September 25, 2026

06 Market

US bond selloff resumes despite Treasury intervention– www.channelnewsasia.com

pgnewser August 21, 2026 0

US bond selloff resumes despite Treasury intervention– www.channelnewsasia.com
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EXCERPT:

Analysts have seen the jump in yields as reflective of several dynamics, including high oil prices due to the Iran war, a surge in costly artificial intelligence investment and a flood of US government issuance because of the deficit.

Sundaram also pointed to uncertainty about new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, who has signalled the Fed will offer less guidance on future actions.

Among US indices, the Dow fell the most at 1.3 per cent. Its biggest loser was Walmart, which slumped 9.2 percent after reporting the lowest US sales growth in six years.

Bourses in Paris and Frankfurt also retreated, while stocks in Asia rallied thanks to strong showings on Wednesday by market titans Apple, Microsoft and Amazon.

Seoul soared nearly six per cent as chipmaker SK Hynix rocketed 12.7 per cent, helped by the firm announcing a US$29 billion share buyback, and Samsung climbed more than nine percent.

Tech firms also lifted Tokyo more than one percent higher, while Hong Kong and Shanghai were also well up.

While Jobs Were Lost, the Unemployment Rate Went Down

pgnewser August 17, 2026 0

The U.S. economy lost 23,000 jobs in July, but the unemployment rate went from 4.2% in June to 4.1% in July. Last month, 20,000 jobs were added. The labor participation rate hit 61.4%, which is the lowest this has been in five years.

US economy loses 23,000 jobs in July, unemployment rate falls to 4.1% – gulftoday.ae
News Source

EXCERPT:

The US economy unexpectedly lost 23,000 jobs in July, while the unemployment rate fell to 4.1%, compared with 4.2% in June.

The US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics said in its monthly report that nonfarm payrolls declined by 23,000 in July, compared with an increase of 20,000 jobs in June, falling short of the Dow Jones forecast for a gain of 83,000 jobs.

The unemployment rate fell to 4.1%, while the labour-force participation rate declined to 61.4%, its lowest level in more than five years.

Bessent’s Quixotic Attempt to Strengthen the Yen | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org

pgnewser August 17, 2026 0

Bessent’s Quixotic Attempt to Strengthen the Yen | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org
News Source
EXCERPT:

George Santanyana, the Spanish philosopher, famously said that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

When it comes to foreign currency intervention, it is surprising that of all people, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a former hedge fund operator, seems to have forgotten the many earlier attempts at foreign exchange intervention that failed for want of being supported by fundamental economic policy change. This has induced Mr. Bessent to embark on a quixotic attempt to prop up the swooning Japanese yen with foreign exchange intervention without requiring that the Bank of Japan hikes interest rates or that the Japanese government addresses Japan’s public finance sustainability problem.

If there is one episode of failed foreign exchange intervention with which Mr. Bessent should be more than familiar, it is that in support of the pound sterling in 1992. In that year, the Bank of England failed to prevent a humiliating sterling devaluation despite massive foreign exchange intervention and then large interest rate hikes. After all, Mr. Bessent was a principal advisor to George Soros in his successful attempt to break the Bank of England on what came to be known as Black Wednesday.

Trump slaps new tariffs on drones, including from some key U.S. allies – National– globalnews.ca

pgnewser August 17, 2026 0

Trump slaps new tariffs on drones, including from some key U.S. allies – National– globalnews.ca
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EXCERPT:

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he will impose tariffs on imports of drones and their components, including from some key U.S. allies, with the Trump administration saying the country was “too reliant” on foreign sources of drones.

A proclamation signed by Trump imposes a 100% ad valorem tariff on drones of a certain size or with certain capabilities that are particularly sensitive for national security purposes, the White House said, adding that a tariff of 25% will be imposed on drones that are smaller in size.

A 15% tariff will be imposed on drones and components from the European Union, Japan, Liechtenstein, South Korea, Switzerland, and Taiwan, and a 10% ad valorem tariff will be imposed on drones from the UK, the White House added.

Trump has made tariffs a central pillar of his foreign and trade policies despite legal setbacks and criticism from some analysts.

