Julpo | E+ | Getty Images The student loan delinquency rate is surging, new research finds. Nearly 25% of student loan borrowers with a payment due are now behind, compared with around 9% in 2019, during President Donald Trump's first term, according to a report published Friday by The Century Foundation, a left-leaning think tank. Around 7.9 million student loan borrowers entered delinquency in the first three quarters of 2025 alone, the authors of the study wrote. The foundation used data from the University of California Consumer Credit Panel, a 2% nationally representative sample of U.S. adults with credit records, for its analysis. The researchers said the Trump administration's policies during the president's second term are to blame for the spike in delinquencies. Read more CNBC personal finance coverage Student loan delinquency rate jumps to nearly 25% in Trump's second term: analysis What Supreme Court ruling against Trump tariffs means for your money Personal loans surge: It's 'the middle-class refinancing option,' expert says Trump: tax refunds are 'substantially greater than ever before.' What to expect Trump officials warn hundreds of colleges with low student loan repayment rates As AI puts the squeeze on entry-level jobs, teens remain optimistic: report Trump administration finds more borrowers eligible for student loan forgiveness More used cars are for sale, but ones under $20,000 are 'harder to find': Expert How to claim Trump's 'no tax on overtime' deduction this season Parents with student debt face deadline to secure affordable repayment, forgiveness Secure 2.0 let employers pair emergency savings and 401(k)s, but few have done so Home sellers start getting lower prices at 70, research shows — here's why Average IRS tax refund is up 10.9% so far this season, early filing data shows Early estimates point to lower Social Security COLA for 2027 Senators call for longer Social Security Fairness Act lump-sum payment timeline Here's the inflation brea...

J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images Shares of Hamilton Insurance Group, Ltd. ( HG ) has been an excellent performer over the past year, gaining 60%. With shares rallying 8% in late trading Thursday following another solid quarter, the good news for investors keeps coming. The company has benefited from solid underwriting results, despite fears of margin compression in the insurance industry. Its unique investment portfolio has also proven to be an excellent differentiator. I have been too cautious on Hamilton, rating shares a "H old" when I last covered them in November , and since then, they have added another 7%, justifying a "B uy" rating. With ongoing momentum, now is a good time to revisit HG to see if there can still be further upside after such a large run. I believe it can. Seeking Alpha Catastrophe Environment Flatters Underwriting Results In the company’s fourth quarter , HG earned $1.65 as it grew net premiums by 19.7% to $577 million. During the quarter, Hamilton generated an excellent 24.5% return on equity. Results were flattered by the extremely quiet hurricane season, but this was still an excellent quarter with a combined ratio of 87%, leading to over $75 million of underwriting profits (as a reminder, a combined ratio of 100% means an insurer breaks even on underwriting, so HG essentially had a 13% profit margin). Its combined ratio was 8.4% better than last year, entirely due to a net 9% improvement in catastrophe losses. Absent this, underwriting results were similar to 2024. Drilling into segment results, its International segment primarily houses its insurance operations, primarily in specialty and casualty lines. Underwriting income grew $3 million to $12 million as premiums earned jumped $60 million to $309 million. Its combined ratio was 30 bps better at 96%. One large specialty loss largely offset benefits from the quieter cat environment. As you can see below, the full year was the strongest underwriting performance of the past five y...

在最高法院推翻特朗普第二个总统任期内实施的大部分全球广泛关税政策后，特朗普将举行新闻发布会。高院的判决对他标志性的经济政策造成了重大打击。 白宫新闻秘书卡罗琳·莱维特表示，特朗普将于纽约时间中午12：45对媒体讲话。 法院以6比3的投票结果裁定，特朗普动用联邦紧急权力法在全球范围内实施“对等”关税以及政府以应对芬太尼贩运加征针对性进口税的做法超越了他的权限。 不具名知情人士透露，在白宫与各州州长举行的一场闭门会议上，特朗普称高院的这个裁决是“一场耻辱”，他誓言要实施一套备选方案。 大法官们并未就进口商获得退款的权利程度作出裁决，而是将此留给下级法院处理。倘若全额退款获得支持，规模可能高达1700亿美元，超过特朗普关税收入的一半。 责任编辑：李桐

