The Caixin/Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ index (PMI) fell to 51.2 in March, missing economist forecasts’ of 51.6 and down from February’s 51.7. Growth in export orders slowed sharply, falling to a three-month low of 51.9 from 53.8 in February. The findings contrast with those of China’s official factory survey on Friday, which showed activity grew the fastest in nearly five years in March. It also showed orders improved from home and abroad. China’s manufacturing sector has been enjo

The goal was to depict her as a promiscuous woman, deeply in debt, who was trying to shake down Mr. O’Reilly, according to people briefed on the strategy. Settling Behind Closed DoorsIn the years that followed, Mr. O’Reilly and Fox News dealt with sexual harassment allegations in private, striking agreements with three more women. Similar to Ms. Mackris, Ms. Diamond had recorded conversations with Mr. O’Reilly, according to people familiar with the case. And in February, Mr. O’Reilly landed a co

Venezuelan authorities called on the country’s Supreme Court to review its decision this week to annul the opposition-led congress, which critics have decried as a “coup” and a lurch to dictatorship. President Nicolas Maduro said in a midnight address on state television that the conflict between the Supreme Court and National Assembly had been overcome, but gave no details. Maduro, flanked by senior officials, introduced his Vice President Tareck El Aissami who said:”(We) urge the Supreme Court

For most of us, the end of tax season is nigh. If you are rushing to finish your return, slow down to prevent some of the most common errors taxpayers make when filing. Filing for the 2016 tax year ends Tuesday, April 18. You can prevent some of the basic mistakes that trip up many taxpayers by following the steps outlined by Jill Gonzalez, senior analyst at personal finance website WalletHub, which she shared with CNBC’s “On the Money.” Here are five errors you can easily avoid:

Cohn also reported more than $1 million in income from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China — something the White House has said he is in the process of divesting along with his Goldman holdings. After the election, Epshteyn joined the White House press office, working with talk shows booking Trump administration figures. REINCE PRIEBUSPriebus, the White House chief of staff, took in more than $500,000 in salary and bonuses from the Republican Party. JULIA HAHNOne of Bannon’s employees at

Experts worry critical infrastructure attacks could also happen in the United States. The U.S. electric grid is worth more than $1 trillion and supplies power to 334 million people every year, according to the North American Energy Reliability Corporation. “[Ukraine was] still able to operate the grid simply in a manual state without that digital overlay, without automated controls. That’s something that we in the United States have some capability to do. In addition to learning from the inciden

WASHINGTON — Increasingly, when it comes to foreign trade, the Trump administration is talking loudly and brandishing a small stick. Mr. Trump described the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada as history’s worst trade deal, and vowed to overhaul or replace it. The Trump administration also is under considerable pressure from congressional Republicans and industry groups to avoid costly economic disruptions. But the gap also exposes a basic divide on trade policy within th

President Donald Trump was offered political cover on Saturday by an unlikely source: Mark Cuban, a fellow billionaire and mogul with whom the president has repeatedly sparred. As Congress probes suspected ties between Russia and officials close to the president, Cuban launched into a lengthy defense that was little more than a theory. In a series of posts on Twitter, Cuban said he believed Trump was “clueless” to any attempts by Russia to co-opt surrogates and campaign officials at the height o

Twitter has changed some things around, and some of its most active users aren’t happy about it. To catch you up in case you don’t spend all day on Twitter: This week, the site changed how @replies — the conversations among users — are displayed. And Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has jumped right into customer-service mode. “Still working on this,” heto author Zeynep Tufekci, who said the design change was hurting conversations. So, all of you people who are dissatisfied with Twitter, someone is worki

At the heart of the wealth amassed by top White House officials, there is a very familiar—and decidedly non-populist—name. While rich individuals and Wall Street executives have served in past administrations, Trump’s White House holds largely unprecedented collective wealth. The filings released Friday are part of the government’s legal process to identify possible conflicts of interest for White House employees. The reports reflect their holdings when they entered their White House jobs, and d

