Mastercard’s profit beats as consumer spending defies inflation worries

By Mehnaz Yasmin (Reuters) -Mastercard reported first-quarter profit that exceeded Wall Street expectations on Wednesday, on higher card spending by consumers despite rising borrowing costs and persistent inflation. Wage growth and a tight labor market have ensured job security for card users, allowing them to spend without restraint even as the Federal Reserve keeps monetary…

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Biden says he plans to debate Trump

By Jarrett Renshaw NEW YORK (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday that he would participate in a debate with Donald Trump, his Republican opponent in November’s election. “I am, somewhere. I don’t know when,” the Democratic president said in an interview with broadcaster Howard Stern. “I’m happy to debate him.” The remarks were…

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Warren Buffett’s real estate brokerage reaches $250 million antitrust settlement

By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) – A real estate brokerage owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway said on Friday it reached a $250 million settlement of nationwide antitrust litigation that is expected to change how real estate agents are paid. HomeServices of America, the largest U.S. real estate brokerage, was the last remaining defendant in a…

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Microsoft results top Wall Street targets, driven by AI investment

By Yuvraj Malik, Anna Tong and Stephen Nellis (Reuters) -Microsoft beat Wall Street estimates for third-quarter revenue and profit on Thursday, driven by gains from adoption of artificial intelligence across its cloud services, and the company’s shares jumped more than 4% in extended trade. Executives forecast ranges for current quarter cloud revenue that were mostly…

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