Month: April 2021

The UK government has made “leveling up”—a push to boost economic performance in less thriving regions of the UK—one of its top policy priorities. The recent introduction of a UK super-deduction for capital investments in plant and equipment will likely contribute to this goal. Higher capital allowances for plant and equipment disproportionally help capital-intensive industries
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Heavy competition in today’s pricey housing market has sidelined some first-time buyers, especially in major metropolitan areas. These buyers usually make up about 40% of the market, but now it’s less than a third, according to the National Association of Realtors. The majority are millennials, aged 25-34. There is still hope for homeownership, however. While
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Several states are considering introducing or increasing taxes on vapor products to make up declining tax revenue from traditional tobacco products or to fill budget holes in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. However, lawmakers should approach the issue carefully because flawed excise tax design on vapor products could drive consumers back to more harmful
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Mortgage rates moved higher again last week, causing homeowners and potential homebuyers to pull back on borrowing. Overall mortgage application volume decreased 5.1% from the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($548,250 or less) increased to 3.36%
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An illustration of the SpaceMobile satellite constellation. AST SpaceMobile Shares of satellite-to-smartphone broadband company AST SpaceMobile began trading on the Nasdaq on Wednesday, with the company the first among a flurry of recent space companies to close its SPAC deal. AST SpaceMobile trades under the ticker ASTS, with shares previously listed under the SPAC New
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Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed a delay Wednesday to two debt-collection rules issued in the waning days of the Trump administration. Those rules broadly addressed how debt collectors may communicate with and make disclosures to consumers. Kathy Kraninger, the former CFPB head during the Trump administration, said the measures
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Billionaire Rick Caruso’s eponymous real estate company is jumping into the world of cryptocurrency, announcing Wednesday it will begin accepting bitcoin as rent payment at its residential and retail properties. The privately held firm said it also has invested a portion of its corporate treasury in bitcoin and entered into a partnership with Gemini, the
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