In a blow to one of President Donald Trump's signature policies, the Supreme Court struck down a significant portion of the administration's tariffs, imposed on nearly all major U.S. trading partners. On April 2 of last year, which Trump dubbed "Liberation Day," the 47th President imposed high tariffs, stunning investors and triggering a near-instant bear market. A lot has happened since that time. Trump has delayed or reversed some of the tariffs and reached trade deals with many countries. The market has bounced back significantly following "Liberation Day" and went on to enjoy strong performance in 2025. Official White House photo by Joyce N. Boghosian. Continue reading

格隆汇2月21日｜加州司法部长：拟议中的华纳兄弟交易必须接受全面而深入的审查，加州正对其进行极为细致的审视。

The US Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s global tariffs, dealing a blow to the centerpiece trade policy of his administration. In a 6-to-3 ruling against the measures, America’s highest court ruled Trump exceeded his authority by invoking federal emergency measures to justify the levies. The president’s initial reaction was to label the decision a “disgrace,” according to CNN . He is to hold a press briefing shortly. The Supreme Court’s rulling followed the release of data showing the US economy underperforming expectations. Stocks surged and the dollar fell on the news. You can follow our live ticker of market reactions here . Tariffs were a thorn in the side of the European Union’s economy’s from the moment Trump took office. They prompted the bloc to try diversifying trade and increase purchases of goods and services made domestically. The levies hurt European industries from steelmakers to pharmaceuticals . The market uncertainty they unleashed helped raise the price of precious metals to record highs . To be sure, it might be too early for opponents of the tariffs to declare victory. The White House has said it will quickly replace the levies using other legal tools. If fully allowed, court ordered refunds could total as much as $170 billion - more than half the total revenue Trump’s tariffs have brought in. What You Need to Know Today Higher taxes and lower spending aren’t hemming in the UK’s economy. Retail sales surging to a 20-month high, yielding a new measure of optimism among businesses and buoying economic momentum. That’s good news for Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves , who’ll next month be able to report the country’s biggest budget surplus on record. A string of bullish data points since the turn of the year has defied warnings of an economic slump triggered by the Labour government’s £26 billion ($35 billion) of extra tax hikes in its November budget. Whether the UK’s turn of fortune is enough to the revive popularity of Pr...

Actor who set pulses racing as Mark Sloan – nicknamed McSteamy – in the TV medical drama Grey’s Anatomy The American actor Eric Dane , who has died of motor neurone disease aged 53, found fame and sex-symbol status as the brilliant plastic surgeon Mark Sloan in the medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, which went to the top of the TV ratings in the US and attracted big audiences worldwide. The character first appeared in 2006, in the second series of the show, as a one-off visitor to the fictional Seattle Grace hospital, to which his former best friend, the neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd (played by Patrick Dempsey), had moved following Mark’s affair with his wife. Mark’s flirting with Derek’s new girlfriend, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), leads his old pal to punch him in the face. Continue reading...

[The stream is slated to start at 12:45 p.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] President Donald Trump on Friday is set to respond after the Supreme Court struck down his signature tariff policy . Trump will lead a press briefing at the White House on the seismic ruling , according to his press secretary Karoline Leavitt . The briefing was announced two hours after the high court ruled, six to three, that the statute used to justify Trump's biggest tariffs does not actually authorize those import duties. The ruling is a significant loss for the president, whose economic agenda and foreign policy leaned heavily on his asserted power to unilaterally slap tariffs on any country without Congress. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube.

