Ward: Security

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Holiday shoppers out in force, but concerns over consumer sentiment linger

Holiday shopping is in high gear, with the National Retail Federation predicting a record 159 million shoppers on what it calls "Super Saturday," with nearly a third buying gifts in stores. However, consumer sentiment is down as many Americans are concerned about their economic future. Nicole Valdes…

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Chicago Council Passes 2026 Budget to Close $1.2 Billion Gap

Chicago’s City Council passed a roughly $16 billion budget for 2026 — less than two weeks before the deadline — without certainty about whether Mayor Brandon Johnson will sign or veto the plan.

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How to Stop Supporting Your Adult Kids When You’re Retired

In trying to help grown children, parents can hurt their own retirement security. Here’s how to stop the flow of money.

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Your paycheck may get larger in January, even without a raise

You could be starting off 2026 with more income than expected.

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The real reason incomes rise and why they drop

Getting ahead financially is mainly about what you earn at work, not what you make from investments. Researchers found that promotions, skills, and better jobs drive most upward income movement. But when people slip backward, falling investment income is usually the main reason. Labor builds income …

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Report: Americans spent $228 billion on alcohol last year. Where did adults spend the most?

While some states spent vastly more than others on adult beverages, like California, which paid the most in the country at roughly $29 billion, the states where the average adult spent the most on alcohol over the last year may surprise you.

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Don’t bet on lots of hiring and new jobs in 2026 — or lots of layoffs, either

The U.S. jobs market took a sharp turn for the worse in 2025, and it doesn’t look like hiring will catch fire in the new year.

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From A.I. to Tariffs, 14 Charts That Explain 2025

President Trump’s trade policy, inflation and climbing stock prices shaped business and the economy this year.

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Fitch Cuts Gabon’s Rating Further Into Junk on Debt Risks

Fitch Ratings has cut Gabon’s credit rating further into junk territory, citing widening government deficits and declining demand for the country’s debt.

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Covid, Inflation and the GFC: The Economic Story of a Quarter-Century

From Clinton-era optimism to the dot-com crash, the housing bust, a manufacturing decline that fueled MAGA, and the once-in-a-century shock of Covid, the first 25 years of the century reshaped both the economy and the public mood. Michael McKee, Jason Furman, Torsten Slok, and Stephanie Flanders exp…

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China’s first polysilicon consolidation steps unlikely to move prices in Q1

China’s largest polysilicon producers have launched initial steps toward consolidation to curb overcapacity, but OPIS analyst Summer Zhang tells pv magazine that unresolved funding, capacity cuts and governance issues mean prices are likely to see only modest support in the near term without sustain…

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What will happen when the £100 contactless card limit is scrapped?

Watchdog says banks will be able to respond to changing consumer demands, inflation and new technologyThe limit on contactless spending with a credit or debit card will be scrapped in March 2026, and banks will be allowed to set their own restrictions.The City watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authori…

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Cocoa Prices are Falling. When Will Chocolate Get Cheaper?

Cocoa prices have dropped from their 2024 peak — but don't expect chocolate bargains this holiday season. When will prices finally fall? Harry Black explains. (Source: Bloomberg)

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USGS releases assessment of undiscovered gas resources in Gulf Coast’s Haynesville Formation

RESTON, Va. — The U.S. Geological Survey released its assessment of potential for undiscovered gas and oil in the Haynesville Formation underlying the onshore Gulf of America and adjoining state waters, assessing that there are technically recoverable resources of 47.9 trillion cubic feet of gas and…

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Retailers hope ‘panic weekend’ will bring Christmas cheer to UK sales

Experts forecast spending will be more than 12% up on same period in 2024 after lucklustre figures so farRetailers are hoping for a last-minute dash for the shops this weekend after a lacklustre run-up to Christmas, with UK households forecast to spend £3.4bn, up more than 12% on the same weekend in…

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