Business

Wharton School of Finance Professor Emeritus Jeremy Siegel gives his take on Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powells interest-rate cut and sets the record straight on the effect of tariffs on The Claman Countdown. Federal Reserve policymakers cut interest rates for the third straight meeting on Wednesday while signaling there may be only one cut next year as rates get closer to a neutral level. The Fed lowered the benchmark federal funds rate by 25 basis points to a range of 3.5% to 3.75%, and its announcement was accompanied by a summary of economic projections – commonly known as the "dot plot" – that includes policymakers' forecasts for the labor market and inflation, as well as the outlook for interest rate cuts. It showed that Fed policymakers' median projection for the federal f...

'The Big Money Show' panel breaks down the widening economic divide and questions whether Americans are truly struggling or if media-driven fear is distorting the real data. GoFundMe’s 2025 "Year in help" review found that its crowdfunding platform was increasingly used by Americans to fundraise for basic economic needs. "Monthly bills" was the second-fastest growing category on the platform behind "Charity."The review found that the most common words in fundraiser descriptions this year were "work," "food," "bill," "home," "care" and "love." GoFundMe said essential expense fundraising increased by 20%, and more fundraisers were started for food banks than any other community cause. IN A SNAP, TRUMP BLAMED FOR BLOCKING FOOD ASSISTANCE TO LOW-INCOME FAMILIES Carts loaded with gr...

TSB is warning Brits to be on guard against a delivery scam (Image: Getty)TSB Bank has issued a warning about fraudsters targeting Brits in a "nasty" delivery scam this Christmas. Richard Daniels, the banking giant's director of fraud prevention, cautioned the public to beware of fake text messages and emails which appear to be from delivery companies when in fact they come from fraudsters. He told the Daily Express: "[They] will be well aware many of us will be waiting for our online shopping to arrive in the post, as they bombard us with fake texts and emails claiming to be from delivery companies."Once you click on them, they may ask for a small payment to ‘release your parcel,’ or ask you to input your personal details into a link. Once they have such information, they can target yo...

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched a "firm checker" tool to protect people from falling prey to fraudsters. The FCA revealed that approximately 800,000 people reported losses due to investment or pension-related scams in the year leading up to May 2024.The tool, accessible on the FCA's website, enables users to verify whether a firm is authorised and holds the necessary permissions to provide services, significantly reducing the risk of becoming a victim of fraud. The regulator advises people to not only check a financial services firm's authorisation for the services they offer, but also ensure that the contact details align with those listed on the FCA firm checker. It highlighted that bank transfer scams, unauthorised consumer investments, and pension-related fraud of...

Money expert Martin Lewis has issued a ‘difficult’ message to his ITV viewers ahead of Christmas as he announced the end of the series. The Money Saving Expert founder wrapped up the latest series of his hit ITV1 financial advice programme on Tuesday night with the new start times for his upcoming 2026 series, along with a goodbye message and a gentle arm on the shoulder for those who may find this time of year more difficult than others.At the end of his investing special on Tuesday, December 9, Martin told his viewers: “We’re back in January with a one-off show at 9’o’clock on January 6 and then we’re moving to 7.15pm on Tuesdays after that. But for now, I’d like to wish all who celebrate a joyous, peaceful and warm hearted Christmas and a happy New Year.“And for those who find this t...

LILEDESBELLONS Sans surprise, les banques en ligne font carton plein auprès des jeunes de 20 ans, séduits par leurs tarifs réduits. Chez BoursoBank et Fortuneo en particulier, le client ne débourse que 1,40 euro dans l’année, bien que son compte soit régulièrement dans le rouge. Hello Bank! se place en troisième position avec 28,60 euros, contre 40,60 euros en 2024 pour le même profil de consommateur. Cette baisse découle de la mise en place des automates Cash Services communs aux groupes BNP Paribas, Crédit mutuel Alliance fédérale et Société générale (SG), qui permettent de limiter sensiblement la facturation des retraits d’espèces pour les clients. Les banques appliquent en effet des frais sur les retraits d’espè...

A major change to the way people access the BBC is being proposed. And thousands of TV viewers are demanding that the existing BBC TV licence fee system is brought to an end.More than 5,500 people have backed an online petition calling on the UK Government to scrap the BBC TV licence fee in favour of advertising or a paywall system before the annual price hike in April.The current fee stands at £174.50 and must be paid by households watching or recording live television, with non-compliance risking potential fines.This charge typically increases alongside September's Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate, which reached 3.8 per cent. Such an adjustment would push the licence fee up by £6.65 to £181.15 for the 2026/27 financial year.It's worth noting this remains provisional and await...

Nearly two-thirds of parents were not aware they could receive a £720 top-up from the Government into their pension pots. When a person is out of work, such as on maternity leave, a partner or relative can pay up to £2,880 annually towards their pension.Under the scheme introduced decades ago, HMRC automatically tops this up by 25%, effectively giving the person out of work up to £720 for free annually. However, Octopus Money research found that 63% of parents had never heard of this policy, based on a survey of 1,000 adults.With many women taking long-term periods out of work due to maternity leave, the disparity has the potential to impact women more significantly.The Government found that only 5% of eligible fathers had taken advantage of its shared parental leave scheme in its 2023 ...

Motorists could face penalties of up to £22,500 this Christmas as drink-driving incidents continue to rise, with nearly 99 drivers caught daily across Britain over the last three years. In England and Wales alone, 36,415 motorists were convicted last year for exceeding the limit or refusing breath tests.With police launching their festive enforcement campaign and increasing roadside stops, Ollie Green, a motoring expert at MOT service Collect Service Go, warns that even minor festive season errors could land drivers with hefty penalties. Breaching one lesser-known regulation could see motorists handed fines reaching £22,500, imprisonment for life and disqualification from driving for up to five years."Standing next to your car whilst under the influence of alcohol could result in a fine...

Dans les copropriétés, la location de courte durée suscite de nombreux conflits de voisinage : les habitants s’énervent contre les voyageurs de tous horizons qui, débarqués de leur avion en pleine nuit, chargent leurs valises dans les ascenseurs, s’escriment sur le code de la boîte à clés ou sonnent chez eux par erreur. Que peuvent-ils faire contre les copropriétaires qui louent leur appartement cent vingt jours par an, voire plus (sans autorisation municipale), lorsque le règlement de copropriété ne l’interdit pas ? Telle est la question que pose l’affaire suivante. Le 13 avril 2022, les copropriétaires d’un immeuble de Montévrain, commune seine-et-marnaise proche de Disneyland Paris, demandent, en assemblée générale, que leur syndic agisse contre ...