, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said the surge in global fuel prices was expected to affect fuel-related consumer prices, pushing inflation higher. “Rising international oil prices will continue to...

Sequence of loan repayment and restructuring

To families with very high incomes: did you first pay off your home loan (variable interest rate over 25 years, currently 665k remaining debt, approx. 3.3% effective interest rate) Etf: approx. 160k, daily allowance approx. 70k Additionally: small renovated holiday apartment in a ski resort in Austria, which we want to sell and hope to get 250-300k for. The question is how and when it will sell... Originally we didn't want to make a lot of special repayments but rather save for the renovation and then renovate it in 2-3 years (approx. 55

Powell uses JFK award speech to defend Fed from political pressure

Former US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell used one of his first major public appearances since leaving office to defend independent institutions while accepting an award Sunday honouring his efforts to preserve the central bank’s independence. Speaking at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Powell called universities, courts, Congress and the central bank “the foundation and the embodiment of our democracy” and argued that the Fed’s independence was a “priceless asset” that must be...

Jerome Powell warns that politicizing Fed will erode its credibility

Former Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Sunday called the Federal Reserve’s independence “a priceless asset” that must be protected, in one of his first major speeches since stepping down from his post earlier this month.

China responds to Japan-Philippines boundary talks with expanded sea patrols

Beijing has announced law enforcement patrols in waters east of Taiwan, in retaliation against Japan and the Philippines’ decision to launch maritime boundary delimitation talks. According to a statement from China’s coastguard, a formation led by its vessel Daishan conducted law enforcement patrols on Monday in waters east of Taiwan “in accordance with the law”. “This is a necessary action taken in response to Japan and the Philippines’ unilateral announcement of the launch of maritime...

+++ USA +++: Ex-Fed boss Powell warns against political interference at the Fed

USA again kills alleged drug smugglers on the high seas +++ Billions in damage feared due to stop of international flights +++ The news blog.

Isabel Schnabel: From money market funds to stablecoins: lessons for central banks

Why is there usually no interest on checking accounts?

The money is available at any time and you can use your entire balance without notice, regardless of whether it is in a current account or a current account. So what is the reason why you usually don't receive any interest on a checking account? What is different here from the banks’ perspective? Because daily money accounts are perhaps less subject to fluctuations? Are banks perhaps also taking advantage of the laziness of their customers who park (almost) everything in their current account? submitted by /u/Conscious_Year_670

Philippines, Japan seek to strengthen defense ties amid US-China thaw

"The mileage cheat" - cashback/bonus miles/credit card if you reliably process 3k per month via KK?

In https://www.reddit.com/r/Finanzen/comments/1tss7hd/businessclass_f%C3%BCr_lau_der_meilencheat_bl%C3%B6dsinn/ most answers are "only if you have a lot of expenses". What exactly does it look like when you have a lot of expenses? I don't know how I always manage it, but my Hanseatic debits are rarely less than €3,000, and I constantly add more when I'm on vacation. I think I would manage 30-50k a year, just refueling is a few hundred euros per month. I

In deeply red Oklahoma, minimum wage’s biggest 2026 election cycle fight is about to be decided

Oklahomans will soon vote on a measure to double the minimum wage, an election issue that may reflect the economic mood and inflation outlook across parties.

Luis de Guindos: Interview with Expansión

Philippines, Japan seek to strengthen defense ties amid U.S.-China thaw

Computex in Taiwan, South Korea local elections, India monetary policy

Dividend tax: billions from the tax authorities for fund investors – things are moving forward

The German tax authorities transfer billions in dividend taxes and interest to funds from other EU countries - whose investors benefit. What matters now.

Philippines says Beijing main hurdle to South China Sea code of conduct

Members of Asean might have conflicting claims in the South China Sea but mutual trust exists in the bloc, Philippine defence chief Gilberto Teodoro Jnr said on Sunday, singling out Beijing as the biggest obstacle to a code of conduct in the disputed waterway. Teodoro delivered strong words for China in the final panel of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, taking aim at Manila’s long-time maritime rival for disregarding an international arbitral tribunal which ruled in favour..

What happens if growth stops?