White House Warns China and Dozens of Countries Are Stealing Billions with ‘Transshipment Scam’– slaynews.com

pgnewser August 17, 2026 0

White House Warns China and Dozens of Countries Are Stealing Billions with ‘Transshipment Scam’– slaynews.com
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EXCERPT:

The White House is warning that China and dozens of other countries are using third-party nations to disguise the origin of exports and evade U.S. tariffs, costing the Treasury billions of dollars each year.

A new 25-page report from the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy identifies more than 40 countries as posing a high risk for tariff-avoiding transshipment.

Those nations include China, Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic.

The report, titled “The Great Transshipment Scam,” says the practice allows exporters to route goods through intermediary countries before they enter the United States under a different declared country of origin.

White House Says China Built Global Transshipment Network

The report identifies China as the clearest historical example of the practice.

Paramount weighs moving CBS News out of NYC amid merger battle with AGs Letitia James, Rob Bonta: report | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com

pgnewser August 17, 2026 0

Paramount weighs moving CBS News out of NYC amid merger battle with AGs Letitia James, Rob Bonta: report | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

CBS News employs roughly 1200 people worldwide with a large portion based in the Big Apple.

Paramount CEO David Ellison is reportedly considering moving CBS News out of New York City as the company’s legal fight with its state attorney general over its proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery heats up.

Sources close to Paramount told The New York Post that moving CBS would give Elison greater leverage against the California Attorney General led coalition of 12 states looking to block the merger.

CBS News employs roughly 1,200 people worldwide with a large portion based in the Big Apple. A massive relocation would no doubt have a major impact on jobs and the city’s media industry.

One media executive familiar with Paramount’s plans said Ellison could potentially move CBS News operations to Atlanta, where CNN is headquartered. The possible relocation is being considered as part of emergency plans if Paramount’s legal fight with state officials continues long past October.

The CBS Broadcast Center in Manhattan could also be sold for billions of dollars, according to a source close to the company.

Japan’s economy slows, missing growth forecasts | Business and Economy– www.aljazeera.com

pgnewser August 17, 2026 0

Japan’s economy slows, missing growth forecasts | Business and Economy– www.aljazeera.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

Japan’s economy has slowed in the second quarter of the year amid moribund consumption and capital spending, according to official figures.

Gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.3 percent in the April-June period from the first quarter, data released by Japan’s Cabinet Office on Monday showed. It was the third consecutive expansion but was down from 0.5 percent growth in the previous quarter and missed the 0.5 percent growth analysts had forecast.

On an annualised basis, the world’s fourth-largest economy expanded 1.1 percent.

A survey of 37 economists conducted by the Japan Center for Economic Research, a think tank, had forecast an annualised expansion of 1.67 percent.

Private consumption was flat in real terms while capital expenditures fell 1.2 percent, or 4.6 percent on an annualised basis, offsetting strong exports, according to the data.

U.S. says Canada among China’s ‘biggest enablers’ in avoiding Trump tariffs – National– globalnews.ca

pgnewser August 14, 2026 0

U.S. says Canada among China’s ‘biggest enablers’ in avoiding Trump tariffs – National– globalnews.ca
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EXCERPT:

A new White House trade report says the Trump administration considers Canada among China’s “biggest enablers” in avoiding U.S. tariffs through transshipment, a “modern form of smuggling” that the U.S. claims is costing billions in lost tax revenue.

The report released Thursday from the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy — titled “The Great Transshipment Scam” and featuring a timely image of a Trojan horse on the front page — accuses China of routing their exports through third countries with more favourable U.S. tariff rates.

An estimated 40 countries, including Canada, comprise a “shadow transshipment network” used by China, the report argues.

“In plain terms, illegal transshipment is smuggling disguised as trade — fraud cloaked in paperwork — and, in truth, nothing new,” the report says, adding what has changed is the “breadth, depth, and sophistication” of China’s network.

Anthropic to watermark AI-generated content – Computerworld– www.computerworld.com

pgnewser August 12, 2026 0

Anthropic to watermark AI-generated content – Computerworld– www.computerworld.com
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EXCERPT:

Anthropic will begin labeling AI-generated content created by Claude, Claude Code, and the company’s API, as well as Claude models via third-party services, according to The Register.

