New Zealand consumer confidence fell to 80.4 in Q2 New Zealand consumer confidence dropped to its lowest level since 2023, falling to 80.4 in the second quarter from 94.7 in the prior quarter. The decline in consumer sentiment is attributed to higher fuel and livin
Microsoft abandoned talks to lease Oracle Cloud capacity citing compliance and security concerns, potentially worth over $3 billion. Microsoft terminated negotiations to lease Oracle Cloud infrastructure after raising security and compliance issues. The deal, which could h
May housing starts fell sharply below forecasts, signaling a potential slowdown in the residential construction sector. US housing starts dropped to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.177 million in May, down 15.4% from April and well below the 1.430 million estimate.
The Reserve Bank of Australia holds rates steady, signaling restrictive policy amid persistent inflation pressures. The Reserve Bank of Australia maintained its cash rate at 4.35%, reflecting concerns over sticky inflation but alignment with its baseline projections. The d
Final consumer price data confirms preliminary readings, easing concerns over accelerating inflation pressures in the eurozone. Italy’s final May consumer price index rose 3.2% year-over-year, matching the preliminary estimate and slowing from April’s 2.7% gain. The harmon
Reserve Bank of Australia signals potential further tightening as inflation remains elevated despite household pressures. Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Michele Bullock stated inflation remains too high, leaving the door open for additional rate hikes if necessary. The
Federal court dismisses Elon Musk's xAI claim that OpenAI induced theft of confidential Grok chatbot data. A federal judge dismissed xAI’s trade secret lawsuit against OpenAI, ruling the company failed to prove OpenAI encouraged a former engineer to disclose confidential i
May data signals cooling in Canada’s housing sector, aligning with expectations of slower economic growth ahead of potential rate hikes. Canada’s housing starts fell to 261.4K in May, down from a revised 278.4K in April, reflecting a slowdown in residential construction ac
DRAM prices have risen sixfold in a year due to AI demand, adding 0.10 percentage points to CPI, per Binance Research. A sharp rise in memory chip prices, driven by AI data center demand, could sustain inflationary pressures despite easing energy costs. DRAM prices have su
Social Security's one-time death benefit is $255 Social Security's one-time death benefit has been frozen at $255 since the 1950s. The benefit was never indexed to inflation, leaving grieving spouses with a significant financial gap. Delaying the higher-earning s