Hello and welcome back to MarketWatch’s Extra Credit column, a weekly look at the news through the lens of debt.

Over the past couple of years, the idea of debt forgiveness — whether for student loans, medical, or rent debt — has gone from radical to relatively mainstream. But as many organizations touting broad-based debt relief will tell you, it’s not a new, revolutionary concept. In fact, it dates back (at least) all the way to the Old Testament of the Bible. 

Mortgage demand appears to be stabilizing after recent declines, suggesting that home buyers aren’t finished with the nation’s competitive real-estate market just yet.

The volume of applications for mortgages used to purchase homes increased more than 7% on a weekly basis for the week ending Sept. 10, reaching the highest level since April, according to data released Wednesday by the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Try this on for size. Americans say they’re less likely to work into their 60s. That’s according to new data from the New York Federal Reserve.

Seriously, folks.

Has the pandemic really changed how people think about work?

Lagardere SA has welcomed plans from Vivendi SE to buy a stake held by activist investor Amber Capital for about 609.86 million euros ($720.6 million), a prelude to a full takeover of the group.

The French media company said late Wednesday that it is "delighted" with Vivendi's investment to buy Amber's 17.93% stake, which will take Vivendi's total holdings in Lagardere to 45.1%.

The...

As someone who’s been working in the recruiting and talent acquisition industry for two decades, Dustin Mazanowski knows how important it is for job candidates to have “key words” on their profiles and resumes that quickly distinguish them from the pack.

That’s why he has “#vaccinated” in his LinkedIn profile.

“I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard Paul Merriman say ‘small cap value.’”

One of my readers posted that recently, perhaps meaning to poke fun at my repeated reference to this asset class.

Pernod Ricard SA said Thursday that it has resumed a share-buyback program by launching a first tranche to acquire shares for a maximum amount of 250 million euros ($295.4 million).

"The purchase period shall start on 16 September 2021 and end on 16 November 2021 latest," the French beverage maker said.

Passenger-car registrations in the European Union fell strongly in August, as EU markets showed a weak performance during the summer amid a semiconductor shortage.

New car registrations--a reflection of sales--declined 19% on year to 622,993 vehicles in August, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association said Thursday. The EU's major markets--Spain, France, Italy and Germany--all reported strong decreases.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday met with executives from big companies and other organizations, as he worked to build support for the COVID-19 vaccine mandates that he announced last week.

Biden praised the CEOs and other execs for leading the way on vaccine requirements in brief remarks as the meeting kicked off.

Is inflation here to stay? This is among the most-asked questions facing the U.S. economy—and the answer has ramifications for businesses and investors in a range of industries, from airlines to consumer electronics.

I believe inflation will fall back to around 2.5% by the end of next year, putting it slightly above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. The combination of unprecedented fiscal and monetary stimulus and pandemic-related supply constraints will cause U.S. inflation to remain above that mark over the remainder of this year and into 2022. That appears to be a certainty.

“I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard Paul Merriman say ‘small cap value.’”

One of my readers posted that recently, perhaps meaning to poke fun at my repeated reference to this asset class.

Progressive House Democrats on Wednesday introduced legislation to curb big-bank lending to the fossil fuel industry.

The measure, the Fossil Free Finance Act, would direct the Federal Reserve to use its financial regulatory tools to ensure that the largest banks reduce their lending to the oil, gas and coal sectors.

Somehow shouting “We’re number 17!” just doesn’t have the right ring to it. 

But that’s where the United States ranks—17th—in terms of retiree well-being. That’s according to the 2021 Global Retirement Index released by Natixis Investment Managers. The index provides a snapshot of the relative financial security of retirees in 44 countries in four key areas: 

One would think that a proposal to limit accumulations in Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) would not be very controversial.  The favorable tax provisions accorded retirement saving are designed to encourage rank and file workers to save, not to make the rich richer. 

The website Pro-Publica recently reported that billionaire Peter Thiel has a Roth IRA with a value of more than $5 billion.  The problem is that Peter Thiel and other entrepreneurs are able to buy a large number of shares at a fraction of a penny per share and put them in an IRA where they can grow in value untaxed.  And, according to the Joint Tax Committee, roughly 28,615 taxpayers have IRAs with more than $5 million (see Table 1).  Together these accounts hold $280 billion. 

