Speculation over a White House staff shakeup is sending tremors throughout Washington. So far, everyone who has tried to trump the Trump family (like former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski) has lost. So if change does come to the White House, what would it mean for Trump, for Washington, and for the county and world as a whole? Then the odds of a less ideological, more pragmatic White House that can negotiate with Congress and follow through on its commitments only increase. We should be happ

The annual Rugby Sevens tournament in Hong Kong sees fans in its raucous South Stand dress up in wildly imaginative costumes to celebrate the beloved British sporting export. The local South China Morning Post newspaper then selects the most striking costumes to glorify in its next day write-up. Last weekend, among the funky chickens, the singing leprechauns and the grooving Tyrannosaurus rexes, it was four Brits dressed up as the proposed brick “wall” between the U.S. and Mexico who secured tha

Republican hopes for a bipartisan deal on tax reform dimmed on Monday, as an influential liberal think tank came out against key elements of the GOP proposal. The Center for American Progress said it opposes cutting corporate taxes and lowering rates for wealthy people — two hallmarks of the blueprint crafted by House Republican leaders and of the plan released by President Donald Trump on the campaign trail. Both GOP leadership and the administration had reached out to Democrats in recent days

In one recent U.S. study, only a quarter of first year college students could predict their own debt load to within 10 percent of the correct amount. But the administration will not be able to hide from the student debt bubble. In an eerie echo of the housing crisis, debt is already flowing out of the private sector, and into the public. Before 2007, most student loans were underwritten by banks or other private sector financial institutions. Socialization of risk continues to be the way America

The Federal Reserve may be cautious to implement a total of three interest rate hikes this year after last week’s mixed jobs report, CNBC’s Jim Cramer warned Monday. “I know there [are] some people saying, listen, it’s still game one for a lot rate hikes. I don’t know if that’s possible if they’re data dependent,” Cramer said on “Squawk on the Street.” “They seem to be in the midst of … they’re kind of in a no man’s land.” The Fed increased its benchmark interest rate in March.

What investing has to do with the Beatles Wednesday, 22 Mar 2017 | 7:55 PM ET | 02:23After years of languishing, maybe 2017 finally will be the year that active managers reassert their place in the investment community. Lower correlations limit opportunities for active managers to find stocks that are mispriced and thus more likely to exceed broader market gains. The same principle applies — greater disparity in sectors provides active managers better opportunities to find cheap areas in which t

The national supply of homes for sale hasn’t been this thin in nearly 20 years. The intensity of the competition this spring has surprised even sellers like Kathleen Mulcahy, a 37-year-old product manager in Seattle. All told, the supply of homes for sale has fallen on an annual basis for the past 21 months. Entry-level buyers will likely have the most difficulty finding a home they can afford this spring. On average, sellers are receiving five to seven offers this spring, said Stephanie Collins

We’ve all silently judged that person buying the candy bar at the gas station with the credit card. Keep the judgments coming because more people are pulling out the plastic for tiny transactions. “There used to be a stigma for making a small purchase with a credit card, not anymore ” said Matt Schulz, senior analyst at CreditCards.com. However, 17 percent of people have used their cards to buy something that costs less than $5, up from 11 percent from last year, according to a new survey from C

Sergio Garcia, winner of this year’s Master’s tournament, had a problem. The IRS once claimed the pro golfer owed more than $1.7 million for misrepresenting income he earned a number of years ago as a celebrity rep for apparel colossus TaylorMade. While Garcia largely prevailed in Tax Court in 2013, his scuffle with the tax collection agency underscores the risks athletes face at tax time. That’s even more important for pro athletes because of their often-complicated categorizing of various kind

According to data released March 31, the agency had received nearly 94 million returns by the end of the month, about 4 percent less than it had received by the same time last year. To put that in perspective, that’s less than two-thirds of the individual income tax returns expected to be filed this year, according to WalletHub.com. (See slices of their infographic below, for more tax-season stats.) If you’re among the procrastinators, these resources from CNBC’s personal finance team can help y

