Day: January 2, 2017

Largest India Bank Sees Loan Growth Jumping From 25-Year Low

State Bank of India, the country’s largest lender, is predicting an acceleration in loan growth from a 25-year low after slashing borrowing costs to the lowest level in at least six years. The state-run lender cut lending rates based on the marginal costs of funds by 90 basis points across all tenures on Sunday.

Read This Before You Take Medicare Benefits

If you’re getting close to 65, chances are you’re going to enroll in Medicare. While it’s common knowledge that Medicare is the United States’ health insurance program for retirees, many people don’t fully understand certain things about Medicare, such as when to enroll, how much it costs, what all the “parts” of Medicare are, and more.

17 Financial New Year’s Resolutions for 2017

Happy New Year everyone! For those of you who stuck to your long-term game plan in 2016, you were handsomely rewarded. All three major U.S. stock indexes pushed to new all-time highs during the course of 2016, and the unemployment rate hit a more than nine-year low.

Drugstore Chain CVS Poised for a Rebound

Which would you rather own: a stock that might generate huge profits in the short term, or one that you know will produce steady returns for years to come? Identifying the underlying trends in our economy, and then selecting those companies best positioned to capitalize on them over the long haul, is the best way to guarantee your profits . Two trends that we know will continue for the foreseeable future are the aging of the U.S. population and increasing consumption of health care services, particularly pharmaceuticals.

In 2017, expect big opportunities in unexpected places

My prediction of the United States financial markets in 2017 is a mix of good news and bad news: When markets are chaotic, there are often large opportunities – and they are usually found in unexpected places. The biggest change in the coming year is that investing in the United States will not be an obvious choice.

Amazon or Netflix could now board the 10-part limited series on the life of Adolf Hitler.

Leading German commercial network RTL has dropped plans to back an ambitious 10-part limited series on the life of Adolf Hitler. The project, from Berlin-based UFA Fiction – producers of Deutschland 83 and Generation War – and Beta Film, whose credits include hit Italian mafia drama Gomorrah and Tom Tykwer’s upcoming period series Babylon Berlin , has been one of the most talked-about series since it was unveiled at TV market MIPCOM in 2015.

Less Than One Month Left for – Obamacare’ Shoppers

Here’s one resolution you should check off early in the year: choosing a health plan if you don’t already have one. The deadline to buy a plan under the Affordable Care Act mandate is Jan. 31. If you don’t choose a plan by the deadline and pay the first payment when it’s due, you won’t be able to get coverage this year, with few exceptions.

Tesla Gives U.K. Buyers Two Weeks to Dodge Brexit Price Increase

Tesla Motors Inc. customers in the U.K. may find their Christmas cash goes a little further than expected after the carmaker postponed a price increase by two weeks. The U.S. electric-auto manufacturer’s plans to raise prices 5 percent in the U.K. have been put off until Jan. 15 from the original beginning-of-the-year deadline, Tesla said Monday in an e-mailed statement.

Spanish Clunkers Are Relics of Bust as Madrid Stems Fumes

Fumes belching from aging cars are part of the legacy of Spain’s economic slump, as Madrid steps up its efforts to contain traffic pollution. Madrid city council last week stopped cars with even-numbered license plates from entering the central city zone for a day and also imposed speed and parking restrictions as it acted to tackle to traffic pollution made worse by high-pressure weather conditions.

Social Security: 3 Crazy (but Effective!) Ways to Get More Benefits

Social Security is a vital way for retirees to make ends meet, and making the most of your Social Security benefits is critical. Plenty of conventional strategies exist that can help you boost your benefits, from delaying before applying for Social Security to making sure that you’ve maximized your earnings throughout your 35-year career.

U.S. Firms With Most at Stake as Russian Ties Fray, in Charts

Frosty relations between the U.S. and Russia grew icier this week after President Barack Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats over hacking. While the sanctions are largely at the diplomatic level and Russian President Vladimir Putin said he wouldn’t retaliate, companies with heavy cross-border activity could have substantial sums at stake.

Spanish Clunkers Are Relics of Bust as Madrid Acts to Stem Fumes

Fumes belching from aging cars are part of the legacy of Spain’s economic slump, as Madrid steps up its efforts to contain traffic pollution. Madrid city council last week stopped cars with even-numbered license plates from entering the central city zone for a day and also imposed speed and parking restrictions as it acted to tackle to traffic pollution made worse by high-pressure weather conditions.

Lawsuit: Dude ranch owner asked chef for ‘black people food’

A federal lawsuit accuses the ex-wife of Oklahoma energy tycoon T. Boone Pickens of racial discrimination at her rural Nevada dude ranch. The lawsuit says wealthy philanthropist Madeleine Pickens told the African-American chef she recruited from the country club she owns in California to cook “black people food,” not “white people food,” at the Elko County ranch.

Kitty litter helps Wyoming bentonite past drilling slump

The market for a peculiar type of clay is looking up thanks to improved prospects for oil and gas drilling and to cat owners who use the stuff to soak up their pets’ business. Over 90 percent of all bentonite mined in the U.S. and almost half worldwide comes from beds of ancient volcanic ash in Wyoming.

Hyundai, Kia global sales fall 2 percent; miss target

Hyundai Motor and affiliate Kia Motors on Monday said their global sales dropped 2 percent to 7.88 million vehicles in 2016 from the preceding year, falling short of their target of 8.13 million vehicles. It is the first time since 1998 that the South Korean duo, which together rank fifth in global sales, posted an annual sales fall.

The NFL playoff bracket is now set

The Green Bay Packers beat the Detroit Lions in the “Sunday Night Football” matchup and now we know all 12 seeds for when the NFL playoffs begin next weekend. By beating the Lions, the Packers won the NFC North and will host the New York Giants in the Wild Card round.

Samsung Warns of Slowing Growth in Key Markets Amid Uncertainty

In his annual New Year’s speech Monday, Samsung Vice Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer Kwon Oh-hyun urged employees to learn from costly failures as the consumer electronics giant seeks to recover from 2016’s bruising debacle surrounding the Note 7 smartphone. “We should not compromise with even the tiniest problems in product quality,” Kwon said at the company’s headquarters in Suwon, South Korea.

Sears closing store and auto center in Hudson Valley

A Sears department store in the Hudson Valley is closing in the new year, putting nearly 100 people out of work. The Middletown Times Herald-Record reports that 96 jobs in the department store and auto center located at Galleria at Crystal Run will be lost, according to a notice published on the state Department of Labor website.

49ers fire Chip Kelly and GM Trent Baalke

The San Francisco 49ers fired both head coach Chip Kelly and general manager Trent Baalke on Sunday after a loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Kelly went 2-14 in his first season as coach of the 49ers and had three years remaining on his contract.