Unlock the US Election Countdown newsletter for freeThe stories that matter on money and politics in the race for the White HouseDemocrats rushed to defend Kamala Harris’s newly unveiled economic plans on Sunday, amid criticism that they amounted to gimmicks that would fail to tackle inflation. The Democratic presidential candidate…

On Saturday, a new set of rules governing how most real estate professionals do business in the US officially take effect — and the changes could potentially upend how Americans buy and sell homes. The rules were agreed to by the National Association of Realtors, the powerful trade association that…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.US stock markets have rebounded quickly after a dramatic start to August but trading in derivatives markets suggests many investors are not convinced the calm will last.By Thursday the S&P 500 had…

For more than a century, Americans have been turning to a trusted and reliable source for local news: the radio. Now, the terrestrial broadcasts are facing an existential threat as listeners and advertising dollars rapidly shift, forcing stations to slash staff and even sign off the air for good. This…

The World Health Organization’s declaration of a public health emergency for mpox is the second such alert on the infectious disease in barely two years — and experts fear this one is even more serious. The latest outbreak, centred on Democratic Republic of Congo and identified in about a dozen…

The standard, 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.49% this week, up slightly from the prior week’s level, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. But that’s still well below this year’s peak and the two-decade high last fall — and that appears to be enough to entice homeowners to refinance. Mortgage applications surged 17%…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Urgent efforts to roll out vaccines to tackle the Mpox international public health emergency in central and east Africa risk being hobbled by a lack of orders and logistical challenges, a leading…

Americans aren’t getting their Big Mac fix at McDonald’s anymore. They’re going to Chili’s instead. Brinker International, Chili’s parent company, reported a nearly 15% in jump in same-store sales and increase of almost 6% in traffic for the most recent quarter thanks in part to a promotion of a new…

The chief executive of the world’s largest online betting company said its dominant US market share means it does not need to pass on the cost of tax increases to customers.“When competitors raise their prices, then the customers come over to us,” said Peter Jackson, chief executive of Flutter Entertainment,…

Big Lots is closing more than 300 locations across the United States, or roughly 4% of its stores, following an earlier warning that its future was in “substantial doubt” amid ongoing financial troubles. The discount retailer previously said it planned to close as many as 40 stores during its most…