Shares of AK Steel dropped Monday, erasing gains from last week’s spike on rumored takeover talk. AK Steel declined to comment, while Mitsui did not immediately return CNBC’s request for comment. Shares of AK Steel jumped more than 6 percent last week, but more than gave up those gains by closing nearly 8 percent lower Monday. AK Steel shares 5-day performanceThe steel sector is particularly in focus given Chinese dumping and the Trump administration’s “America First” policy. However, Gibbs does

RBC Capital Markets top 30 stocks for 2017 have collectively outperformed the market by around 50 basis points this year. Each year the investment bank polls its analysts around the world to find the best investment ideas for an annual report. Harris mentioned PNC Financial Services Group as part of the list because of its link to U.S. financial growth and possible benefit from tax reform. Noble Energy, stuck out on the list because it sits outside of the list’s overall theme. “We think there is

Gasoline prices have rapidly risen to a 19-month high and could jump another 20 cents per gallon during the spring driving season. Gasoline prices typically rise in the spring, as demand increases and after refineries switch to summer driving fuels. Until recently, the gasoline market has been working down a glut of winter fuel and gasoline prices stayed flat in March. The pinch from higher gasoline prices comes now as some consumer spending data are starting to look weaker. A move higher in pri

Wells Fargo board takes further action against Stumpf and Tolstedt Monday, 10 Apr 2017 | 7:32 AM ET | 02:34Wells Fargo’s last CEO may have mishandled the cross-selling scandal, but investors did well otherwise during his tenure, the company’s chairman, Stephen Sanger, told CNBC. However, that was not even a quarter of the total $286 million in compensation he acquired during the 2011-2016 period that encompassed the time during which the scandal emerged publicly. In a live interview, Sanger poin

“There’s a new cop in town,” says Gordon, former chairman and senior advisor to Eurasia Group, an international political consultancy firm. “We’re heading to something that’s gonna look like a George W. Trump administration,” says Gordon. While he says Trump won’t change his style, the generals Trump has surrounded himself with tend toward the approaches taken by Republican president George W. Bush. The Trump administration, says Gordon, should take advantage of it. “I think Trump will definitel

The ads are “calling out” seven GOP House members by name “for their failure to stand up and protect their constituents from a disastrous right wing healthcare repeal bill,” Save My Care said in an announcement of the campaign. In the ad specifically targeting Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., a voice says, “Congressman Issa promised to protect our health care.” “But when right-wing politicians tried to pass a disastrous health-care repeal bill that raises costs and cuts coverage, Issa wouldn’t oppos

(I’m in no way saying that everyone at any given conference shares your core values — I’m merely suggesting that you’ll experience a higher concentration of people who do at these events, than most other places.) Tactically speaking …I have three rules to help myself maximize the benefits of conferences/events (for those of you who know me well, you’ll remember these as my 3 Rules of SXSW):1. Let serendipity be your guide; she’s a kind hostThink about it; when was the last time you let go, and j

One basic savings tip he’s been following for as long as he can remember? As part of the Council for Economic Education’s #MySavingsTip campaign, he has shared that tip on Twitter. Sorkin recommends using credit cards when you know you can pay back the money and spending time doing research beforehand. Finding the right credit card for you may not be easy. The journalist, who began writing for The New York Times in 1995 before having graduated from high school, says success lies comes not from h

Justin and Kaisorn McCurry fast-tracked their retirement by saving up to 70% of their income and putting that money to work. You don’t have to win the lottery or even earn a huge paycheck to retire early, Justin tells CNBC: “It really just comes down to saving some of your income, setting it aside and letting it grow.” The key to saving more than half your income, he says, is to keep the “big three expenses” — housing, transportation and food — as low as possible: “Look at those top expenses and

“The biggest wild card is the politics. There’s a lot of moving pieces,” the former Pimco co-CEO said in a “Squawk Box” interview. “The second-biggest wild card is the reaction of the economy to years and years of low, noninclusive growth.” Maneuvering by President Donald Trump and Republican leaders on Capitol Hill holds the key to whether promised pro-growth policies, such as tax cuts and deregulation, become reality and help boost the economy or fall short and hurt the economy, El-Erian said.