Category: Business & Markets

China’s Q2 GDP Growth Slows to 0.8 Percent as Economic Engines Stall

The Chinese communist regime admitted on July 17 that the GDP growth rate in the second quarter of the year was lower than expected. Observers pointed out that China’s economy is actually in stagnation or even decline, as investment and demand both domestic and foreign continue to weaken, with domestic structural problems predicted to lead…


Lab Grown Artificial ‘Meat’ May Actually Be Worse for the Environment

Lab grown “meat” may be potentially worse for the environment than actual beef and may have an even larger carbon footprint, according to a recent study. This follows the USDA’s approval of the FDA’s decision on June 21 to greenlight the sale of lab-grown meat to American consumers. GOOD Meat, a company that grows cell-based meat…


Australia’s Wholesale Energy Prices Rise Again in June Quarter

Australia’s wholesale electricity and gas prices regained their growth momentum in the June quarter after a period of sharp decline. However, they were much lower than the extreme highs recorded a year ago as production capacity improved. According to the Australian Energy Regulator’s (AER) latest wholesale markets report (pdf), the average spot prices in the…


ANALYSIS: Courts, Lawmakers Struggle to Restore Americans’ Fourth Amendment Rights

News Analysis In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a landmark decision that police officers had acted illegally in collecting months of cell phone data from a private company, without a warrant, to track the movements of a robbery suspect.  The Court majority opinion stated that “in light of the deeply revealing nature of…


J&J Must Pay $18.8 Million to California Cancer Patient in Baby Powder Suit

Johnson & Johnson’s must pay $18.8 million to a California man who said he developed cancer from exposure to its baby powder, a jury decided on Tuesday, a setback for the company as it seeks to settle thousands of similar cases over its talc-based products in U.S. bankruptcy court. The jury ruled in favor of…


Stock Market Today: Wall Street Climbs Again to Tack More Onto Its Big Rally for the Year

NEW YORK—Another tick higher for Wall Street Wednesday added to its big rally for the year following profit reports from a spate of banks and other big U.S. companies. The S&P 500 rose 10.74, or 0.2 percent, to 4,565.72. After its seventh gain the last eight days, it’s now up nearly 19 percent for the…


IRS Issues Important Notice to Storm Victims in 4 States About Paying Taxes Owed

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a notice to taxpayers in parts of four disaster-stricken states that they must file their federal income tax returns and pay any taxes owed by the end of the month or face consequences. This year, most taxpayers were required to file by April 18, which was also the…


How Major US Stock Indexes Fared July 19

Wall Street closed modestly higher following profit reports from a spate of banks and other big U.S. companies. The S&P 500 rose 0.2 percent Wednesday after its seventh gain in the last eight days. The Dow added 109 points, or 0.3 percent, and the Nasdaq edged up less than 0.1 percent. Elevance Health helped lead…


Australian Treasurer Meets Chinese Finance Minister Over Trade Disputes at G20 Summit

Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers has met with his Chinese counterpart, Chinese Finance Minister Liu Kun, during a G20 meeting in India as the country seeks to progress further in resolving trade disputes with Beijing. This was the first meeting between an Australian treasurer and a Chinese finance minister in four years following a diplomatic fallout,…


Opposition Grows to Biden Admin’s Climate Crackdown on Dishwashers

A coalition of over a dozen industry and consumer groups has issued a scathing criticism of the Biden administration’s proposed regulatory crackdown on dishwashers as part of a sweeping fight against the perceived dangers of climate change. After first aiming at gas stoves to cut greenhouse gases, the Biden administration has turned its attention to…