Sviatlana Barchan/iStock via Getty Images Since “Liberation Day,” when the US effective tariff rate was sent to century highs, there has been a lot of uncertainty around how legal it is for a U.S. president to unilaterally set trade policy and tariff rates. Not all tariffs are created equal in the eyes of the law, and there has been some hubbub about whether tariffs instituted under the IEEPA, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977. This act allows a president, in times of “war or national emergency,” to set trade policy like tariffs until a time when Congress would be able to act. This function, being able to unilaterally decide and act quickly without debate, is a core function of the executive branch, but the question remains--are we in a national emergency that would allow for these powers? That was part of the question posed to the Supreme Court in a lawsuit by a consortium of businesses. Ultimately, they had to decide, can President Trump use the IEEPA to set tariffs on the world with no expiration date? To track all the tariffs, because it has become a web of over 500 announcements since April, I use this Bloomberg Tariff Tracker . There, you can see which tariffs are tied to the IEEPA and which are tied to less-questioned means like Section 232. Section 232 tariffs are not up for debate here, and so those will stand regardless of the court's decisions, but IEEPA tariffs total up to ~$170B in revenue out of the nearly $300B they have collected so far. Here is a quick image from the tracker, showing some of the most important tariff rates on our trade partners (although this is 1/3rd of the totality of tariffs). Note that the rates set on China, the EU, Japan, India, and most country-focused tariffs are all IEEPA-related. Bloomberg Tariffs, while the source of much chaos for businesses, are also fairly profitable. To be fair, the money they have brought in is substantial, and the U.S. needs more revenue in general. Discipline Funds The problem...

格隆汇2月21日｜标普500指数回吐涨幅，目前基本持平。

格隆汇2月21日｜美国加州司法部长罗布·邦塔就派拉蒙或奈飞拟议收购华纳兄弟一事发表声明。

All eyes will be on Team GB's Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Hammy McMillan and Bobby Lammie on Saturday (18:05 GMT) when they take on Canada with a gold medal at stake at the Winter Olympics.

benedek/E+ via Getty Images Diversification has become harder since 2020 as stocks and bonds tend to move in tandem during sharp selloffs, adding to financial stability concerns. Spreading investments across asset classes can reduce risk and smooth returns. The classic diversification between stocks and bonds worked historically because they moved in opposite directions. When stocks fell, investors sought safety in bonds. Bonds rallied, cushioning losses and stabilizing portfolios. Since the start of the pandemic period - with supply shocks that fueled inflation - bonds have become less effective in cushioning volatility in stocks. Instead of offsetting equity risk, bonds are increasingly moving in tandem with stocks. This shift is particularly pronounced during sharp market selloffs, with profound implications for investors and policymakers alike. The breakdown of this historical relationship makes diversification - such as the classic portfolio, of 60 percent stocks and 40 percent bonds, or risk parity strategies - vulnerable to shocks. Hedge fund and risk parity investment strategies that employ leverage based on the historical relationship are now increasingly moving in tandem with Treasury returns, which could make them vulnerable to forced deleveraging. Even conservative institutional investors like pension funds and insurers could be exposed to greater portfolio volatility during market corrections. Corrections tend to be sharp, accompanied by a surge in stock market volatility. This amplifies systemic vulnerabilities, as volatility can feed into selloff dynamics by worsening investors’ funding constraints and forcing deleveraging. Looking back, our analysis shows that the turning point for correlations came around the end of 2019. With the onset of the pandemic the following year, the historical relationship changed significantly, resulting in sharp selloffs of both stocks and bonds to occur more frequently together. From 2000 to 2019, the inverse relationsh...

Find three under-the-radar AI infrastructure stocks tied to data center buildouts—land, electricity, and water rights—plus dividends and timelines.

Abbott Laboratories ( ABT ) declares $0.63/share quarterly dividend , in line with previous. Forward yield 2.26% Payable May 15; for shareholders of record April 15; ex-div April 15. See ABT Dividend Scorecard, Yield Chart, & Dividend Growth. More on Abbott Laboratories Abbott: Long-Term Investment Opportunity For Dividend Growth Investors Abbott Laboratories: Double-Digit Earnings Growth Makes It A Buy Abbott Laboratories: The Market's Overreaction Is The Long-Term Investor's Opportunity Insider trades: Merck, Intel, Micron among notable names Exact Sciences ticks higher amid reports HSR for Abbott deal expired

