Finance

President Trump has made a regular habit of criticizing the Federal Reserve, and on Friday he tweeted that the central bank’s “faulty” decision-making was causing Americans to pay higher interest rates than other nations. The Federal Reserve is supposed to keep the economy growing at a steady pace. Mr. Trump nominated its chair, Jerome H. […]

U.S. stocks edged higher in morning trading on Wall Street Friday, chipping away at the week’s losses. Markets have been volatile throughout the week as investors assess the latest corporate earnings reports. Financial results have so far been mixed. The S&P 500 closed at a record high on Monday and then wobbled from there. Microsoft

Still, the tax holidays have endured, although the number of states holding them has fluctuated, depending in part on a state’s economy and political situation. Last August, Wisconsin held its first sales tax holiday after Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican who was up for re-election, signed legislation enacting the five-day event. (He was defeated in

This will be no ordinary interest rate cut. The Federal Reserve is planning to cut rates at its policy meeting at the end of the month even though the United States economy, by most available evidence, is doing perfectly fine. It appears, based on a close reading of Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s own words, to

American Express is reporting a profit hike of more than 8% from the second-quarter. The company on Friday posted net income of $1.76 billion, or $2.07. That’s a 2-cent beat on Wall Street projections, according to a survey by Zacks Investment Research. Revenue of $10.84 billion also edged out expectations. in the period, also beating

Paying for college seems out of reach for many Americans, so the idea of free college has broad appeal. Several Democratic presidential candidates and members of Congress have endorsed it. But free college isn’t really free — someone has to pay for it. Eliminating tuition at all public colleges and universities would cost at least

The BEAT is meant to curb a practice known as “earnings stripping,” in which multinationals avoid American taxes by shifting profits to other branches of the company operating in lower-tax countries overseas — often in the form of interest payments. It is a sort of minimum tax, forcing companies that send their profits offshore to

Asian shares rebounded Friday on hopes for progress in trade talks between China and the U.S., extending overnight gains on Wall Street. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index jumped 1.9% to 21,449.27 while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng climbed 1.1% to 28,772.46. The Shanghai Composite index rose 1% to 2,930.58, while in South Korea, the Kospi added 1.2%

UnitedHealth raised profit expectations for the year after second-quarter earnings climbed almost 13%, and the nation’s largest health insurer continued expanding beyond its core business and into care delivery. A nearly 12% jump in revenue from the company’s pharmacy benefit management operation helped UnitedHealth beat Wall Street expectations for the recently completed quarter. UnitedHealth’s OptumRx

Southwest Airlines is again pushing back the date it expects to be able to fly the grounded Boeing 737 Max jet, meaning more flight cancellations. Southwest said Thursday that it is taking the plane out of its schedule through Nov. 2, a month longer than previously planned. Without the plane, Southwest said it will drop