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Dave Williams  |  Capitol Beat News ServiceReal estate investor headed to prison in Atlanta fraud schemeBy Dave WilliamsBureau ChiefCapitol Beat News ServiceATLANTA - The head of a commercial real estate investment firm has been sentenced to 87 months in prison and ordered to pay $45 million in restitution in a fraud scheme involving the Atlanta Financial Center in Buckhead.Elchonon (Elie) Schwartz, 46, of New York City pleaded guilty in February to one count of wire fraud. Schwartz convinced more than 800 investors to send him $62.8 million, including $54 million...

China’s economy showed signs of slowing in April as President Donald Trump's trade war took a toll, with retail sales, property and investment coming in weaker than economists had forecast. Industrial production slowed as Trump's painfully high tariffs of up to 145%, and 125% retaliatory duties imposed by Beijing, took effect and shipments were curtailed. National Statistics Bureau spokesperson Fu Linghui said the general trend was positive though he pointed to “external shocks” that had gained intensity.“It should also be noted that there are still many outside unstable and uncertain...

Asian shares and U.S. futures slipped Thursday after U.S. stocks drifted to a mixed close on Wall Street.Oil prices fell more than $1 a barrel. China moved to reverse some of its “non-tariff” measures against the U.S. as agreed with Washington in their temporary trade war cease-fire and most markets traded in a narrow range.Japan’s Nikkei 225 index dropped 1.1%, however, to 37,705.74. Computer chip-related stocks were among the biggest decliners, with Disco Corp. falling 2.6% and Advantest down 1.8%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was the outlier, picking up 0.2%...

Published 14th May 2025, 05:45 BSTNow another sucker punch is on the horizon. There’s still time, though, for the government to drop its gloves, retreat to the corner, and give businesses a fair fight.That potential knockout blow, particularly for family-owned SMEs, comes in the form of proposed changes to Business Property Relief (BPR).For more than 30 years, BPR has been a cornerstone of the UK’s inheritance tax system. It allows qualifying business assets to be passed down without incurring a punitive tax bill, enabling family-run firms to transition smoothly across...

Warren Buffett speaks onstage during Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit – Day 2 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on October 13, 2015 in Washington, DC. Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Fortune/Time Inc Warren Buffett returned a jaw-dropping 5,502,284 percent to shareholders over his 55-year reign atop Berkshire Hathaway—a figure that makes the S&P 500’s 39,054 percent return in the same period look like a rounding error. With a net worth of $160 billion, the 94-year-old legend has earned his spot in the pantheon of investment greats through a disciplined, deceptively simple philosophy:...

U.S. stocks are leaping Monday after China and the United States announced a 90-day truce in their trade war. They agreed to take down most of their tariffs that economists warned could start a recession and create shortages on U.S. store shelves. The S&P 500 was 2.6% higher in early trading and back within 5.5% of its all-time high set in February. Since falling nearly 20% below that mark last month, the index has been roaring higher on hopes that President Donald Trump will lower his tariffs after reaching trade deals with other countries. The...

By JOSH FUNK OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire investor Warren Buffett said Saturday that he wants to step down as chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway at the end of the year. The revelation came as a surprise because the 94-year-old had previously said he did not plan to retire. Buffett, one of the world’s richest people and most accomplished investors, took control of Berkshire Hathaway in 1965 when it was a textiles manufacturer. He turned the company into a conglomerate by finding other businesses and stocks to buy that were...

Mortgage preapproval first-time homebuyersIf you’re a first-time homebuyer, here’s how to get a mortgage preapproved.Starting earlier this month, any property listing that was publicly marketed to consumers but not listed on the local MLS within one business day no longer appears on Zillow.This step is in line with the National Association of Realtors' Clear Cooperation Policy, which aims to prevent exclusive real estate listings and increase fairness among buyers.Corrections & Clarifications: The headline on an earlier version of this story gave the wrong timing. The listing changes will happen later...

Amazon plans to buy 26.7 acres of the long-struggling Sunrise Mall property in Massapequa, where the e-commerce giant wants to open an operations facility. “Amazon is exploring options at the ...  Sunrise Mall site in the Town of Oyster Bay with the intent of opening an operations facility in the future. This process is in the early planning stages and additional steps remain," the Seattle-based company said in a statement Thursday afternoon.An operations facility, which is a location where Amazon conducts logistics and fulfillment activities, could include a fulfillment center, sorting center or a last-mile site,...