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Week of Middle East Conflict Pushes Oil Prices Higher

Week of Middle East Conflict Pushes Oil Prices Higher

Fears of a spiraling Middle East war put Wall Street in a holding pattern this week, with oil prices grinding higher and choppy stock trading leaving major U.S. indexes little changed.
Brent crude futures, the international pricing benchmark, closed Friday at $77.01 a barrel, an 11% jump since Israel launched a ferocious air campaign against Iran. Traders feared a worst-case scenario in which Tehran could shock the global economy by cutting off ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for oil and gas supplies.

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Forget chocolate! The world now envies Switzerland's zero interest rates
Forget chocolate! The world now envies Switzerland's zero interest rates

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Forget chocolate! The world now envies Switzerland's zero interest rates

The world envies Swiss chocolate, army knives, and now . . . interest rates? Housing market weakness triggers Lennar to offer biggest incentives since 2009 The Trump administration is trying to bring back asbestos 3 tiny behaviors that make you the calmest person in the room Swiss National Bank, Switzerland's central bank, moved interest rates to zero this week, a reduction of 25 basis points, and a notable detraction from other central banks around the world, such as the Federal Reserve in the U.S. and the Bank of England in the U.K. In a statement, the Swiss National Bank said that the move was made in relation to declining inflation worries—and that it's expecting the economies to buckle under the volatility created, in part, due to the Trump administration's trade policies. 'With today's easing of monetary policy, the SNB is countering the lower inflationary pressure. The SNB will continue to monitor the situation closely and adjust its monetary policy if necessary, to ensure that inflation remains within the range consistent with price stability over the medium term,' the statement read. 'The global economic outlook for the coming quarters has deteriorated due to the increase in trade tensions. In its baseline scenario, the SNB anticipates that growth in the global economy will weaken over the coming quarters. Inflation in the U.S. is likely to rise over the coming quarters. In Europe, by contrast, a further decrease in inflationary pressure is to be expected.' Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Federal Reserve's latest meeting wrapped up this week with no change in interest rates, despite pressure from the White House and others to lower them. Fed Chair Jerome Powell and other Fed governors have been reluctant to do so, as inflation data still has not gotten close enough to its 2% target, and employment data has remained positive. Across the Atlantic, however, another European country, Norway, also cut rates this week. And some experts think that the Swiss could go even further, instituting negative interest rates at some point this year. 'There are risks that the SNB will go further in the future if inflationary pressures don't start to increase, and the lowest the policy rate could go is -0.75%, the rate it reached in the 2010s,' Swiss National Bank's Chairman Martin Schlegel told CNBC on Thursday. 'But what I can say is that going negative, we would not take this decision lightly.' This post originally appeared at to get the Fast Company newsletter:

3 Highly-Rated Dividend Stocks You've Probably Never Heard Of (But Should)
3 Highly-Rated Dividend Stocks You've Probably Never Heard Of (But Should)

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3 Highly-Rated Dividend Stocks You've Probably Never Heard Of (But Should)

When it comes to dividend investing, selecting the right stock often means choosing the largest, most consistent, most secure, and most popular companies in their respective fields. I'm talking about the Coca-Colas and the Abbotts of the world - time-tested names that have the balance sheets, brand strength, and operational base to weather economic storms while still paying (and increasing) their dividends. However, more adventurous income investors might want to explore riskier stocks that are often overlooked. Smaller-cap companies, while not household names or industry leaders, may still offer consistent yields at more attractive levels. Such stocks, however, can be a hit or miss - unless you look for the best ones that meet the right criteria. 3 ETFs with Dividend Yields of 12% or Higher for Your Income Portfolio 3 Highly-Rated Dividend Stocks You've Probably Never Heard Of (But Should) Markets move fast. 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Why Digital Turbine Stock Plummeted Today
Why Digital Turbine Stock Plummeted Today

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Why Digital Turbine Stock Plummeted Today

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