Business US Rebuilds Tariff Wall With Court-Tested Trade Laws Washington is replacing temporary tariffs with established trade laws, covering nearly all US imports while companies and courts assess the costs.
Business Global Mergers and Acquisitions Hit Record $3.16 Trillion in First Half of 2026 Global mergers and acquisitions reached a record 3.16 trillion dollars in the first half of 2026, up 44 percent year on year, driven by a doubling of megadeals and blockbuster technology and media transactions, Mergermarket data show.
Business Vertex to Buy Crinetics for 10 Billion Dollars in Cash as Biotech Deal-Making Accelerates Vertex Pharmaceuticals agreed to buy Crinetics Pharmaceuticals for about 10 billion dollars in cash at a 102 percent premium, expanding into endocrinology as biotech mergers accelerate in 2026.
Business Wall Street Surges in First Half of 2026 Despite Geopolitical Turmoil as Analysts Split on Outlook The S&P 500 jumped 9.4 percent in the first half of 2026 while the Nasdaq soared 12.5 percent, but a weak June jobs report and divided analyst forecasts cloud the road ahead.
Business Global Startups Raise Record $510 Billion in First Half of 2026 as AI Dominates Venture Capital Crunchbase data reveals global startup funding hit $510 billion in H1 2026, surpassing all of 2025, with AI companies capturing over 70 percent of venture capital investment.
Business US Economy Adds Just 57,000 Jobs in June as Labor Market Shows Signs of Weakening The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the US economy added only 57,000 jobs in June, falling far short of expectations and marking the weakest month of hiring since February.
Business CEO Confidence Plunges as Nearly One-Third of Business Leaders Plan Layoffs Amid Economic Downturn The Conference Board CEO Confidence measure fell to 47 in Q2 2026, with 31 percent of executives planning layoffs and 47 percent reporting the economy is materially worse than six months ago.
Business Micron Blowout Q3 Earnings Spark AI Rally Recovery as Tech Stocks Rebound Micron Technology reported record fiscal Q3 revenue of $41.46 billion with 346% year-over-year growth, sending shares up 13% and igniting a broader AI stock recovery after this week's selloff.
Business Global AI Stock Selloff Deepens as Bubble Fears Grip Markets Worldwide The Nasdaq plunged 580 points as a global tech rout led by a 9.99 percent crash in South Korea's KOSPI spread to Wall Street, with Nvidia falling 4.2 percent and Micron plummeting 12 percent amid growing fears that AI valuations have become a speculative bubble.
Business Explosion at Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG Hub Injures 54, Leaves 18 Missing A major explosion rocked the Barzan gas facility at Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City on Sunday evening, injuring at least 54 people and leaving 18 missing in an incident that could disrupt global energy markets.
Business Oil Markets React as Iran-Israel Tensions Threaten Strait of Hormuz Shipping Global oil markets face renewed turbulence on June 20 as Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed in response to Israeli airstrikes that violated the US-brokered ceasefire agreement.
Business Iran Peace Deal Reshapes Global Energy Markets as Oil Prices Plunge The US-Iran peace deal signed on June 19 in Geneva is poised to reshape global energy markets, with oil near 80 dollars per barrel and expected to fall further as Iranian supply returns and the Strait of Hormuz reopens to shipping.