The first day of MiFID II for European Union markets wasn’t quite the disaster many in the financial industry had predicted, according to the bloc’s top markets regulator.“What we can see for our part is no glitches so far,” Steven Maijoor, head of the European Securities and Markets Authority, told journalists on Wednesday. “Obviously in…
North Korea contacted authorities in Seoul over a hotline for the first time in about two years, paving the way for a thaw during the Winter Olympics despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s fresh taunts at Kim Jong Un.Officials from both countries spoke several times Wednesday to conduct technical checks before agreeing to stop for the…
“The game has changed,” said Stephen M. Sweeney, the Democratic president of New Jersey’s Senate. “They’ve completely turned the tables against us.” In particular, officials in the high-tax states object to the law’s $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions, which were previously unlimited. That provision will be particularly painful for residents of states…
The provision may also turn out to be a boon for employers who are trying to reduce their payroll costs. Workers hired as contractors, who tend to be cheaper, may be less likely to complain about their status under the new tax law. “Firms currently have a lot of incentives to turn workers into independent…
After a year filled with nuclear provocations that raised fears of a devastating war in Northeast Asia, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un started 2018 on an optimistic note.His call for talks to ensure the success of the Winter Olympics in South Korea next month -- and improve overall inter-Korean relations -- represented a tactical…
President Donald Trump spent his New Year’s Eve focused on the coming midterm election year, touting his administration’s accomplishments in an effort to boost congressional Republicans facing tough historic and polling trends.“Why would smart voters want to put Democrats in Congress in 2018 Election when their policies will totally kill the great wealth created during…
Private Mensah, a decorated soldier who had been awarded a medal for marksmanship and was planning to join the military police, got that family to safety, then pulled out four more people, his uncle said, before returning to the building. He never emerged; the authorities said he died of smoke inhalation. The fire cut a…
A delivery man who lives in a neighboring building, Kareem Turner, 26, saw Mr. Villanova near the back fire escape. He went outside. Continue reading the main story “It is all good?” he asked. “Nah! It’s a fire!” Mr. Turner said he jumped over a gate dividing the buildings and began hoisting people over. The…
Few bond traders around the world will raise a glass to toast U.S. Treasuries and the dollar this New Year’s Eve.Among the countries represented in the Bloomberg Barclays global sovereign-debt index, U.S. obligations had the worst 2017 total return on an unhedged basis -- just 2.2 percent for dollar-based investors as of Dec. 28. By…
A new contender just moved into second place in the race to catch bitcoin.Ripple, a cryptocurrency that first surfaced in 2013, has surged 53 percent in the past 24 hours to surpass ethereum and take the title of the world’s second-most valuable digital coin by market cap. Ripple’s market value rocketed to $86 billion, making…
