Paris/London CNN — Strikes disrupted train services, flights, schools and businesses in France on Thursday as more than one million people protested against the government’s plans to raise the retirement age for most workers. Protests in major French cities, including Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes and Nice, brought many transport services to a standstill. The Eiffel … Read more
London/Paris CNN — The French government is planning to raise the official retirement age by two years as part of a long-delayed reform to the country’s pension system that prompted labor unions to call for nationwide strikes next week. New legislation will require French citizens to work until 64, from 62 currently, to qualify for … Read more
London CNN — In May 2017, Sophie Bichener did what many in their twenties are unable to do: buy a home. She paid around £230,000 (around $295,000 at the time) for her two-bedroom apartment in a high-rise building in a town north of London, where a train could get her to work in the capital … Read more
New York CNN — Oil stocks skyrocketed in 2022, so it’s no surprise funds that track the energy sector were Wall Street winners this year. But the top fund of the year is a surprising one: It invests in a variety of companies based in Turkey. The iShares MSCI Turkey exchange-traded fund had more than … Read more
“At the market level what happened in 2022 will have a bearing on the 2023 market returns. We had a very good year in 2022 but let us face the facts, in the near term we are likely to see a deceleration in the economy in fiscal 24 or calendar 23,” says Janakiraman R, Franklin … Read more
London CNN Business — Europe has agreed to a cap on natural gas prices, following months of debate over whether the measure will protect European households and businesses from extreme price spikes as temperatures plummet. In a Monday meeting, EU energy ministers agreed to trigger a cap on the price of month-ahead natural gas futures … Read more
Hong Kong CNN Business — Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting Saudi Arabia this week for the first time in nearly seven years, during which he is expected to sign billions of dollars of deals with the world’s largest oil exporter and meet leaders from across the Middle East. The visit is a sign that … Read more
CNN Business — Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, the former chief operating officer of failed blood testing startup Theranos, was sentenced Wednesday to nearly 13 years in prison for fraud. It marks an end to the stunning downfall of a high-flying Silicon Valley company that resulted in the rare convictions of two tech executives. “There is an unfortunate saying in Silicon … Read more
Mortgage rates dropped again this week, after plunging nearly half a percentage point last week. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.58% in the week ending November 23, down from 6.61% the week before, according to Freddie Mac. A year ago, the 30-year fixed rate was 3.10%. Mortgage rates have risen throughout most of 2022, spurred … Read more
Atlanta, Georgia CNN — Tosca Musk strides onto the red carpet at a Regal Cinemas, statuesque in a white pant suit and glistening burgundy silk top. A hush comes over a group gathered outside the theater’s doors. Some whip out cell phones and start recording her every move. It’s a chilly October night in Atlanta, … Read more