(This Feb. 16 story has been refiled to fix a typo in ‘blank-check’ in paragraph 22) By Jack Queen and Luc Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters) – Donald Trump must pay $354.9 million in penalties for fraudulently overstating his net worth to dupe lenders, a New York judge ruled on Friday,…

The refunding: The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday said it would sell $121 billion in notes and bonds next week. That’s up from $112 billion last quarter. The department will auction $54 billion of 3-year Treasury notes BX:TMUBMUSD03Y on Feb. 6, $42 billion of 10-year notes BX:TMUBMUSD10Y on Feb. 7…

By Thomas Escritt and Sarah Marsh BERLIN (Reuters) – A former German spy chief who was sacked after being accused of averting his eyes to the threat posed by the far-right founded a new right-wing party on Saturday, holding an inaugural party congress on a boat near Germany’s old capital…

The Chicago Business Barometer, also known as the Chicago PMI, fell 1.2 index points to 46 in January.  Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal forecast a 48 reading.  Readings below 50 indicate contraction. The index has fallen sharply from the November reading of 55.8, which was the highest level…

The numbers: The productivity of U.S. businesses and their workers rose in the fourth quarter at 2.7% pace compared with a year earlier, possibly a sign the economy could grow faster than expected even as inflation slows. Productivity advanced 3.3% in the fourth quarter, the government said, after a frothy…

Investing.com — JPMorgan and Bank of America are among a slew of major U.S. banks set to report their quarterly earnings on Friday. Markets will likely be keeping tabs on how the companies are bearing the weight of higher interest rates and expenses related to the collapse of regional banks last…

Construction spending rose in December, as companies and the government continued to ramp up projects across the U.S. Spending on construction projects rose 0.9% in December to $2.1 trillion, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.  Spending on construction has risen every single month in 2023. The… Master your money. Subscribe to…

By Joe Cash, Ellen Zhang and Liangping Gao BEIJING (Reuters) -China’s exports grew at a faster pace in December, while deflationary pressures persisted last month, keeping alive expectations for more policy easing measures to shore up an economy carrying significant pockets of weakness into 2024. Chinese policymakers could breathe a…

Mortgage rates dipped, even though the U.S. Federal Reserve ruled out easing monetary policy in March as the economy remains strong and inflation slows. Even though the Fed threw cold water on expectations that the central bank will begin to cut interest rates in March, some investors are hopeful for…

By David Milliken and William Schomberg LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s economy grew slightly more strongly than expected in November but remains at risk of slipping into a mild recession, a potential blow for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before an election expected in 2024. Gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 0.3%…