Text generated by future Claude models will be given an invisible watermark. According to Anthropic, the watermark is embedded directly into the generated text without affecting its meaning or readability. For files, Anthropic will instead use signed metadata in accordance with the C2PA standard.

The effort is part of the company’s plan to comply with the EU’s AI Regulation and transparency requirements regarding AI-generated material. However, the labeling will be implemented globally for all users.

 

Mamdani Promised Affordability. His New Amazon Delivery Plan Could Make NYC More Expensive.– www.dailysignal.com

pgnewser August 12, 2026 0

Mamdani Promised Affordability. His New Amazon Delivery Plan Could Make NYC More Expensive.– www.dailysignal.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is once again using a big corporation as an easy target in a scheme that will likely make New York City more unaffordable, not less.

On Monday, the socialist mayor announced the so-called Delivery Protection Act—which received significant union backing—that will allegedly be used to “rein in the power of corporate delivery giants like Amazon, hold them accountable for their exploitative business model and make New York City’s streets safer for workers, drivers and pedestrians.”

The policy will apparently create “a licensing system for certain last-mile warehouses and distribution facilities while establishing new safety, training and labor standards.”

Like so many other Mamdani policies, this one was announced with a slick video.

Senate Passes Bill That Will Change How You Pay With Cash– wltreport.com

pgnewser August 12, 2026 0

Senate Passes Bill That Will Change How You Pay With Cash– wltreport.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

The future of how you pay with cash will change if this bill turns into law.

The Senate has just passed the “Common Cents Act” which will formally end the production of the penny and create new cash rounding provisions.

The Trump administration previously ordered the Treasury to stop producing pennies due to them costing three cents to make one.

KVOM reported further details on how transactions will be rounded up:

The Senate passed the Common Cents Act by unanimous consent Friday. A version of the legislation has also passed the House.

The measure would formally end production of pennies for general circulation. The U.S. Mint produced its final circulating pennies last year, although special collectible pennies were issued this year as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Existing pennies would remain legal tender and could continue to be used for purchases.

The legislation would also address cash transactions when pennies are not available. Businesses would be permitted to round the final cash purchase amount to the nearest five cents. For example, a transaction totaling $19.82 could be rounded to $19.80, while a $19.83 purchase could become $19.85.

The rounding provisions would apply to cash transactions and are intended to establish a more consistent system as the supply of pennies declines.

Opposition to local data centers rises sharply, survey finds– phys.org

pgnewser August 12, 2026 0

Opposition to local data centers rises sharply, survey finds– phys.org
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EXCERPT:
As protesters rally against data center construction in dozens of states and New York and Texas pause the issuance of permits for large data centers, a new nationally representative survey finds that Americans’ opposition to data centers in their communities has risen sharply since last spring.

The FCC approved “space mirrors” that experts say could blind stargazers and disrupt wildlife– www.techspot.com

pgnewser August 12, 2026 0

The FCC approved “space mirrors” that experts say could blind stargazers and disrupt wildlife– www.techspot.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

WTF in Space: Reflect Orbital proposed a bold plan to launch a large number of “space mirrors” into Earth’s orbit and surprisingly enough, the FCC gave the idea the green light. Now, experts and researchers are warning that the project could have potentially dangerous effects on human health and the planet’s natural cycles.

In July, the FCC approved Reflect Orbital’s proposal to deploy satellites capable of reflecting sunlight from orbit. These “space mirrors” are designed to redirect sunlight toward specific areas of the planet’s surface, with potential benefits for power generation and other applications. Experts continue to debate the plan, while the California-based startup is betting on its technology’s “safeguards.”

The “mirrors in space” concept is certainly worth discussing, as the nearly 2,000 public comments received by the FCC demonstrate. A new critical assessment comes from Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society. In a recent interview, Massey described the FCC’s approval as “extraordinary.”

Reflect Orbital is now planning to launch Eärendil-1, its first space-mirror prototype. Experts warn that amateur astronomers observing the satellite could risk serious eye damage. Looking directly at sunlight reflected from the device could be comparable to viewing the Sun without adequate eye protection, with Massey describing the potential exposure as a significant risk to human health.