One-kilogram silver bars stacked at Gold Investments Ltd bullion dealers. In this photo arranged in London, United Kingdom, on Wednesday, July 29, 2020.Chris Ratcliffe | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesGold's record rally may continue, especially as investors brace for interest rate cuts – but analysts say silver looks well positioned to outperform the yellow metal in the second half of the year.Spot gold prices The price of gold rose on Monday to $2,178 an ounce, after settling at its highest levels since 1979 on Thursday last week.Meanwhile, spot silver prices were last up 0.2% at $24.36 an ounce at 6:24 a.m.…
Author: ricardofrancois
California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced Monday that he is throwing his weight behind legislation to prevent medical debt from showing up on consumer credit reports, a Democratic-led effort to provide protections for patients suffering from the stress of health care bills.Bonta is the sponsor of Sen. Monique Lemon's bill, SB 1061, which seeks to prevent health care providers, as well as any contracted collection agency, from sharing a patient's medical debt with credit reporting agencies. It would also prevent credit reporting agencies from accepting, storing or sharing any information related to medical debt. Medical debt is not necessarily an…
A view of parked vehicles on a street in Paris, France on November 22, 2023. Anatolia | Anatolia | Getty ImagesParisians have voted to increase parking fees on large SUVs – and they're not the only European city to set its sights on heavier, more polluting cars.In a referendum held in Paris last month, nearly 55% voted in favor of imposing a fixed parking rate for non-residents for SUVs. However, with a turnout of 5.7%, the poll represented only a small percentage of the capital's electoral list.Under the measure, drivers will pay up to 18 euros ($19.54) per hour to…
Open Editor's Digest for freeRula Khalaf, editor of the Financial Times, picks her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.This article is part of the FT Globetrotter's guide to MadridUMusic Hotel, Universal Music Group's first hotel, was opened with the ambition to be an 'entertainment hub'. It was built around the Albiniz Theatre, which dates back to the 1940s and was recently renovated (after a long community-led campaign to prevent its demolition), with the aim of attracting a roster of national and international artists for concerts and shows. Which is why, a few hours after checking in, I found myself in…
Stay informed with free updatesSimply subscribe to myFT Digest Private Equity – delivered straight to your inbox.Private equity groups globally have a record 28,000 unsold companies worth more than $3 trillion, as a sharp slowdown in deal-making creates a crisis for investors looking to sell assets. The figures, revealed in consultancy Bain & Co's annual private equity report, show how quickly the industry has grown over the past decade, as well as the challenges it faces from rising interest rates that have increased financing costs. “It may take another two or three years before the money starts coming back [to…
Two weeks after its shares began trading on the Nasdaq, Lotus Technology shares fell by two-thirds. However, the collapse does not come as a surprise, and the collapse has a familiar feeling for investors who bought shares of other companies listed on global stock markets by the Chinese company Geely. In recent years, the ambitious Chinese group has listed shares in Volvo Cars, Polestar and iCarx. They all remain deep underwater.The decline, if it persists, would deal a heavy blow to one of China's most ambitious auto groups, and raise questions about its future ability to tap public markets to…
Open Editor's Digest for freeRula Khalaf, editor of the Financial Times, picks her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.This article is part of the FT Globetrotter's guide to MadridIt is a bold choice to call the hotel “CoolRooms”. For some, the name may conjure memories of backpacks and hostels; For others, it was better to serve exactly what it says on the tin. CoolRooms Atocha, a 19th-century mansion converted into a boutique hotel in Madrid's eclectic Lavapiés district, does the latter.The 34 impressive rooms range from comfortable double rooms to 'magnificent suites' – all spacious by European standards. The Coolsuites…
Open Editor's Digest for freeRula Khalaf, editor of the Financial Times, selects her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.This article is part of the FT Globetrotter's guide to MadridWhen it comes to the capital's chic neighbourhoods, Madrid's chic Salamanca district is one of the most fun to walk around – there's a sense of luxury and ease, and plenty of great shopping, but none of the cold elegance of Paris or New York. And at its heart is the Bless Hotel, in a 19th-century building (called Velasquez in an earlier incarnation, my taxi driver told me) that now welcomes the…
Open Editor's Digest for freeRula Khalaf, editor of the Financial Times, picks her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.This article is part of the FT Globetrotter's guide to MadridA stay at the Thompson Hotel, a stylish arrival on Madrid's hotel scene, begins as most good things in the Spanish capital do: with a sparkling plate of jamon iberico and a glass of white wine. This taste of local specialties aims to make guests feel welcome as passports and keys are presented and administered at reception, though it is also an introduction to the hotel's core theme: Thompson is an ode…
China's real estate sector has employed many construction workers, who usually live in temporary housing nearby.Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesBEIJING – Chinese authorities have indicated that China's troubled real estate developers will not get a major bailout, warning that those who “harm the interests of the masses” will be punished.“For real estate companies that suffer serious insolvency and have lost the ability to operate, those that should go bankrupt should go bankrupt, or be restructured, in accordance with the law and market principles,” said Ni Hong, Minister of Housing, Urban and Rural Affairs. Development said in a press conference…