Interest payments on the national debt are set to eclipse defense spending this year for the first time ever.
European stock markets fell while Wall Street traded sideways with investors awaiting more signs on the direction of interest rates and an earnings update from US tech giant Nvidia.Wall Street shares were being pulled in both directions, supported by positive earnings reports late Monday from retailers Lowe's and Macy's, but held back by JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon's announcement Monday that the bank is not expecting to buy back a lot of stock.
Victims of a decades-long contaminated blood scandal that has killed about 3,000 people in Britain will start receiving final compensation payments this year, the government said on Tuesday, with some likely to receive sums of around £2 million."Our expectation is that final payments will start before the end of the year," he added, stressing that individual compensation will differ depending on circumstances.