“Without consistent gains in inventory, home prices can accelerate. It is critical to introduce more supply to the market to widen the opportunity for homeownership.” The picture is not uniform across price tiers. Sales of homes priced below $100,000 fell 1.7% from a year ago, while transactions in the $100,000–$250,000 range were barely changed. At…
The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has issued a circular ordering internet brokers and virtual asset trading platform operators (VATPs) in Hong Kong to abandon one-time passwords (OTPs) in favour of phishing-resistant authentication methods, as account takeover attacks targeting client credentials continue to rise. The regulator’s directive, published on 9 July 2026, requires firms to…
Coast FIRE (also known as Coast FI) has been making the rounds on social media. But what exactly is this trending investing strategy, and is it realistic? What is Coast FIRE? Coast FIRE is an investment strategy where people aggressively invest for retirement until their portfolio reaches a target value, often called their “Coast FIRE…
Stamp duty costs are preventing homeowners from moving, according to analysis from property portal Zoopla, with bills reaching five figures across southern England. Richard Donnell, Executive Director at Zoopla, said that where stamp duty becomes a “meaningful friction”, transactions are abandoned. “For home movers, stamp duty is a near-certain cost wherever you live – and…
Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs has barred employees from trading on prediction-market contracts linked to financial markets and political events, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday. A memo was issued some time back in which the policy prohibits staff from participating in event-based contracts that could create real or perceived conflicts of…
Disney is exploring making some of its streaming content available at an unbeatable price: free. The Mouse House is discussing making some content accessible on Disney+ without a paywall, according to two people familiar with the matter. Product and tech chief Adam Smith spoke about enabling free-tier content during a streaming town hall on Thursday…
Generating $1,000 in annual passive income may be easier than you might expect. Assuming a 5% annual dividend, investors would need just $20,000 to generate this level of income. These figures don’t include any potential taxes. Nor do they adjust for inflation. But a 5% annual dividend is all you need to start building a…
Key insight: Standard Chartered and BNY now let institutional clients mint and redeem Circle’s USDC through the bank instead of a direct Circle account. What’s at stake: Handling stablecoins directly gives banks a new custody-and-fee business, but it also risks client cash shifting out of deposits into stablecoins and tokenized funds. Forward look: Standard Chartered…
Key insight: The Federal Reserve announced the external advisors who will be tasked with leading reviews of key policies at the central bank, including communications, balance sheet management and its view toward the labor market. Expert quote: “I am honored that the best minds from a range of disciplines have agreed to work with us…
US President Donald Trump, alongside CIA Director John Ratcliffe, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine speaks about the conflict in Iran on April 6, 2026, in Washington, DC. Brendan Smialowski | Afp | Getty Images The U.S. will engage in “technical talks” with Iran…