Month: August 2025

CNBC Daily Open: Of markets, tariffs and TACO
Stock market information at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York, US, on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Markets have still got that loving feeling despite U.S. tariffs coming into effect. On Thursday, President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs hit dozens of countries, with those not named in the list subject to […]
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CNBC Daily Open: Tariffs have come — but ‘TACO trade’ seems to be still on
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on August 05, 2025 in New York City. Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images News | Getty Images Markets have still got that loving feeling despite U.S. tariffs coming into effect. On Thursday, President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs hit dozens of […]
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Singapore at 60: The successful city-state has big tests ahead — here’s what’s next
When Singapore gained independence in 1965 after its separation from Malaysia, few expected the small city-state — which turns 60 on Saturday — to survive. But in the decades since, the country of just 735 square kilometers — smaller than New York City — has transformed itself into one that regularly tops rankings for education […]
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Why insurers worry the world could soon become uninsurable
A firefighting helicopter flies near as a home burns from the Mountain Fire on November 6, 2024 in Camarillo, California. David Mcnew | Getty Images News | Getty Images Top insurers fear the climate crisis could soon outpace industry solutions, effectively threatening to make entire regions around the world uninsurable. Günther Thallinger, a board member […]
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The UK government won’t admit it, but tax rises are coming — and there are no good options
People walk near the Elizabeth Tower, commonly referred to as Big Ben, near the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, central London on April 18, 2017. JUSTIN TALLIS | AFP | Getty Images The U.K. government is loathe to admit it, but economists say it’s highly likely that the Treasury will have to hike taxes in […]
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Israel says it will retake Gaza City, escalating war with Hamas
Israel says it will take over Gaza City, escalating its war with Hamas even as it faces growing international calls to end the 22-month conflict. The plan, announced early Friday local time after a Cabinet meeting that ran late into the night, stops short of the full occupation of the Gaza Strip that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu […]
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Japan says U.S. promises to fix double tariff oversight
The U.S. government on Thursday promised to amend a presidential executive order to remove overlapping tariffs on Japanese goods, Tokyo’s trade negotiator said, after talks in Washington to fix what he called a “regrettable” oversight. In those discussions, Ryosei Akazawa urged U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to ensure that a 15% […]
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China’s SMIC says Trump tariffs did not cause expected ‘hard landing’
China’s top foundry SMIC‘s co-CEO said on Friday that U.S. tariff policy had not resulted in the “hard landing” that the company was initially worried about and that strong domestic demand will keep its production capacity tight until October. Zhao Haijun, co-CEO of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp, told a post-earnings call that the company is not consulting […]
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SoftBank Group shares surge 13% to a record high after quarterly profit beat estimates
The logo of SoftBank is displayed at a company shop in Tokyo, Japan January 28, 2025. Issei Kato | Reuters Shares of SoftBank Group surged 13% Friday to hit a fresh record, following the company’s higher-than-expected fiscal first-quarter profit. This marks the Japanese investment firm’s fourth straight session of gains, and comes after it closed […]
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Asia-Pacific markets trade mixed as two key Wall Street benchmarks fall
Asia-Pacific markets start the day mixed Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed Friday. As of 8:12 a.m. Singapore time (8:12 p.m. ET Thursday), Japan’s Nikkei 225 benchmark rose 1.18% while the broader Topix index added 0.87%. In South Korea, the Kospi index fell 0.13% while the small-cap Kosdaq increased by 0.65%. Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 benchmark was down […]
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