Economy & Finance

Economy, finance, markets, luxury and geopolitics — macro signals that influence the art market and collecting.

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Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs mark structural shift in US trade policy economy-finance
A tenuous agreement has been reached between the US and China, yet experts caution that Washington's shift towards protectionism signifies a long-lasting structural change. The…
Trump pushes Stablecoin law, family profits from USD1 economy-finance
Since 2025, stablecoins have gained importance as US President Donald Trump pushed through the "Genius Act" to strengthen these cryptocurrencies, secure dollar dominance, and…
Strait of Hormuz tanker traffic drops as US-Iran ceasefire collapses economy-finance
Following the breakdown of the US-Iran ceasefire framework announced on June 17, tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has sharply declined. On Thursday, only 14 vessels…
Netflix struggles with viewer drop-off after first seasons economy-finance
Netflix faces a growing problem: most of its series lose viewers after the first season, contrary to the traditional serial model where audiences grow over time. On Disney+, HBO…
UK Regulators to Oversee Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Oracle as Critical Third Parties economy-finance
HM Treasury has identified Amazon Web Services EMEA, Google Cloud EMEA, Microsoft Ireland Operations, and Oracle UK as the inaugural Critical Third Parties (CTPs) in a new…
Paradigm Raises $1.2B Fourth Fund, Expands into AI and Robotics economy-finance
Paradigm, a crypto venture capital firm, announced on July 8 that it closed a $1.2 billion fourth fund, expanding its investment mandate beyond digital assets into AI, robotics,…
USDA slashes beef export data by 90% after staff cuts spark data crisis economy-finance
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) reduced its reported beef export sales for late June by 90 percent on Thursday, revealing that exporters sold a net 12,064 tonnes to…
Cashless Society Disproportionately Affects Street Performers and Homeless economy-finance
The decline of cash payments in Europe is disproportionately impacting street artists, homeless individuals, and some vendors who rely on coins and small bills. In Italy, cash…
China Urges US and Iran to Uphold Ceasefire Amid Oil Price Surge economy-finance
China has called on the United States and Iran to maintain peace after a collapse of the ceasefire led to renewed missile strikes in the Middle East, causing a spike in oil…
Shrinkflation colpisce i gelati confezionati in Italia: meno prodotto, prezzi più alti economy-finance
I gelati confezionati in Italia, come Maxibon, Magnum e Coppa del Nonno, hanno subito una riduzione di peso e un aumento di prezzo, fenomeno noto come shrinkflation. Secondo dati…
Coinbase Secures UK MiFID License for Equities and Derivatives economy-finance
Coinbase has obtained a UK MiFID investment services license, enabling it to offer equities and derivatives beyond crypto. The license, granted to CB Payments, Ltd by the…
Zhipu AI and Iluvatar CoreX shares soar after secondary placements economy-finance
On Thursday, shares of Zhipu AI, a Chinese AI model creator known for the GLM-5.2 model, and Iluvatar CoreX Semiconductor, a chip manufacturer, experienced a notable increase…
Vanguard Hires First Head of Digital Assets After Crypto Skepticism economy-finance
Vanguard has initiated its search for a Head of Digital Assets, who will manage the cryptocurrency and blockchain finance strategy for the $12 trillion asset management firm.…
Corporate Funding for South Korean Visual Arts Drops Over 25% economy-finance
Support from corporations for exhibitions in South Korea has decreased by over 25%. The visual arts sector, which encompasses museums and exhibitions, has experienced the most…
Spain downplays Trump trade embargo threat, PM calls relations 'calm' economy-finance
Spain has minimized the significance of US President Donald Trump's warning regarding a potential trade halt linked to its defense strategy. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez remarked…
IMF Downgrades Global Growth Forecast to 3% Due to Iran War economy-finance
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered its global economic growth prediction for 2026 to 3%, down from 3.5% in 2025, attributing this adjustment to the energy crisis…
Chinese PCB makers invest billions in AI-driven expansion economy-finance
More than 20 Chinese printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturers, including Victory Giant Technology, WUS Printed Circuit, Shennan Circuits, and Suzhou Dongshan Precision…
Quantum Systems Secures €1.2 Billion in Record Funding for Drone Development economy-finance
Quantum Systems, a Munich-based drone manufacturer, has raised €1.2 billion in a record-breaking funding round for a European defense company, boosting its valuation to…
Alibaba shares surge 12% in Hong Kong on AI and chip optimism economy-finance
In Hong Kong, Alibaba's stock surged by 12%, fueled by positive sentiment regarding its T-Head chips and anticipated AI earnings. UBS and Jefferies analysts forecast a revenue…
Global wealth surges 10.8% in 2025, driven by asset bubbles at the top economy-finance
