On New Year’s Day, Bulgaria will achieve its decades-old goal of joining the euro currency union and deepening ties with the more prosperous countries of Western Europe. Membership is expected to promote cross-border trade and investment, and the Bulgarian government pressed for years to get in.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The advice that legendary investor Warren Buffett offered on investing and life over the years helped earn him legions of followers who eagerly read his annual letters and filled an arena in Omaha every year to listen to him at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meetings.
DETROIT (AP) – Meta is buying artificial intelligence startup Manus, as the owner of Facebook and Instagram continues an aggressive push to amp up AI offerings across its platforms. The California tech giant declined to disclose financial details of the acquisition. But The Wall Street Journal reported that Meta closed the deal at more than $2 billion.
Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Greg Abel faces the challenge of taking over Berkshire Hathaway from the legendary Warren Buffett later this week. Many regard Buffett as the world’s greatest investor after he grew Berkshire from a struggling New England textile mill that he starting buying up for $7.60 a share in 1962, to the massive conglomerate it is today.
I recently dug into the pros and cons of dividend reinvestment. Readers of the article sent me questions about other dividend-related topics. Here are some of the most common questions I got. Reinvesting dividends means purchasing additional shares, which can complicate sales or tax-loss harvesting in taxable accounts.
ROME (AP) – Italy’s Parliament on Tuesday approved the government’s 2026 budget, including deficit-cutting measures. The budget of about 22 billion euros ($25.9 billion) aims to reduce the 2026 deficit to 2.8% of gross domestic product, down from the previously targeted 3%, in line with the European Union’s demands.
HONG KONG (AP) – State-backed property developer China Vanke, once the country’s largest homebuilder by sales, narrowly avoided defaulting on a 2 billion yuan ($284 million) bond last week as the painfully slow recovery in China’s property market drags on.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The standard mileage rate for the business use of a car, truck, van or other vehicle will increase by 2.5 cents in 2026. The IRS announced Monday that beginning Jan. 1, the standard mileage rate for a qualifying vehicle will be 72.5 cents per mile, up 2.5 cents from 2025.