Left: USA's Ben Ogden competes during the cross-country free sprint on Wednesday. Right: Bronze medallist USA's Jessie Diggins celebrates on the podium for the women's cross-country 10km. Both Olympians knit during their downtime between events.'/> A number of Olympic athletes have turned to knitting during the heat of the Games, including Ben Ogden, who this week became the most decorated American male Olympic cross-country skier. (Image credit: Anne-Christine Poujoulat)

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been released under investigation after police questioned the former prince in relation to allegations he shared confidential material with Jeffrey Epstein. Officers searched Mountbatten-Windsor’s Sandringham residence as well as his former home at the Royal Lodge in Great Windsor Park after arresting him on Thursday. The former prince has denied any wrongdoing. But what were the police searching for and what could happen next? Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s police and crime correspondent, Vikram Dodd Continue reading...

The Supreme Court’s decision striking down most of President Donald Trump’s tariffs left at least one big question unanswered: What about refunds?

【有線新聞】財政預算案即將出爐，香港工業總會主席林世豪在本台節目《有理有得傾》，建議全面撤銷烈酒稅，促進烈酒貿易，又提出政府更頻密舉辦經貿團。 財政預算案下周三出爐，工總主席林世豪在本台節目建議為本港企業創造更多貿易機會，包括全面撤銷烈酒稅，令倉儲、物流、飲食等行業都受惠，「上一次在兩年前，由100%的稅減到現在10%的稅，但是（進口價）最少要200元，這只是優惠到17%的烈酒。如果將所有稅項減到零，其實你不會因為那瓶烈酒便宜了你會多喝一點，但是你會推進到貿易。歐洲、美洲來的烈酒，我們可以放在香港而供應內地，反過來也可以幫到內地的烈酒經過香港而供應到全世界不同地方，這正正是香港一直去做的貿易中心。」 如何振興夜經濟備受關注，林世豪說要靠業界自我提升，不需要由政府介入派消費券，他期望預算案可繼續支援中小企，「希望政府可以體諒中小企現在的營商環境，盡量減免某些費用，例如說利得稅、牌照費其實都可以減免，例如說還息不還本，是否可以優化它？或者可以延長它？」 工總建議政府舉辦更多經貿團協助企業出海，發掘全球南方市場。林世豪：「比如說我們（工總）去到沙特阿拉伯，他剛剛開放了之後其實我甚麼都沒有，但是我有錢，你香港可以給到我，就是全世界最好的東西，結果我們有四、五個團友立刻可以找到人簽到單，做到生意。」 他認為香港經濟向好、政府財政好轉，應該積極投資未來，包括吸引高端企業到北部都會區發展。

美国最高法院推翻了特朗普在全球实施全面关税的决定，削弱了他标志性的经济政策，并令其遭受重返白宫以来最大的法律挫败。 周五的裁决称，特朗普动用联邦紧急权力法对外国普遍实施“对等”关税以及政府以应对芬太尼贩运为由加征针对性进口税的做法超越了他的权限 。大法官们的表决结果为6比3。 大法官们并未就进口商获得退款的权利程度作出裁决，而是将此留给下级法院处理。倘若全额退款获得支持，规模可能高达1700亿美元，超过特朗普关税收入的一半。 白宫此前就表示将迅速使用其它法律手段取代关税，但备选方案往往比特朗普根据《国际紧急经济权力法》所动用的广泛权力更加繁琐或效果更为有限。 美国股市受此裁决提振上涨，因投资者担心关税损害经济前景和企业盈利。美国国债跌幅扩大，收益率普遍上升，基准10年债收益率触及4.10%，因交易员已消化税赋下降的可能性。彭博的美元指数在收复失地前跌幅深达0.2%。 该裁决使特朗普4月2日10%至50%的所谓“解放日”关税无效，还废除了这位总统以打击芬太尼贩运为名对加拿大、墨西哥商品额外征收的关税。特朗普基于各种理由对巴西和印度商品征收的《国际紧急经济权力法》关税也受到了质疑。 特朗普政策的核心由此遭到当头棒喝，他用来对付贸易伙伴的万能武器也因而火力大减。本月，特朗普启动程序拟对与伊朗有贸易往来的国家征收高达25%的关税。此前，他还威胁要对抵制他吞并格陵兰企图的欧洲国家课税。 这项裁决可能使美国平均有效关税税率降低逾50%。此前的分析发现，如果对特朗普做出全面不利的裁决，关税税率将从13.6%降至6.5%，触及去年3月以来的最低水平。特朗普对钢铝和汽车征收的关税是根据另一项法律所实施，因此不受直接影响。 最高法院多数法官认为，1997年的《国际紧急经济权力法》没有授权征收关税。该法赋予总统一系列应对国家安全、外交政策和经济紧急情况的工具，但并未明确提及关税或税收。 “国会授予征收关税的权力时，会做出明确规定并加以谨慎的限制，” 首席大法官约翰·罗伯茨在多数意见书中写道，“本案中两者都没有满足。” 特朗普任命的大法官尼尔·戈萨奇和艾米·科尼·巴雷特站在罗伯茨及三位自由派大法官一边形成了多数派，尽管该他们在某些推理方面存在分歧。 布雷特·卡瓦诺、克拉伦斯·托马斯和塞缪尔·阿利托这三位大法官则持不同意见。卡瓦诺代表少数派撰写了意见书，辩称《国际紧急经济权力法》“明确授权总...

