All posts tagged: Markets

New York Bans Government Employees from Insider Trading on Prediction Markets

New York Bans Government Employees from Insider Trading on Prediction Markets

Published by skeptic

New York has banned state employees from using insider information to trade on prediction markets. In an executive order signed today and viewed by WIRED, Governor Kathy Hochul forbade the state’s government workforce from using “any nonpublic information obtained in the course of their official duties” to participate on prediction market platforms, or to help others profit using those services. “Getting rich by betting on inside information is corruption, plain and simple,” Hochul said in a statement provided to WIRED. “Our actions will ensure that public servants work for the people they represent, not their own personal enrichment. While Donald Trump and DC Republicans turn a blind eye to the ethical Wild West they’ve created, New York is stepping up to lead by example and stamp out insider trading.” The order was not spurred by any specific insider trading incidents involving New York state employees. “There are no known instances of this behavior to date,” says New York State Executive Chamber deputy communications director Sean Butler. This is the latest in a wave of initiatives …

German government slashes growth forecast amid Iran war fallout – POLITICO

German government slashes growth forecast amid Iran war fallout – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Inflation to rebound Rising energy prices will likely push inflation back toward 3 percent this year and next, the government said — prompting financial markets to expect two European Central Bank rate hikes this year. ECB officials say they won’t overreact to what may be a short-lived blip, but have warned that they will raise rates if they see any signs of inflation taking root again, only four years after the last such shock. German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche — whose past employment at energy giant E.ON has made her a target for criticism from the left and environmentalists — was quick to blame factors beyond her control for the latest downgrade. “The recovery that we expected this year will once again be derailed by external geopolitical shocks,” Reiche told a press conference. “The war in Iran is driving energy and commodity prices through the roof. That is hurting households and raising costs for the German economy.” However, German business and independent economists have both accused the government of failing to do what is in …

‘Oh my God, we have a problem’ – POLITICO

‘Oh my God, we have a problem’ – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

MacGregor said she agreed to the meeting in an effort to “educate” the party leadership and deter them from an exit from the European energy market. According to MacGregor, the National Rally’s proposals ahead of a 2024 snap parliamentary election were a wake-up call for Engie and other energy firms. “We suddenly thought: ‘Oh my God, we have a problem,’” she said of the party’s ambition to ditch France’s renewable targets and leave the European energy market. For years, the National Rally has argued that electricity prices in France would be much lower if the country left Europe’s electricity and gas network, and mostly relied on its own nuclear and hydropower. The energy crisis following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 only cemented this idea. With Le Pen and National Rally President Jordan Bardella now leading the polls ahead of next year’s presidential election, the chief executive said she had a responsibility to engage with them. “We can’t bury our head in the sand. The National Rally has 123 lawmakers; we have to see …

How the EU’s mega energy crisis plan will — and won’t — help – POLITICO

How the EU’s mega energy crisis plan will — and won’t — help – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Coordination is also an issue. While groups are regularly convened to discuss supply issues, most real coordination takes place bilaterally between the Commission and countries, according to two energy officials involved in such discussions. It’s no surprise one energy minister in a meeting earlier this month went so far as to call for a WhatsApp group to share information about supplies, and that the EU is looking into reviving a controversial effort to coordinate gas purchases. Earlier this week, the Netherlands went out on its own, launching emergency measures and announcing an additional release of oil stocks — bypassing the EU’s own glacial effort to coordinate the release. The draft of Wednesday’s proposals still broadly hews to the line set out by the EU executive as the war got going, focusing on providing better incentives for the green transition, including reduced grid tariffs and murky commitments to mobilize green funding. But these provisions have proved controversial, too, with some countries, especially in the rich North, arguing that expanding subsidies risks distorting the EU’s single market …

U.S. judge blocks Trump administration actions stymieing wind, solar projects

U.S. judge blocks Trump administration actions stymieing wind, solar projects

Published by Sam Flores

Wind turbines operate at a wind farm near solar panels near Palm Springs, California, on March 6, 2024. Mario Tama | Getty Images A federal judge on Tuesday blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from enforcing a series of permitting policies that wind and solar energy industry groups say have ⁠stymied the development of new energy generation projects. Chief U.S. District Judge Denise Casper in Boston issued a preliminary injunction ​sought by nine advocacy ​groups and industry trade ​associations that argued the administration had imposed unlawful roadblocks that have halted the development of wind and solar energy projects nationwide. The ruling was the latest in a series of judicial rebukes ⁠to ‌the Trump administration’s efforts to block federal approvals for wind ⁠energy projects or stop work on multi-billion-dollar offshore wind farms under construction on the East Coast. Trump has sought to boost government support for fossil fuels and maximize their output in the United States, the world’s ‌top oil and gas producer, after campaigning for the presidency on the refrain of “drill, baby, drill.” Groups including …