A White House aide made an unusual move Saturday by publicly urging voters to oppose a congressman from President Donald Trump’s own party. Dan Scavino Jr., director of social media for the White House, called on Michigan voters to “defeat” Rep. Justin Amash, a Republican House Freedom Caucus member and a frequent Trump critic. He responded to Scavino in a tweet, saying the White House aide was attacking “independent thinkers” and used the “same old agenda” of “establishment” politicians. On Thu

Richard W. Painter, who served as a White House ethics lawyer in the Bush administration, said that Mr. Kushner’s financial holdings would complicate any interactions he might have with such banks. Mr. Trump has already said he hopes to roll back the law, with the help of Congress and his top aides. Several of the companies that are in business with Kushner Companies have faced scrutiny by federal law enforcement. Kushner Companies has also taken out at least four loans from Bank Hapoalim, Israe

Stone specifically took aim at Attorney General Jeff Sessions, writing on his website that the former Alabama Senator was “far from the mainstream” in his opposition to marijuana. “Perhaps Attorney General Sessions has forgotten his Genesis from the Old Testament,” wrote Stone, a veteran political operative and self-described libertarian who frequently rides the television airwaves in Trump’s defense. Stone cited that, as he voiced opposition to stricter enforcement by the president—a man he’s k

A daily morning look at the financial stories you need to know to start the day. STOCKS/ECONOMY-Stock futures are lowerafter Thursday’s modest rally. We get a lot of economic data this morning including personal income, consumer spending, and consumer sentiment. TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS-President Donald Trump will sign 2 executive orders today aimed at identifying and addressing unfair trade practices that add to the U.S. trade deficit. OIL/ENERGY-U.S. crude prices are down a bit, but holding at t

If you’re tired of dropped calls at home or the office, it’s time to take advantage of your iPhone’s Wi-Fi calling feature. Wi-Fi calling is supported by Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint in the U.S. Maybe you want to chat on the phone while doing laundry in the basement where you have Wi-Fi but no cell connection, for example. Second, it’s useful for when you travel abroad, since calls over Wi-Fi won’t cost you a dime. Setting up Wi-Fi calling is a breeze, and you can just set it and forget it

Starting Wednesday, the company’s soda fountains will feature signage that lists each beverage’s caloric and sugar content. “One: real options. We want to offer people the opportunity to know how much added sugar is in a 20-ounce cup of soda.” What we really want is to make sure we have real options and real transparency and leave it up to you to make the decision.” The six noncarbonated teas, lemonades and frescas being offered as of Wednesday range from unsweetened — zero grams of sugar — to m

Source: AlixPartnersThe consulting firm analyzed five years’ of financial reports at 20 publicly traded retailers that break out their online sales. However, as these chains’ online sales moved higher, their profitability trended lower. “Retailers should, of course, continue to adapt,” AlixPartners’ Shawn Ashworth and Alexa Driansky said in the report. At this month’s UBS Global Consumer Conference, Nordstrom said its online margins are “a few hundred basis points higher today than a few years a

Chipotle Mexican Grill is trying really hard to get out of the penalty box. Their latest effort harkens back to their heritage as a restaurant chain focused on fresh, healthy ingredients. This week, the Mexican chain announced it had finally found the right formula to eliminate all additives from its tortillas — a step that makes the restaurant preservative-free for all but its drinks. While Chipotle was sorting out its food safety issues, customers found other restaurant options with healthy ha

One townhouse owner in the concrete jungle of Manhattan has drawn interior design inspiration from the actual jungle: They have covered a luxury pad, top to bottom, in animal fur. The townhouse was later offered for rent at $49,500 per month. The house features a host of other unusual and striking details, including a 14-foot fish tank, state-of-the-art security system and garage-turned-playroom. Among the first things you see when you walk in is the 500-gallon fish tank that divides the living

“To do it right it’ll cost around twenty-five grand,” a partner at an expert network said about his family trip. Of course, this is Wall Street, so there’s also some discretionary spending that requires a little extra, ahem, discretion. “Chelsea” a high-end escort in Manhattan who charges $1,000 an hour, said she’s been very busy the last few months. “Most of my regulars work on Wall Street,” she said. Chelsea and Sierra said there’s been a steady uptick in business since the fall and it continu