Author: Jamie Carpenter

Americans are growing increasingly worried about inflation in the near term as President Donald Trump’s new tariffs stir concerns about rising prices, according to the latest University of Michigan consumer survey released Friday. Inflation Expectations Jump Survey respondents now expect inflation to hit 4.3% within the next year—a full 1 percentage point jump from January and the highest level since November 2023. This marks only the fifth time in 14 years that year-ahead inflation expectations have increased by at least one percentage point in a single month. “Many consumers appear worried that high inflation will return within the next year,”…

Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger are at the center of rising trade tensions between the U.S. and China. Their parent company, PVH, has been placed on China’s “unreliable entities list”, a blacklist targeting foreign firms. The move comes in retaliation for President Donald Trump’s new 10% tariffs on Chinese imports. Why China Targeted PVH The Chinese Ministry of Finance accused PVH of interfering with Chinese businesses but did not provide specific details. The decision was part of a broader package of economic countermeasures against the U.S., which also included blacklisting biotech firm Illumina. Being on China’s blacklist could mean: “Going…

Fox Corporation is making its long-awaited move into the direct-to-consumer streaming business. The company announced on Tuesday that it plans to launch a new subscription-based streaming service by the end of the year, expanding its reach beyond traditional cable. A Streaming Expansion Without Disrupting the Bundle Unlike other media companies pivoting heavily into streaming, Fox is not looking to disrupt its presence in the traditional TV bundle. CEO Lachlan Murdoch emphasized during the company’s earnings call that the service is designed to complement, rather than replace, its existing cable offerings. “We’re huge supporters of the traditional cable bundle, and we…

Tesla (TSLA) pledged a return to growth in 2025 after reporting disappointing Q4 2024 results, capping off a year with 1% revenue growth and a sharp decline in profits. On the earnings call, CEO Elon Musk announced that unsupervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) will launch in Austin, Texas, in June, with a nationwide rollout by the end of 2025. Shares of Tesla jumped nearly 4% in early trading Thursday as investors focused on the company’s future outlook despite the weak quarter. Q4 Earnings Miss Estimates For the fourth quarter, Tesla reported revenue of $25.7 billion, missing Wall Street expectations of $27.2…

The artificial intelligence race has intensified once again, with Alibaba stepping up to challenge the dominance of DeepSeek. On Wednesday, the Chinese tech giant unveiled a new version of its Qwen 2.5 AI model, which it claims surpasses DeepSeek-V3 and other leading AI models. The timing of the announcement is unusual, as it coincides with the first day of the Lunar New Year, a period when most Chinese workers are on holiday. This suggests that Alibaba may be feeling the pressure from DeepSeek’s rapid rise, both in China and on the global AI stage. Alibaba’s AI Model Challenges Industry Leaders…

Argentina will eliminate import tariffs on certain low-cost electric and hybrid vehicles starting next week, while also cutting taxes on higher-priced cars and motorcycles, Economy Minister Luis Caputo announced on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday. Tariff Exemptions for 50,000 EV Imports Under the new policy, up to 50,000 imported low-cost electric and hybrid vehicles will be exempt from import tariffs per year. The move is aimed at boosting adoption of clean energy vehicles and making EVs and hybrids more affordable for Argentine consumers. Tax Cuts for High-Priced Vehicles In addition to the tariff exemptions, Argentina will also implement tax reductions…

Investors flocked to the safety of U.S. Treasuries on Monday after a sharp selloff in technology stocks rattled global markets. The demand for bonds erased the last of the year’s earlier price declines, which had been driven by inflation concerns and political uncertainty surrounding Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Yields Drop Amid Market Turmoil The 10-year Treasury yield fell as much as 12.5 basis points to 4.50%, marking its steepest intraday drop in nearly two weeks before slightly paring losses. The two-year yield, closely tied to expectations for Federal Reserve policy, slid 10 basis points to 4.17%, its…

Wall Street’s major indexes declined on Friday as investors assessed a mix of economic signals, including stronger housing market data, slowing business activity, and consumer sentiment figures. Meanwhile, Boeing’s warning of a larger-than-expected quarterly loss weighed on the Dow. Markets React to Economic Indicators Investors processed conflicting economic data that painted an uncertain picture of the U.S. economy. Housing market figures came in stronger than expected, while an S&P Global survey revealed that business activity had slowed to a nine-month low in January, as rising prices continued to pressure businesses. However, firms also reported increased hiring, reinforcing the Federal Reserve’s…

What Happened Asia-Pacific markets showed a mixed performance on Thursday as investors reacted to various economic data releases, with Chinese stocks rising on government intervention while South Korea and Australia posted declines. Market Performance China’s Market Boost China’s financial regulators urged large state-owned mutual funds and insurers to buy more shares to stabilize the struggling stock market, contributing to gains in the CSI 300 index. South Korea’s Economic Data South Korea’s economy expanded 1.2% year-over-year in the fourth quarter, marking its slowest growth since Q2 2023, contributing to declines in the Kospi and Kosdaq indices. Global Market Influence Overnight, U.S.…

What Happened Stocks climbed on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 reaching an all-time high as technology shares surged on artificial intelligence (AI) optimism and the beginning of President Donald Trump’s new term. The Nasdaq Composite also posted strong gains, highlighting continued investor enthusiasm for AI-driven companies. Why It’s Important Several key factors contributed to the stock market’s rally: Key Takeaways Market Outlook Analysts believe the combination of a resilient economy, easing inflation, and stabilizing interest rates is providing a solid foundation for stock market growth. Keith Lerner, Truist’s co-chief investment officer, noted that the “dominant theme of this bull market…