Finance

studioEAST | Getty Images LONDON — Bitcoin’s record-breaking rally has led to a surge in retail investment interest in the cryptocurrency market. Crypto exchanges such as Coinbase and Binance and online trading platforms including Revolut and eToro have seen a spike in activity recently, as new investors race to capture some of the wild gains

Erin Scott/Bloomberg via Getty Images Self-employed and gig workers applied for unemployment benefits last week at half the level from the week prior, according to Labor Department data reported Thursday. That suggests a strong rebound, breaking from persistently high — even increasing — levels in recent weeks. But that rebound likely didn’t happen. It only

Source: American Express American Express shares fell after the Wall Street Journal reported that the investigative arms of three U.S. financial agencies were probing the card issuer’s sales practices. Shares of the company dipped 1.3% Thursday after falling as much as 5% earlier. The offices of the inspectors general of the Federal Reserve, Treasury Department

BEIJING — China on Thursday tried to draw parallels between the U.S. riot on Capitol Hill and pro-democracy unrest in Hong Kong that took place two years ago. Chinese state media avoided sharing too much opinion on the news, though state-backed tabloid Global Times showed photos of the chaos in both riots and highlighted what

U.S. stock futures rose slightly in overnight trading on Wednesday as investors digested the likely event of a Democratic held Congress and continued to shrug off riots at the U.S. Capitol. Dow Jones Industrial average futures rose 78 points. S&P 500 futures gained 0.3% and Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.4%. Markets were largely unaffected by

The Federal Reserve’s policymaking group released the minutes Wednesday from its December meeting, which showed broad backing for keeping the central bank’s bond-buying program going until the economy shows firm signs of a durable recovery. Following the two-day session Dec. 15-16, the Federal Open Market Committee voted to keep its benchmark short-term interest rate anchored

Brothers learning at home Vesnaandjic | E+ | Getty Images LONDON — Online education company Kahoot is “on track” to list on the main Norwegian stock market by the end of March, its CEO told CNBC, after a pandemic-driven boom in digital learning helped the firm post strong growth in 2020. Kahoot, which is based

National Securities’ Art Hogan sees trouble brewing in the market. Even though the major indexes closed higher on Tuesday, he sees the coronavirus case surge overtaking positive vaccine news as a market driver — resulting in a 5% to 8% pullback. “We have a tug of war between virus news and vaccine news the better

Kai Pfaffenbach | Reuters Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading. Micron — Micron shares popped more than 6% after a Citi analyst upgraded the chipmaker to buy from sell, citing a favorable supply-and-demand outlook. Alibaba — Shares of the Chinese e-commerce giant jumped more than 4% after CNBC’s David Faber reported billionaire

Traders work on the floor of the NYSE in New York. NYSE BEIJING — For Americans looking to play the China growth story, investing in the country’s U.S.-listed stocks now bears a political risk that could lead to delisting. That means a Chinese company traded on an exchange like the Nasdaq would lose access to

Customers viewing electric vehicles at a Xpeng Motors store on Oct. 6, 2020 in Beijing, China. Visual China Group | Getty Images BEIJING — Chinese electric carmakers are splashing out on prime retail space and taking up storefronts at shopping malls — a new trend that offers relief for China’s commercial property developers who are

Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett and Jamie Dimon. CNBC Haven, the joint venture formed by three of America’s most powerful companies to lower costs and improve outcomes in health care, is disbanding after three years, CNBC has learned exclusively. The company began informing employees Monday that it will shut down by the end of next month,

A Nio ES6 electric vehicle is on display at an automotive experience area of Wanda Plaza on Nov. 28, 2020 in Beijing, China. VCG | Visual China Group | Getty Images BEIJING — China’s homegrown Tesla rivals are racking up sales in the world’s largest auto market. Electric car start-ups Nio, Li Auto and Xpeng

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. NYSE U.S. stock futures opened along the flatline on Sunday night ahead of the first session of 2021 following a volatile year of trading. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were down just 37 points, or 0.1%. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures dipped marginally.

Wall Street forecaster Jim Bianco is bracing for a 2021 inflation comeback. His main catalysts: hundreds of billions of dollars in federal coronavirus aid and vaccines that begin normalizing the economy. “Once you get all of that into the pipeline, you could have a burst of economic activity that could produce higher inflation for the

Check out the companies making headlines before the bell: AstraZeneca – Britain became the first country to approve the drug maker’s Covid-19 vaccine, setting the stage for a rollout of millions of doses. The vaccine is not yet approved in the U.S., with the FDA still to review large-scale trials. The stock was up 2% at

Source: NYSE photo Art Cashin couldn’t lead the New York Stock Exchange in the singing of “Wait til the Sun Shines Nellie” this year, but he penned this poem for UBS and its clients, and is sharing it with us here.  Happy New Year, Art. Look forward to seeing you on the floor in 2021. Subscribe

Check out the companies making headlines before the bell: Exxon Mobil – The energy giant will write down the value of its assets by up to $20 billion for the fourth quarter, mostly related to its natural gas assets. Exxon is, however, seeing a benefit this quarter from higher oil prices and improved margins in its

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping are seen on a screen during a video conference to approve an investment pact between China and the European Union on December 30, 2020. Johanna Geron | AFP | Getty

Bryn Mawr Trust’s Jeff Mills is making a big bet on the economic recovery. After years of decline, he predicts small-cap stocks’ 2020 comeback will deliver even bigger gains to investors next year. “We’re at this point where monetary policy and fundamental economic growth, at least in our opinion, line up,” the firm’s chief investment officer