An opinion piece referencing the Soviet film The Golden Antelope cautions that a financial system prioritizing inflated market valuations over enhancing quality of life is…
Apple loses EU court battle over Digital Markets Act gatekeeper designation economy-finance
The General Court of the European Union dismissed Apple's legal challenges against its designation as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which has been in effect…
US revokes Iranian oil sanctions waiver after Hormuz tanker attacks economy-finance
The US Treasury Department revoked a temporary sanctions waiver on Iranian oil on Tuesday, citing Tehran's actions in the Strait of Hormuz as 'wholly unacceptable'. The waiver,…
Trump's Bitcoin Reserve Plan Stalled by Legal and Agency Disputes economy-finance
More than 16 months after President Donald Trump's executive order, the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve remains stalled due to a dispute between the Treasury and Commerce Departments…
Europe's trade war with China: a losing battle economy-finance
Europe has missed its chance to make trade with China mutually beneficial and is now opting for a trade war it is unlikely to win. Current tensions between the EU and China mirror…
Bank of England FPC Warns AI and Middle East Conflict Threaten UK Financial Stability economy-finance
The Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee (FPC) met on 26 June 2026 and published its record on 2 July 2026, highlighting heightened risks from frontier AI, the Middle East…
India's manufacturing strategy can leverage both Japan and China economy-finance
India is not required to choose between investments from Japan and China to enhance its manufacturing industry. The absence of Chinese suppliers may hinder Japanese investments…
Zhipu AI and MiniMax lock-ups expire, $11.5B in shares hit Hong Kong market economy-finance
Hong Kong's stock market faces potential sell-off pressure as lock-up periods for AI companies Zhipu AI (Z.ai) and MiniMax expire, releasing shares worth approximately HK$90…
China's chip equipment rally faces earnings test amid memory boom economy-finance
As China's semiconductor equipment sector embarks on its first-half earnings season, it faces heightened scrutiny amid a widespread stock rally that has attracted numerous…
Singapore tops Julius Baer luxury index for fourth year economy-finance
For the fourth year in a row, Singapore has been recognized as the priciest city globally for luxury expenditures, as reported by the Lifestyle Index from Swiss wealth manager…
Tencent slashes Kuaishou stake after leading US$3B Kling AI round economy-finance
Tencent Holdings has slashed its ownership in Kuaishou Technology from 15.68% to 9.37% by offloading 273 million Class B shares, shortly after spearheading a US$3 billion funding…
China Records Most New Unicorn Startups in 5 Years as AI and Robotics Boom economy-finance
China's innovation ecosystem has seen a resurgence, with 67 new unicorn startups created in the first half of 2026—the highest number in nearly five years, driven by AI and…
US-China decoupling talk grows but economic ties remain deeply entangled economy-finance
Although tensions regarding decoupling are rising, the economic relationship between the US and China is too intricate to sever entirely, with significant dependencies on both…
Comcast's Sky acquires ITV channels for US$2.13 billion economy-finance
Sky, a subsidiary of Comcast, has reached an agreement to purchase ITV's free-to-air channels and streaming service for £1.6 billion (US$2.13 billion), thereby establishing the…
Paramount Faces $650M Quarterly Fee in Warner Deal economy-finance
Paramount may be required to pay approximately $650 million in cash every three months to the U.K. government as part of its deal with Warner, according to Reuters. The fee is…
Alibaba Wins Temporary Reprieve from Pentagon Lobbying Ban economy-finance
A US judge in the Northern District of California has temporarily blocked the Department of Defence from enforcing a lobbying prohibition against Alibaba, granting the Chinese…
German 'Super-Rich Tax' Targets Salaries, Not Capital Gains economy-finance
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil touted a new 'super-rich tax' as a personal negotiation success in an ARD summer interview, but the measure primarily targets employment income while…
Fashion Supply Chains Under Strain from US-Iran Conflict economy-finance
Ongoing disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, linked to the US-Iran war, are forcing fashion companies to reassess supplier relationships, inventory strategies, and…
Morgan Stanley forecasts US$1 trillion robotaxi market by 2040 economy-finance
Morgan Stanley projects the global robotaxi market will reach US$1 trillion by 2040, driven by plummeting manufacturing costs in China. In a research note, the bank forecasts…
Shenzhen Longsys Electronics First-Half Profit Surges Over 600-Fold economy-finance
Shenzhen Longsys Electronics reported a staggering 62,204% to 74,394% year-on-year increase in net profit for the first half of 2024, reaching between 9.2 billion and 11 billion…
Audiovisual production faces job cuts as TV orders plummet economy-finance
The audiovisual production sector is experiencing a sharp decline in orders from both private and public television channels, which are implementing cost-cutting measures. As a…

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