When watching personal finance videos I’ve seen commentators claim that if global/US index funds don’t continue growing over the long term then you’ll have a lot more to worry about than investments not growing - aka it would be an event that would cause multiple crises across the world and you’d be worrying about buying fresh water instead of the S&P 500. They use it as a way to reassure long term investors of the security of the market/index funds as a whole. My question is, what would realist

The situation at a glance: Iran insists on releasing frozen foreign assets

The Iranian economy is in crisis, the middle class is groaning under high inflation. How the debate about blocked foreign assets is shaping the talks about an agreement with the USA.

AI ‘slopaganda’ and the battle for Philippine political reality

The Philippines is no stranger to politically weaponised memes and internet trolls. What has changed is the way information warfare is waged, now requiring nothing more than a smartphone and a well-crafted prompt. Supporters of former president Rodrigo Duterte helped pioneer the industrialised use of social media to spread disinformation, rewarding loyalists and destroying opponents through the ruthless deployment of memes, viral videos, paid amplifiers and manufactured trending topics. Analysts

Japan, US, Philippines to hold September investment forum for Manila AI hub

Your portfolio can’t afford the real bill for the Iran war

The Pentagon claims the conflict has cost $29 billion — but the true cost is much higher and it’s fueling inflation.

The number of 401(k) millionaires just fell — but workers hit record savings rates. What’s going on?

Fidelity’s first-quarter data shows 401(k) balances dipping — but it’s not all bad news.

Morocco Is Emerging as a Renewable Energy Superpower

Morocco is rapidly becoming a renewable energy powerhouse thanks to its favourable weather conditions and proximity to Europe. The North African country has rapidly developed its solar energy sector and is now looking to become a major green hydrogen and sustainable shipping hub. Morocco has long been heavily dependent on fossil fuel imports and continues to use coal to produce around 60 percent of its electricity. However, in recent years, it has been working to develop its renewable energy sou

Social security on passive income?

I'm currently calculating how much income I would have if I stopped working and only lived on interest, dividends and rental income. From a tax perspective, the matter is largely clear to me. But it looks like the social insurance companies also want their piece of the cake. Let's take health insurance: If I no longer work, I would be in voluntary statutory health insurance and would then have to deduct the AG+AN share from my interest, dividends and rental income

What would cause the Fed to hike rates this year? The answer might surprise you.

Later this month, the Kevin Warsh-led central bank will start preparing a possible pivot to tighter policy.

Hang Seng is still below levels it touched years ago. Will it ever recover?

Japan’s Nikkei recently crossed 60,000. Taiwan’s market surged with the AI and semiconductor boom. Korea’s KOSPI is near record highs too. Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng is still sitting far below its peak from years ago. And this wasn’t supposed to happen. For a long time, China looked unstoppable economically. But then the property crisis hit. Evergrande alone had liabilities of more than $300 billion. At the same time, companies like Alibaba and Tencent faced heavy regulatory crackdowns tha

HYS € accounts

Hi, I’m a US/FR national residing in the Uk. Most of my portfolio is in $ and £ but I now have a fair amount of € that I’m looking to find a smart way to invest. I prefer to keep the Euros rather than convert to GBP for diversification and because kids might go to uni in Europe, I might later try to buy a small property etc. I was trying to find the equivalent of a High-yield savings account which is readily available in the UK & US but the € accounts all seem to have dismal interest rates in co

Thought game: Agricultural land 14K market value

Hello everyone, we are currently collecting ideas regarding our agricultural land - I would be happy to receive feedback and creative ideas :) Current status: - currently leased to a farmer but with an ancient contract - annual return without inflation (0.5%) - building land is definitely very unlikely Ideas: - increase the lease and minimally more return - terminate the lease...: - and sell the farmland - or put up a tiny house and rent it out (e.g. like raus.life, Airbnb) - or Build a solar field

How Philippines and Japan future-proofed ties amid China tensions, US wavering

The upgrading of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the Philippines and Japan underscores how the allies are future-proofing their ties amid growing uncertainty in the Indo-Pacific, analysts say. “This milestone reflects the strength, depth and breadth of our ties as we respond to the evolving challenges and opportunities of our time,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said on Thursday at a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo. The talks also...

Trailing Stop Sell: When to use it?

I'm trying to understand the right strategy for setting sells with Trailing Stop. Since taxes would be owed on any sales, I'm currently not setting this for any stock I prefer to hold longer term, or ETFs, since I don't want to be in a situation where they go down enough to trigger, then I pay taxes, only to buy them back and not much lower than what they sold for. However other things like MU or SPCE seem like good candidates, since I don't expect to hold them for that long and they seem like t