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Background stock market and finance economic.getty A commonly heard quip of economists throughout the post-war era has been, “When America sneezes, the rest of the world catches cold.” This refrain also applied to the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, when the U.S. economy and stock market far outperformed its international peers (see chart below). This adage, however, does not apply to the current trade war. During the first 16 weeks of this year, the U.S. stock market underperformed international markets by the widest margin since 1993, according to the Financial Times. The MSCI USA index lost 11%, while…

Washington CNN  —  President Donald Trump’s major, abrupt policy shifts likely slowed the US economy sharply in the beginning of the year — for the worst quarter perhaps since the Covid-19 pandemic — as consumers and businesses fretted about massive new tariffs. The Commerce Department is set to release its initial estimate of first-quarter gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic output, on Wednesday at 8:30 am ET. It will give the clearest picture yet of how the US economy is responding to Trump’s sweeping economic agenda, just one day after the administration’s 100th day in power. Economists estimate…

Strategy is continuing to load up on Bitcoin. It’s able to do that because of a clever financing move that isn’t available to you. The drivers for its decision to invest are still relevant to your investment decision. Strategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) just bought more than $1.4 billion of Bitcoin on April 28 (CRYPTO: BTC), and it isn’t the first time. With such a purchase, the company is sending an unambiguous signal that it thinks the coin’s value is going to continue increasing. But that doesn’t mean you should follow in Strategy’s footsteps blindly. Let’s evaluate its approach and its rationale…

Don Mason | The Image Bank | Getty ImagesIf you’re eager to increase your retirement savings, a lesser-known 401(k) feature could significantly boost your nest egg, financial advisors say. For 2025, you can defer up to $23,500 into your 401(k), plus an extra $7,500 in “catch-up contributions” if you’re age 50 and older. That catch-up contribution jumps to $11,250 for investors age 60 to 63.Some plans offer after-tax 401(k) contributions on top of those caps. For 2025, the max 401(k) limit is $70,000, which includes employee deferrals, after-tax contributions, company matches, profit sharing and other deposits.If you can afford to do…

Washington CNN  —  Americans continue to grow uneasy about the economy as President Donald Trump wages an erratic trade war that could send US inflation rising and even trigger a recession. Consumer confidence sank 7.9 points in April to a reading of 86, the Conference Board said in its latest survey released Tuesday. That’s the lowest level since May 2020 and a larger decline than economists had projected. The survey’s Expectations Index, which captures people’s outlook on the economy, plummeted 12.5 points this month to 54.4, the lowest level in 13 years. Meanwhile, the share of Americans anticipating a recession…

ROME: Record 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic will not take part in the Italian Open in Rome from May 7-18, tournament organisers announced on Tuesday. “Novak Djokovic has announced he won’t take part to #IBI25,” organisers of the clay court tournament announced on social media. The organisers did not state the reason for 37-year-old Djokovic’s withdrawal. The Serb’s wait for a 100th ATP title goes on after his withdrawal from the Masters event in the Italian capital which he has won six times, most recently in 2022. His last silverware came at the Paris Olympics last year — at…

Europe’s economy grew more strongly in the first three months of the year, only to see hopes for an ongoing recovery quickly squelched by US President Donald Trump’s trade war. Gross domestic product in the 20 countries that use the euro grew 0.4% in the first quarter, improving on 0.2% growth in the last part of 2024, according to official figures released Wednesday. But on April 2, just two days after the end of the quarter, Trump announced an onslaught of new tariffs on almost every US trading partner and hit goods imported from the European Union with a 20%…

Nasdaq has submitted a regulatory filing to list and trade shares of the 21Shares Dogecoin ETF, potentially creating a new investment avenue for the popular cryptocurrency as the Securities and Exchange Commission continues to extend review periods for multiple crypto fund applications. According to the filing, the proposed ETF would hold spot Dogecoin and track the CF DOGE-Dollar US Settlement Price Index, with Coinbase Custody Trust Company serving as the cryptocurrency custodian for the trust. The application represents another step toward expanding cryptocurrency access through ETFs, which would allow investors to buy Dogecoin exposure through their existing brokerage accounts instead…

MADRID: Madison Keys of the US returns to Poland’s Iga Swiatek during their Madrid Open quarter-final at Caja Magica on Wednesday.—AFP MADRID: Iga Swiatek kept her Madrid Open title defence alive, as she avenged her Australian Open defeat to Madison Keys with a 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 win against the American in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. The second seed will next square off with Coco Gauff, who beat 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva for the third time in as many meetings, 7-5, 6-1. Searching for her first title of the season, the second-seeded Swiatek recovered from a poor opening set to improve her…

Washington CNN  —  The US economy just had its worst quarter since 2022 as President Donald Trump’s significant policy changes unnerved consumers and businesses. Gross domestic product, which measures all the goods and services produced in the economy, registered at an annualized rate of -0.3% in the first quarter, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. That’s a sharp slowdown from the fourth quarter’s 2.4% rate, and much worse than the 0.8% rate economists projected. GDP is adjusted for seasonal swings and inflation. US stocks dropped after the GDP report was released. The Trump administration has been on a chaotic tariff spree…