USA

Trump declares US economy ‘rocketing’ as factories run 24/7
USA, World

Trump declares US economy ‘rocketing’ as factories run 24/7

President Donald Trump claimed US economy to be 'rocketing' due to the revival of manufacturing, he justified his non-enforcement of electric vehicle regulations and even predicted increased use of robotics in dealing with labor shortages. Auto sector expansion cited as key growth driver During the interview, Trump indicated that the expansion of production in all major automobile companies was the reason for economic strength, ANI citing tom a forein media said. Trump stated, “If you went around this plant, like I have, they just announced they’re going to 24 hours. This is a Ford plant, but GM’s the same, Stellantis is the same.” Unprecedented pace of factory expansion nationwide The president pointed out that there were all over-the-clock working factories in the US,...
Trump claims victory on US economy despite many Americans’ cost of living concerns
USA, World

Trump claims victory on US economy despite many Americans’ cost of living concerns

In speech, president delivers triumph assessment, claiming US prices are down despite official data showing otherwise Donald Trump claimed victory on the economy after 12 months back in office on Tuesday, declaring it to be the “greatest first year in history” as many Americans express alarm over the cost of living. In a stream-of-consciousness speech at the Detroit Economic Club, the US president delivered his gold-tinted view of how the economy has fared on his watch. Prices were down, he claimed, despite official data showing otherwise, and productivity was “smashing expectations”. Even as he touted achievements during the first year of his second term, Trump has started to acknowledge concerns over affordability across the US, with November’s midterm elections creeping cl...
Equinor challenges US order to suspend Empire Wind project
USA, World

Equinor challenges US order to suspend Empire Wind project

Norwegian energy group Equinor said on Friday it had filed a civil suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging a U.S. Department of the Interior order to suspend its Empire Wind project. "As part of that case, Empire plans to seek a preliminary injunction and allow construction to continue while the litigation proceeds," Equinor added. Last week, the Trump administration suspended leases for five large offshore wind projects that are under construction off the U.S. East Coast over what it called national security concerns, sending shares of offshore wind companies plunging. The suspension was the latest blow for offshore wind developers that have faced repeated disruptions to their multi-billion-dollar projects under U.S. President Donald Trump, w...
US labels Chinese chips an economic threat, but delays tariff impact until 2027
China, Market, USA

US labels Chinese chips an economic threat, but delays tariff impact until 2027

In a new trade move against China’s semiconductor industry, the US Trade Representative Office said it had determined that Beijing’s drive for dominance in the sector is “unreasonable and discriminatory” and poses a direct threat to US commerce.In a formal notice of action filed with the Federal Register, the agency said the US is implementing a tariff action on a wide range of Chinese semiconductors, with an initial rate of 0 per cent. The rate is set to rise in 18 months, on June 23, 2027, to a higher level that will be announced 30 days before the deadline. Analysts said the delayed timetable underscores that the move is intended as much to signal resolve and retain leverage over Beijing as to deliver an immediate economic impact, with Washington opting to keep pressure in reser...
US Pursuit of Third Oil Tanker Intensifies Venezuela Blockade
USA, World

US Pursuit of Third Oil Tanker Intensifies Venezuela Blockade

The US’s pursuit of a third oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela has intensified a blockade that the Trump administration hopes will cut off a vital economic lifeline for the country and isolate the government of President Nicolás Maduro. The US’s pursuit of a third oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela has intensified a blockade that the Trump administration hopes will cut off a vital economic lifeline for the country and isolate the government of President Nicolás Maduro. The US Coast Guard chased the US-sanctioned Bella 1 on Sunday as it was en route to Venezuela. It boarded Centuries, a ship owned by a Hong Kong-based entity, on Saturday — the first non-sanctioned vessel to be targeted. Another very large crude carrier, the Skipper, was intercepted on Dec. 10.  The moves...
China vs. the US: Which GDP is bigger?
China, USA

China vs. the US: Which GDP is bigger?

Has China yet surpassed the United States in aggregate economic power? Perhaps not. Although China’s GDP, at market prices and exchange rates, is still much lower than that of the United States, the opposite is true if the calculation is made at the international purchasing power parity (PPP) prices (using the newly updated Penn World Tables). And China has been growing much faster. If the objective is to compare national economic power (rather than standard of living), though, the PPP figure arguably overstates the power of low-income countries. A simple adjustment, relating to the Balassa-Samuelson (1964) effect, suggests that China may still be slightly behind the United States. China’s population is much larger than that of the United States, but its average living standa...
<strong>Plata Arranges Financing for Up to US$500 Million by Nomura</strong>
USA, World

Plata Arranges Financing for Up to US$500 Million by Nomura

Plata, the Mexican financial technology company, has secured a new financing of up to US$500 million arranged by Nomura Securities International, Inc. ("Nomura") It is the largest funding to date for a Mexican digital financial services company. The transaction also sets an important precedent: it marks the first time a Japanese top-tier investment bank participates in a financing of this scale within Mexico's digital financial sector, reflecting the growing international interest in Plata and in Mexico's financial system. The announcement comes as Plata continues to work towards launching operations as a bank, after having received its banking license authorization in December 2024. The company embarked on this extremely rigorous process ...
Despite tariffs, China consumer giants push into the US as domestic market stalls
China, Market, USA

Despite tariffs, China consumer giants push into the US as domestic market stalls

Shanghai/New York Lured by the promise of richer margins, a wave of Chinese consumer brands is making deeper inroads into American retail to offset sluggish spending at home. Throughout 2025, companies including Labubu-maker Pop Mart , trinket purveyor Miniso, sportswear giant Anta and fast-fashion label Urban Revivo have announced new U.S. stores or retail expansions, trying to establish a foothold in the world’s richest consumer market despite harsh U.S. tariffs and talk of economic decoupling. The counterintuitive trend, which started to emerge in 2023 after the COVID pandemic, accelerated this year as lethargic local spending prompted Chinese consumer companies to look abroad, initially in Southeast Asia. NewYork a litmus test for broader expansion Urban Revivo, often ...
France calls new U.S. security doctrine ‘brutal clarification’
USA, World

France calls new U.S. security doctrine ‘brutal clarification’

Europe must accelerate its rearmament in ‍response ‌to a stark shift in U.S. military doctrine, a ⁠French government official said ‌on Tuesday, calling Washington's new security strategy "an extremely brutal clarification" of its ideological posture. The U.S. National Security Strategy, made ⁠public last week, caused shock across Europe, with a broadside that ​said the continent was facing "civilisation erasure" ‌and that U.S. policy ⁠should include "cultivating resistance" within the European Union. "The new American security strategy is an extremely brutal clarification of ​the United States' ideological posture," Junior Army Minister Alice Rufo told lawmakers at the National Assembly's weekly question-and-answer session. "We live in a world of carnivores, ​Europe ‍is no is...
Supreme Court may scrap campaign finance limit challenged by Trump, GOP
USA, World

Supreme Court may scrap campaign finance limit challenged by Trump, GOP

The Supreme Court seems likely to eliminate one of the remaining checks on money in politics, a decision in line with recent rulings favoring First Amendment free speech rights over fears about potential corruption. In a challenge involving Vice President JD Vance, the court considered on Dec. 9 whether to scrap a rule aimed at preventing wealthy donors from bypassing limits on what they can give candidates by funneling money through political parties. The rule was passed in 1974 as part of Congress' response to the Watergate scandal and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2001. During two hours of oral arguments, the court’s conservatives did not attack the GOP’s argument that the law and the campaign finance landscape have changed since 2001. "The coordinated party spending l...