Carl Icahn tweets that he’s willing to become Trump’s Treasury secretary

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Financier Carl Icahn has tweeted that he’s willing to become the Treasury secretary for Donald Trump, the real-estate tycoon who’s currently leading in polls for the Republican presidential nomination. In a series of tweets, Icahn said there’s “dire need of a breath of fresh air” in choosing corporate and political leaders. Icahn had previously said he was not interested in the role that Trump had suggested for him.

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From:: Stock Market News

Jon Stewart’s ‘The Daily Show’ finale beats Conan, Colbert departures

“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” aired its final episode on Thursday. Comedy Central, owned by Viacom Inc. , reported that the departure episode was the second-most viewed in the show’s 19-year run, behind the Oct. 29, 2008, episode, when President Barack Obama appeared during the 2008 presidential election. Comedy Central said 3.5 million viewers tuned in to see Stewart’s final show, while there have been an additional 1 million streams of the show on the network’s app, thedailyshow.com and Hulu. The episode more viewers than the departures of Conan O’Brien from “Late Night” and Stephen Colbert from “The Colbert Report.” According to Nielsen, the finale was the most social episode of the show ever, with 117,000 tweeting about the show on Friday.

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From:: Stock Market News

Consumer credit up $20.7 billion in June

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) – Consumer credit grew at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 7.3%, for a gain of $20.7 billion in June, the Federal Reserve said Friday. This is the third monthly gain above 7% in the past four months, a trend economists say is encouraging for the health of the economy. Credit-card debt rose at a 7.3% rate in June, up from a 2.1% rate in the prior month. Non-revolving debt, mainly car and student loans, which has powered credit growth in recent years, expanded at a 7.3% rate in June, just a bit higher than the 7.2% gain in May.

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From:: Stock Market News

Photo Friday: A Touch of Gray in the Bathroom

By Beth Rucker

I have a confession to make. I think white is boring. It’s pretty to look at it in pages of home design magazines, but I would tire quickly of living in the midst of a lot of it. Give me even a little bit of color, and I’m a happy camper. Even if that color is gray. Especially if it’s gray.

Gray has been the IT neutral for a while now, and it shows no signs of slowing down. I love it because it’s so much more versatile than white or the pervasive beige and taupe that preceded it. It can obviously cool down a space, but gray with brown undertones can actually warm the look of the space and complement wood cabinetry. I’m particularly enamored with the way gray is used in these bathrooms.

Design by Chantal Devane

I love the way designer Chantal Devane used the lightest of gray touch to add depth to the color palette in this bathroom. The color — and the cabinet door trim — mimics the mirrors hung above the vanity, creating a unified feel, while a light gray arabesque pattern adds soft curves to the space.

Contemporary Bathroom With Stunning City View

Design by Dresner Design

Oo la la, this view! When you have a dramatic view of the Chicago lakefront in your bathroom, you need a dramatic backsplash to go with it. Charcoal gray mosaic tiles offer a bold contrast against the sleek white vanity in this bathroom by Dresner Design — a flip-flop of a more traditional color layout.

Transitional Master Bathroom With Spacious Cherry Wood Vanity

Design by Harmony Weihs

Like gray, marble is HOT right now in bathroom design, and the two are a perfect match! The light gray accent wall in this bathroom designed by Harmony Weihs pulls its color from the veining in the beautiful marble tile vanity wall. And don’t forget to add a little eye candy to your water closet!

Sleek, Masculine Contemporary Master Bathroom

Design by Iverson Signature Homes

Designer Jordan Iverson knows is the king of blending industrial tones of gray with warm wood tones, and here’s a great example. The gunmetal gray of the walls and countertops have just enough of a brown undertone to complement the warm, contemporary wood cabinetry.

Gray and White Contemporary Spa Bathroom With Curtains

Design by Susan Galvani

I love this sweet little bathroom design by Susan Galvani — it shows how to use gray elements to balance a space without using it everywhere. Here, the gray wall behind the vanity is balanced by the gray floor, gray patterned curtains and gray pendant light shade to keep the eye moving around the room.

How do you feel about gray?

Did you know that many of the photos in the HGTV Photo Library are shoppable? Click the images above and look for the “Shop This Look” button.

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From:: HGTV

U.S. oil benchmark posts lowest close in more than 4 months

Crude-oil futures found no respite from selling pressure Friday, with September futures closing at the lowest level since mid-March amid concerns about a global and domestic supply glut and worries about potentially weak demand from China. September crude fell 79 cents, or 1.8%, to close at $43.87 a barrel, the lowest finish for a most-active contract since March 17. For the week, crude fell 6.9%–the biggest weekly drop since mid-July.

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From:: Stock Market News

U.S. ran a $149 billion deficit in July, CBO estimates

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The U.S. recorded a $149 billion deficit in July, the Congressional Budget Office estimated Friday. That’s $55 million more than the deficit of July 2014. Despite an 8% rise in receipts from individual income and payroll taxes, which led to a nearly 4% rise in revenue, outlays rose by 21%. A shift of certain payments from August to July — because August 1 fell on a weekend — led to the rise in spending, which otherwise would have been about 7% more than the previous year, mostly due to Medicaid, Social Security and Medicare. The fiscal year to July deficit has been $463 billion, or $2 billion larger than the first 10 months of fiscal 2014.

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From:: Stock Market News

Gold ends higher as Friday rally helps pare weekly loss

Gold prices turned higher Friday, after initially slipping on the heels of a jobs report that kept expectations for a rate hike by the Federal Reserve intact. The yellow metal shrugged off the negative implications of the solid employment report to finish higher as traders pointed to buyers stepping in at gold’s depressed levels to make a bid. Gold was as low as $1,081.40 an ounce but swung to a high of $1,098.90 an ounce later Friday morning. Ultimately, December gold settled up $4, or 0.4%, to $1,094.10 an ounce. The Labor Department reported that the U.S. gained 215,000 jobs in July, which points to an interest-rate hike as early as September. Higher rates are a boon to the dollar but typically weigh on dollar-denominated commodities like gold because a higher dollar makes those commodities more expensive. Gold registered a weekly loss of about 0.1%.

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From:: Stock Market News

Republican debate drew record audience for Fox News

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The Republican debate drew 24 million viewers to Fox News — the largest-ever audience in the history of the 21st Century Fox owned broadcaster, according to reports. The participation of real-estate tycoon Donald Trump helped turn the political contest into a highly watched event.

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From:: Stock Market News

Oil slides toward session lows after rise in U.S. rig count

The number of U.S. oil rigs rose by 6 to a total of 670 this week, oil-services firm Baker Hughes said Friday in a weekly report. Nymex West Texas Intermediate crude-oil futures for September delivery , which were already in negative territory, slumped back toward the session low, trading at $43.99 a barrel, down 67 cents, or 1.5%. Baker Hughes said the total U.S. rig count rose by 10 to 884, with gas rigs up by 4 to 213 and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 1.

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From:: Stock Market News

Oil slides toward session lows after rise in U.S. rig count

The number of U.S. oil rigs rose by 6 to a total of 670 this week, oil-services firm Baker Hughes said Friday in a weekly report. Nymex West Texas Intermediate crude-oil futures for September delivery , which were already in negative territory, slumped back toward the session low, trading at $43.99 a barrel, down 67 cents, or 1.5%. Baker Hughes said the total U.S. rig count rose by 10 to 884, with gas rigs up by 4 to 213 and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 1.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News