Kevin Warsh Fed hearing live updates: Confirmation hearing Tuesday AM

Kevin Warsh Fed hearing live updates: Confirmation hearing Tuesday AM

Published by Sam Flores

What you need to know  Federal Reserve chair nominee Kevin Warsh will face the Senate Banking committee at 10 a.m. on Tuesday for a confirmation hearing. Warsh would be the wealthiest Fed chair if confirmed, he disclosed to the committee. The pick of President Donald Trump, Warsh would replace Jerome Powell as Fed chair. Kevin Warsh, the 56-year-old former Federal Reserve governor, is taking the hot seat at 10 a.m. for his Senate Banking Committee confirmation hearing. Warsh will field questions on a wide range of issues, ranging from his views on monetary policy to his sprawling and complex personal finances. He would become the wealthiest Fed chair if confirmed. Some of the most important exchanges for his candidacy may center on how he views the boundaries between the Fed’s decision-making and politics. Questions about the Fed’s long-cherished independence have dominated the discourse surrounding the central bank during Trump’s second term. President Donald Trump, who originally nominated Jerome Powell for Fed chair during his first term in 2017, has waged a long-term campaign to try to browbeat the …

Fanatics Markets launches Combos feature as basketball postseason trading starts

Fanatics Markets launches Combos feature as basketball postseason trading starts

Published by skeptic

Fanatics Markets has introduced a new product called Combos, giving customers another way to trade sports outcomes as the basketball playoffs get underway. The feature was rolled out Monday (April 20). It allows users to bundle multiple outcomes into one new contract inside Fanatics Markets. The selections can include player props, winners, spreads and totals. Customers can mix picks from different sports, different games, or keep everything inside a single matchup. .@Fanatics Markets launches Combos, letting users bundle sports predictions across leagues. Available on iOS and Android in 24 states today. @RWW pic.twitter.com/oXffK0FYWT — Suswati Basu (@suswatibasu) April 20, 2026 The launch adds to Fanatics’ push into prediction markets, an area the company entered in 2025 when it rolled out Fanatics Markets. Earlier reporting around the launch said Fanatics was moving into the space through a partnership with Crypto.com, in a bid to offer event-based trading tied to sports results. How Fanatics Markets Combos works Fanatics said customers can find eligible markets by looking for the combo icon, then building a custom contract from there. …

Jetzt oder nie – POLITICO

Jetzt oder nie – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Für Kanzler Friedrich Merz wird dieser Montag zum „Manic Monday“. Zwischen den Hallen der Hannover Messe und den deutsch-brasilianischen Regierungskonsultationen wächst der Unmut der Bosse. Das Verhältnis zwischen Kanzleramt und Industrie ist nach fast einem Jahr schwarz-roter Regierung am Tiefpunkt. Gordon Repinski analysiert die tiefe Enttäuschung über das Ausbleiben echter Strukturreformen und die Wut über Klingbeils 1.000-Euro-Prämie, die in der Wirtschaft als bürokratisches Ablenkungsmanöver gewertet wird. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview ordnet Tanja Gönner, Hauptgeschäftsführerin des BDI, die Lage ein, was die Industrie jetzt vom Kanzler erwartet und was sie selbst bereit ist zu tun. In Hannover trifft Merz heute auch wieder auf Präsident Lula da Silva. Hans von der Burchard erläutert, warum Brasilien für Deutschland in Zeiten geopolitischer Verschiebungen als Absatzmarkt und Rohstofflieferant wichtiger denn je ist und was sich die deutsche Regierung von den Regierungskonsultationen konkret erhofft. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen ab 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team liefern Politik zum Hören – kompakt, international, hintergründig. Für alle Hauptstadt-Profis: Der Berlin Playbook-Newsletter bietet jeden Morgen die wichtigsten Themen und Einordnungen. …

Gas prices may not drop under until next year: Wright

Gas prices may not drop under $3 until next year: Wright

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright appears before a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy hearing on the Trump administration’s 2027 budget request for the Department of Energy, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 15, 2026. Nathan Howard | Reuters Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Sunday said gas prices may not drop below $3 until next year, as the U.S. war with Iran and closure of the Strait of Hormuz continue to wreak havoc on energy markets. “I don’t know, that could happen later this year, that might not happen until next year, but prices have likely peaked,” Wright said on CNN’s “State of the Union” when asked when prices at the pump will return to pre-war figures. “Certainly with a resolution of this conflict, energy prices will go down.” Wright added that “under $3 a gallon is pretty tremendous in inflation-adjusted terms. We had that in the Trump administration, but we hadn’t seen that in inflation-adjusted terms for quite a long time. We’ll get back there for sure.” Gas prices have spiked since the …

How the Iran war set Beijing up for global clean energy dominance – POLITICO

How the Iran war set Beijing up for global clean energy dominance – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Thailand imports solar panels from China but also Sweden and elsewhere, he said. Ultimately, Nitithanprapas said Thailand wants to create domestic production using foreign direct investment so it doesn’t have to rely on any particular country. That’s a common view in much of Southeast Asia, where the creation of local solar manufacturing and EV plants won’t happen overnight. “In the short term, most countries don’t have a viable alternative to Chinese clean-tech supply chains,” said Vicky Janita, an analyst at Rystad Energy.  Even if they were to buy more supplies from countries like India, which has grown its solar panel manufacturing capacity, those producers still rely heavily on China for wafers and other parts of the supply chain, she said. That doesn’t mean they aren’t also trying different strategies to reduce that dependence and build their economies. Many countries in Southeast Asia have welcomed Chinese investment in domestic production, through both carrots, such as tax breaks, or sticks, such as Indonesia’s export ban on raw nickel. Similarly, Brazil is imposing tariffs on EVs, forcing Chinese …