Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius says 2% defense spending just the start

Germany’s defense minister said on Saturday that his country’s commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defense was just the starting point and that more would likely be needed. Earlier in the day, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz insisted that the 2% spending target would be met “in the 2020s, in the 2030s and beyond.” However, … Read more

EU considering sanctions on Chinese firms supporting Russia’s war machine

This pool photograph distributed by Russian state owned agency Sputnik shows Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (R) and China’s President Xi Jinping heading to a group photo session during the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on October 18, 2023. Grigory Sysoyev | AFP | … Read more

China poses growing threat to U.S. auto industry

A BYD Seagull small electric car is on display during the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images DETROIT — Chinese automakers pose a growing threat to their American counterparts — even without selling directly to consumers in the U.S. … Read more

Who said what at the World Economic Forum (WEF)

People attend the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, January 18, 2024.  Denis Balibouse | Reuters The potential for generative artificial intelligence, when interest rates might be cut, and the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip were key topics at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this … Read more

Germany the ‘tired man’ of Europe, finance minister admits

BERLIN, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 15: German Finance Minister Christian Lindner gives a statement to the media at the Chancellery following the weekly government cabinet meeting on November 15, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. The topic was a ruling by the German Constitutional Court declaring that the coalition government’s shift of federal money in 2021 originally earmarked … Read more

Davos leaders see a new normal in 2024

President of the European Central Bank (ECB) Christine Lagarde attends a session on the closing day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, on January 19, 2024.  Fabrice Coffrini | Afp | Getty Images European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said she does not expect a return to economic “normality” in 2024, … Read more

Used car prices high but expected to stabilize in 2024

Used cars for sale at Lee Auto Mall on Wednesday, August 16, 2023. (Staff photo by Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images) Brianna Soukup | Portland Press Herald | Getty Images DETROIT — Used vehicle prices are expected to stabilize this year, after buyers of pre-owned cars and trucks got more relief in 2023 … Read more

Don’t read too much into market losses so far

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) during morning trading on January 3, 2024, in New York City.  Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images This report is from today’s CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need … Read more

UK mortgage rates are finally falling as homeowners hope for relief

U.K. mortgage rates are falling as markets anticipate the Bank of England will start cutting interest rates toward the middle of the year — but uncertainty is likely to continue to dent buyer confidence. HSBC announced cuts beginning Thursday on its residential mortgage interest rates, with several falling below 5% for the first time since April … Read more

Will the S&P end 2023 on a record high?

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., December 1, 2023. Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters This report is from today’s CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they … Read more