President Joe Biden on Wednesday met with executives from big companies and other organizations, as he worked to build support for the COVID-19 vaccine mandates that he announced last week.

Biden praised the CEOs and other execs for leading the way on vaccine requirements in brief remarks as the meeting kicked off.

MIAMI — A federal judge declined Wednesday to block a ban imposed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to prevent mandating masks for Florida school students amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

Judge K. Michael Moore in Miami denied a request by parents of disabled children for a preliminary injunction against an executive order that DeSantis issued in July that served as the basis for the Florida Department of Health issuing a rule that required school districts to allow parents to opt out of any student mask mandates.

Japan reported that its exports rose 26.2% in August from a year earlier, but that was well below forecasts for a rise of about 34.0%, Marcel Thieliant of Capital Economics said in a commentary.

Relative weakness in vehicle exports might reflect shortages of semiconductors and other components that have prompted some manufacturers to cut output, he noted.

China reported its retail sales grew an anemic 2.5% in August, down from 8.5% in July, while factory output slowed to 5.3% from 6.4% the month before.

It was the slowest growth in output since May 2020.

“Yesterday’s China data were a real shock,” RaboResearch Global Economics & Markets said in a report. “This is hardly what one calls a robust consumer recovery,” it said.

Casino stocks slumped following reports of a possible crackdown on the industry by Chinese officials in Macau, the former Portuguese colony and gambling center. Sands China 1928,

AMC shares are up an astounding 2,100% year to date, thanks to the meme-stock frenzy earlier this year, though they have slumped 15% over the past three months.

U.S. inflation didn’t run as hot as expected in August, but remains elevated and a source of worry for investors and policy makers. But by itself, a jump in inflation is hardly ever enough to derail a bull market in stocks, according to a top Wall Street technician.

“We can’t find much evidence that spiking inflation figures are bearish for equities,” said Jeff deGraaf, founder of Renaissance Macro Research, in a Wednesday note.

It’s been well-documented that Americans are paying more for food, gas, and other essentials this year as inflation has hit a 13-year high, but last month consumers saw price increases show up in some more unusual spots.

Namely, after months of used or new cars experiencing the highest montly price changes of any product, they were dethroned in August.

Turns out, Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s friend may not have been a credible source after all.

On Monday, the pop star tweeted a claim that her cousin’s friend in her home country of Trinidad had become impotent after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, suffering from swollen testicles, which caused his fiancee to leave him.

Turns out, Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s friend may not have been a credible source after all.

On Monday, the pop star tweeted a claim that her cousin’s friend in her home country of Trinidad had become impotent after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, suffering from swollen testicles, which caused his fiancee to leave him.

U.S. inflation didn’t run as hot as expected in August, but remains elevated and a source of worry for investors and policy makers. But by itself, a jump in inflation is hardly ever enough to derail a bull market in stocks, according to a top Wall Street technician.

“We can’t find much evidence that spiking inflation figures are bearish for equities,” said Jeff deGraaf, founder of Renaissance Macro Research, in a Wednesday note.

One would think that a proposal to limit accumulations in Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) would not be very controversial.  The favorable tax provisions accorded retirement saving are designed to encourage rank and file workers to save, not to make the rich richer. 

The website Pro-Publica recently reported that billionaire Peter Thiel has a Roth IRA with a value of more than $5 billion.  The problem is that Peter Thiel and other entrepreneurs are able to buy a large number of shares at a fraction of a penny per share and put them in an IRA where they can grow in value untaxed.  And, according to the Joint Tax Committee, roughly 28,615 taxpayers have IRAs with more than $5 million (see Table 1).  Together these accounts hold $280 billion. 

Hello and welcome back to MarketWatch’s Extra Credit column, a weekly look at the news through the lens of debt.

Over the past couple of years, the idea of debt forgiveness — whether for student loans, medical, or rent debt — has gone from radical to relatively mainstream. But as many organizations touting broad-based debt relief will tell you, it’s not a new, revolutionary concept. In fact, it dates back (at least) all the way to the Old Testament of the Bible. 

“Every...