Germany on Thursday pushed back against U.S. criticism of its trade surplus, saying ahead of global finance talks in Washington that nobody could blame Berlin for the competitiveness of ‘Made in Germany’ products. Economy Minister Brigitte Zypries said the government had only limited influence on trade flows. Source Reuters
France last year applied a 3 percent levy on revenue from digital services earned in France but suspended collection of the tax. The French Finance Ministry has sent out notices to big tech companies liable for its digital service tax to pay the levy as planned in December, the ministry said on Wednesday. Source NBCNews
- Bitcoin soared above $19,000 on Tuesday for the first time in nearly three years, bringing the cryptocurrency within spitting distance of its 2017 record.
- The price of Bitcoin jumped as much as 3.3%, to $19,272.21, through the morning.
- Cryptocurrencies have garnered new interest from both Wall Street and Main Street in recent weeks as companies and traditional investors embrace digital tokens.
- The rally lifted other popular cryptocurrencies including Ethereum and Ripple. Source BusinessInsider
The second stage of the German capital’s rent cap law has come into effect, meaning that thousands of Berlin landlords could be forced to reduce their rents. But the legal battle over the law is not yet over. Source Deutsche Welle
