Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images News House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is confident that the partial government shutdown will end by Tuesday, according to an interview with NBC News , saying there would be enough Republican votes to clear the federal spending package. "Let's say I'm confident that we'll do it at least by Tuesday," Johnson said on NBC's Meet the Press . "We have a logistical challenge o...
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images News House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is confident that the partial government shutdown will end by Tuesday, according to an interview with NBC News , saying there would be enough Republican votes to clear the federal spending package. "Let's say I'm confident that we'll do it at least by Tuesday," Johnson said on NBC's Meet the Press . "We have a logistical challenge of getting everyone in town and because of the conversation I had with Hakeem Jeffries, I know that we've got to pass a rule and probably do this mostly on our own." The Senate on Friday approved a five-bill spending package for government agencies through September and a stopgap measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks. The legislation must be approved by the House, which is in recess until Monday. "They're going to separate the DHS bill," Johnson noted . "Our intention is by Tuesday to fund all agencies of the federal government except for that one. And then we'll have two weeks of good-faith negotiations to figure it out." Over the weekend, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) told Johnson not to rely on Democrat votes, given their opposition to funding DHS without reforms — even in the short term. Democratic lawmakers have demanded restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the wake of ICE agents killing two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. More on U.S. government The Shutdown Circus: Markets Care About Time, Not Theater 7 Things To Consider If The U.S. Government Shuts Down GOP faces tight vote to end shutdown as Democrats balk at ICE funding U.S. government enters partial shutdown, but deal seen soon
France reported the narrowest gap in the central state’s finances since the Covid pandemic, indicating the country is on track to meet or even surpass its fiscal targets. The core state budget deficit declined to €124.7 billion ($148 billion) in 2025 from €156.3 billion the previous year, the finance ministry said . That result was €14.3 billion tighter than the initial objective in the budget bil...
France reported the narrowest gap in the central state’s finances since the Covid pandemic, indicating the country is on track to meet or even surpass its fiscal targets. The core state budget deficit declined to €124.7 billion ($148 billion) in 2025 from €156.3 billion the previous year, the finance ministry said . That result was €14.3 billion tighter than the initial objective in the budget bill. While Monday’s figures don’t include the social security system or local government finances, they indicate better-than-expected progress toward reining in the deficit amid repeated government collapse since 2024 elections. The improvement also makes it more likely the current prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu , will meet his objective of reducing the overall deficit to 5% of economic output this year from 5.4% in 2025. Those plans are expected to be adopted by parliament later on Monday. Natixis economist Hadrien Camatte said that, given the figures for the central state finances, the deficit may already have been between 5% and 5.2% in 2025. The government’s target for 2026 is “credible” and the outcome could even be slightly less, he added. The finance ministry said the state recorded an improvement in corporate and sales tax receipts last year, as well as a €7.5 billion boost from a temporary levy on the largest companies. Spending was slightly lower than expected thanks to “strict steering” throughout the year and smaller outlays at the end of the period, it said. “This significant reduction in the state’s budget balance in 2025 underscores the government’s commitment to restoring the trajectory of public finances,” the finance ministry said. France Nears Budget Finish Line as Premier Pushes Bill Past Vote Euro-Zone Economy Beats Estimates, Defying Trade Turmoil Bond Investors Fret That France Budget Relief Is Just a Blip
Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt slated to reopen Israel says it has allowed Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt to reopen, a key step in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement. No one has crossed yet. World Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt slated to reopen Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt reopens Listen · 3:15 3:15 Israel says it has allowed Gaza's Rafah border crossing wit...
Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt slated to reopen Israel says it has allowed Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt to reopen, a key step in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement. No one has crossed yet. World Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt slated to reopen Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt reopens Listen · 3:15 3:15 Israel says it has allowed Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt to reopen, a key step in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement. No one has crossed yet. Sponsor Message Sponsor Message
Kenya’s debt repayments to China fell by more than a third after the conversion of dollar loans for a railway project into yuan, offering reprieve for the economy struggling with mounting liabilities. The East African nation paid 37.5 billion shillings ($290.7 million) to the Export–Import Bank of China for a semi-annual installment due in January, according to Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakan...
Kenya’s debt repayments to China fell by more than a third after the conversion of dollar loans for a railway project into yuan, offering reprieve for the economy struggling with mounting liabilities. The East African nation paid 37.5 billion shillings ($290.7 million) to the Export–Import Bank of China for a semi-annual installment due in January, according to Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o. That compares with 59 billion yuan it paid in the same period last year. Kenya and its largest bilateral lender agreed last year to convert the balance of three dollar-denominated loans totaling $5 billion taken to finance a new railway line into yuan. They also extended two of the maturities to 15 years, including a four-year grace period, as part of plans to ease the debt burden. The lower payments are a relief for the world’s biggest shipper of black tea that’s been grappling with rising indebtedness, missed revenue targets, and runaway spending. The International Monetary Fund has warned that Kenya is at high risk of debt distress. Of Kenya’s $41.7 billion in external debt at the end of September, it owed $15.2 billion to the World Bank , $7.9 billion to eurobond investors and almost $4.8 billion to China, according to the Treasury. Kenya Railway Loans Swap Fuels China’s Plan to Globalize Yuan Moody’s Upgrades Kenya Credit Rating on Reduced Default Risk Kenya Wins Relief as Yuan Swap Extends China Railway Debt The currency switch will save Kenya $215 million annually in debt service, with interest rates on the new yuan loans dropping to as low as 3%, according to the Treasury. The decision to convert currencies “makes economic sense given the current interest-rate gap and strong trade ties with China,” said Marina Zucker-Marques, senior academic researcher at the Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center. “This reflects a pragmatic approach to reducing currency risk and lower debt costs amid global financial uncertainty.” With many developing countries l...
The Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETF delivers low-duration exposure to U.S. Treasuries, targeting capital preservation and liquidity. On January 29, Colorado-based Jim Saulnier & Associates disclosed a sale of 77,109 shares of the Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETF (VBIL +0.03%), an estimated $5.82 million trade based on quarterly average pricing. What happened According to a SEC filing date...
The Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETF delivers low-duration exposure to U.S. Treasuries, targeting capital preservation and liquidity. On January 29, Colorado-based Jim Saulnier & Associates disclosed a sale of 77,109 shares of the Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETF (VBIL +0.03%), an estimated $5.82 million trade based on quarterly average pricing. What happened According to a SEC filing dated January 29, Jim Saulnier & Associates sold 77,109 shares of the Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETF (VBIL +0.03%) during the fourth quarter. The estimated value of the shares sold was $5.82 million, calculated using the average unadjusted closing price for the quarter. Meanwhile, the fund’s position in VBIL decreased in value by $5.86 million, a figure that includes both the share sale and price moves. What else to know The VBIL stake now accounts for 5.55% of the fund’s $192.93 million in reportable AUM. Top holdings after the filing: NYSEMKT:AOR: $25.49 million (13.2% of AUM) NYSEMKT:AOA: $17.19 million (8.9% of AUM) NASDAQ:VBIL: $10.70 million (5.6% of AUM) NYSEMKT:VEA: $7.31 million (3.8% of AUM) NYSEMKT:BIL: $3.92 million (2.0% of AUM) As of January 28, VBIL shares were priced at $75.62, up 0.75% over the past year. The fund reported a 30-day SEC yield of 3.56%. ETF overview Metric Value Price (as of January 28) $75.62 Market capitalization $4.64 billion 30-day SEC yield 3.56% ETF snapshot VBIL offers an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks an index of U.S. Treasury bills with maturities of three months or less. The fund generates income primarily through interest on short-term U.S. government securities, using a sampling strategy to closely mirror index performance. It serves institutional and retail investors seeking capital preservation, liquidity, and low-duration exposure to U.S. Treasury markets. The Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETF provides investors with access to a diversified portfolio of short-term, investment-grade U.S. Treasury bills. The fund emp...
"Bloomberg Markets" follows the market moves across every global asset class and discusses the biggest issues for Wall Street. Today's guest: Betsy Duke, Former Fed Governor. (Source: Bloomberg)
"Bloomberg Markets" follows the market moves across every global asset class and discusses the biggest issues for Wall Street. Today's guest: Betsy Duke, Former Fed Governor. (Source: Bloomberg)
Jessie Casson/DigitalVision via Getty Images Energy stocks have come on strong to start 2026. The Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF ( XLE ) was the best-performing among the 11 S&P 500 sector funds in January . Within Energy, and with a healthy dose of semiconductor-tech, lies the Invesco Solar ETF ( TAN ). It's higher by 65% from 12 months ago, outperforming XLE and the All-Country World Index by a w...
Jessie Casson/DigitalVision via Getty Images Energy stocks have come on strong to start 2026. The Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF ( XLE ) was the best-performing among the 11 S&P 500 sector funds in January . Within Energy, and with a healthy dose of semiconductor-tech, lies the Invesco Solar ETF ( TAN ). It's higher by 65% from 12 months ago, outperforming XLE and the All-Country World Index by a wide margin. I had a buy rating on TAN back in the third quarter of last yea r. Shares are already up 29% in the past five months or so, outperforming the S&P 500 by more than 20 percentage points. Today, I reiterate a buy rating. I'll note its still-attractive valuation and offer a refreshed view of the technicals. TAN: Big Alpha YoY stockcharts.com According to the issuer , TAN invests in global developed market equities, focusing on companies in renewable energy sectors, excluding coal, petroleum, and nuclear energy. The fund invests in growth and value stocks and promotes environmental responsibility. It generally allocates over 90% of its assets to equities in solar energy. TAN has grown materially since my previous assessment, now with $987 million in assets under management. The annual expense ratio is elevated at 71 basis points, while there is no trailing 12-month dividend yield . Despite the Trump administration scrapping over $ 83 billion in clean energy loans, investors have been scooping up TAN shares. Indeed, share-price momentum is strong right now, earning the product a pristine A ETF Grade by Seeking Alpha's quantitative scoring system. TAN can be a risky product , however, as evidenced by elevated historical standard deviation trends and a concentrated niche ETF exposure. Liquidity is mixed. Average daily volume has ticked up above 1 million shares, but its 30-day median bid/ask spread is wide at 15 basis points. So, I encourage prospective investors to use limit orders, particularly around the market open. For an update on the portfolio, the 1-star-rated E...
Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA - Free Report) by 16.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 350,825 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock after purchasing an additional 48,365 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Ll...
Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA - Free Report) by 16.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 350,825 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock after purchasing an additional 48,365 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp's holdings in Tesla were worth $154,516,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Narwhal Capital Management increased its position in shares of Tesla by 32.8% in the third quarter. Narwhal Capital Management now owns 9,516 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $4,232,000 after acquiring an additional 2,350 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Tesla in the 2nd quarter valued at $11,839,824,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey raised its position in Tesla by 5.6% in the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 427,150 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock valued at $135,688,000 after purchasing an additional 22,607 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Tesla by 1,823.0% during the second quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 68,325 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $21,704,000 after purchasing an additional 64,772 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its position in shares of Tesla by 20.0% in the third quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 16,565 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $7,367,000 after buying an additional 2,765 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.20% of the company's stock. Get Tesla alerts: Sign Up Tesla Price Performance Shares of TSLA stock opened at $430.41 o...