白宫新闻秘书卡罗琳·莱维特在X平台表示，总统特朗普将于美东时间下午12：45就最高法院关税裁决举行记者会。 责任编辑：李桐

@media (max-width: 768px) { .image-container { width: 100% !important; float: none !important; margin: 0 0 1rem 0 !important; } } Image source: The Mo

For a long time now, PC gamers have been used to the Final Fantasy series treating their platform as somewhat secondary to the game's core console versions. There are some signs that may be starting to change, though, as director Naoki Hamaguchi has confirmed that the PC is now the "lead platform" for development of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy. In a recent interview with Automaton , Hamaguchi clarified that the team takes the relatively common practice of creating visual assets for its multiplatform games by targeting "high-end environments first," then performing a "reduction" for less powerful platforms. These days, that means "our 3D assets are created at the highest quality level based on PC as the foundation," he said. Players have already noticed this graphical difference in the PC version of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth , Hamaguchi said, and "our philosophy will not change for the third installment." While PC gaming is only "gradually expanding in Japan," Hamaguchi said the rapid growth in international PC gamers has led the company to "develop assets with the broad PC market in mind." Read full article Comments

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision Friday to strike down President Trump's global tariffs has thrown open a big question for companies that have already paid the higher rates: will they get refunded? The court's ruling held that Trump exceeded his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by imposing broad tariffs without clear congressional approval. But the opinion did not lay out how—or even whether—money already collected should be returned to importers. More than 60% of 2025 tariffs "effectively vanish" after the SCOTUS decision, noted Olu Sonola, head of U.S. Economics at Fitch Ratings. "Mechanically, the U.S. effective tariff rate drops from about 13% to around 6%, removing more than $200 billion in expected annual tariff collections," he added. Similarly, Penn-Wharton Budget Model economists estimated that over $175B in government tariff revenue could be refunded. Dissenting Justice Brett Kavanaugh said in the ruling that "“the court says nothing today about whether, and if so how, the government should go about returning the billions of dollars that it has collected from importers. But that process is likely to be a ‘mess,’ as was acknowledged” during the court's oral arguments late last year. Beyond Kavanaugh's warning, SCOTUS didn't address the question of repayments, suggesting that any refunds will likely be handled by lower courts. In any case, "the refund process will be a mess," said Heather Long. Chief Economist at Navy Federal Credit Union. "Small firms may struggle to get any money back from the U.S. Treasury." She added that the Trump administration will likely oppose refunds and may seek other potential avenues to carry out its key trade policy. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Reuters in an interview last week that the government has sufficient cash to repay revenue collected under IEEPA if ordered but warned that any refunds would likely be spread out over weeks or months and could extend beyond a year. In a pre-rulin...

The US Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs, undercutting his signature economic policy and delivering his biggest legal defeat since he returned to the White House. Tatiana Darie breaks down the ruling's impact on markets. (Source: Bloomberg)