Author: AI Editor

Morning Intelligence – The Gist Washington’s abrupt vow to slap a 100 % duty on imported semiconductors—an industry worth $600 bn a year—signals that U.S. trade policy is now an extension of great-power rivalry. Within hours, Intel shed 3 % of its value, while allies from Taiwan to Germany scrambled for exemptions (Reuters, AP, Guardian).…

Evening Analysis – The Gist The Bank of England’s razor-thin 5-4 vote to trim Bank Rate to 4 percent—the fifth cut in a year and the lowest since March 2023—signals less a pivot than a high-wire act. Markets initially cheered, yet gilt yields and sterling firmed as traders priced in fewer future cuts, wary of…

Morning Intelligence – The Gist Guangdong’s skies delivered the region’s heaviest August deluge since 1884—Guangzhou logged its second-worst August rainfall on record, grounding hundreds of flights and prompting Beijing to release ¥1 billion ($139 m) in emergency aid. Flood-pooled water is turbo-charging China’s first major chikungunya outbreak: 7,000+ cases, concentrated in export hubs like Foshan.…

Evening Analysis – The Gist Good evening, 18:32. Ukraine’s AI-guided drones have knocked two of Rosneft’s refineries offline, slicing roughly 5 % of Russia’s processing capacity; Moscow’s response is to divert the crude abroad, adding an extra 200,000 bpd via its western ports and nudging total August exports to 2 mbpd. (reuters.com, dw.com, apnews.com) That…

Morning Intelligence – The Gist Israel’s reported plan to re-occupy Gaza—now confirmed by Reuters, AP and Deutsche Welle—would jolt a region already reeling from nearly two years of war. Netanyahu’s security chiefs are weighing a full takeover despite 61,000 Palestinian deaths, UN-estimated famine conditions for 1.9 million civilians and a hostage crisis that still holds…

Evening Analysis – The Gist America’s trade deficit tumbled 16 % in June to $60.2 billion, its lowest level in almost two years, as consumer-goods imports collapsed under tariffs now averaging 18.3 %—the highest since 1934. The politically charged gap with China shrank to just $9.5 billion, a trough last seen in 2004. (reuters.com, bea.gov)…

Morning Intelligence – The Gist Israeli forces again fired on crowds of hungry civilians in Gaza yesterday, killing at least 40 people and wounding scores near two aid-distribution points; five more died of starvation the same day. UN tallies now show over 1,000 Gazans have been shot while queueing for food since May, and hunger…

Evening Analysis – The Gist Good evening, Beijing has hoisted its highest “red” rain-storm alert for six mountain-rimmed districts, ordering residents indoors as up to 200 mm of rain is forecast in just six hours tonight – one-third of the capital’s annual total. The city has already evacuated 70,000 people after last week’s deluge killed…

Morning Intelligence – The Gist Washington has slammed the brakes on an already-fragile global trading system. In the last 24 hours the White House confirmed tariffs of 35 % on Canadian goods, 50 % on Brazilian exports, 25 % on India and 39 % on Switzerland—lifting the average U.S. tariff rate to a Smoot-Hawley-era 18…

Evening Analysis – The Gist The shock 39 % U.S. tariff aimed at Switzerland is more than a bilateral spat—it is the clearest sign yet that President Trump’s trade strategy has pivoted from headline-grabbing skirmishes to systemic realignment. Switzerland sells $48 bn in goods to the U.S. and could see up to a 1 %…