Aggregator

Hold your breath, Jets fans.

The heroic teen lifeguard who risked his life to save a 10-year-old boy while he was repeatedly pounded by waves has an appointment with President Donald Trump.

The brand new anchor and reporter will be covering sports and news.

"We don't need a test to tell us, but we know that he was. He knew himself he was so heavily impacted by that.”

For just under $3 a pop, children can hop aboard a replica of the ill-fated oceanliner, where tickets are handed out as boarding passes on the cruise, and the ship's name is clearly visible on the side.

Missing a student loan payment can send a wave of panic through even the most organized borrowers, but understanding the exact timeline of consequences is your best defense against long-term financial damage.  Whether you have just missed your first due date and slipped into delinquency, are creeping toward the 90-day mark where your credit score...

AI Pledge Allegiance To The Flag

By Bas van Geffen, senior macro strategist at Rabobank

As Bloomberg recounts that “the ceasefire is set to expire today,” there is little left of that truce to begin with. Negotiations have broken down. And over the weekend, Israel conducted new strikes in Lebanon, a bulk carrier that tried to leave the Strait of Hormuz was hit by a projectile, and Yemen’s port suspended operations after Houthi missile attacks.

Both sides are evaluating their options in the current stalemate. Iran’s hardline leadership is reportedly planning to widen the war, as they seek to raise the costs for the US and regional leaders. It may be their counterstrategy to the “unprecedented” economic sanctions that the US is threatening to impose on Iran.

Those sanctions could already be costly for the US. Bloomberg explored what this “economic isolation” of the country could look like, given that Iran is already the subject of a plethora of sanctions and a naval blockade. And most of them have some repercussions for the US too. The US’ strongest move might be to sanction Chinese banks that finance the trade in Iranian oil, but this will surely worsen US-China relations ahead of a scheduled Trump-Xi meeting.

And just by the conflict dragging on, the cost for the US increases. The Financial Times reports that US voters disapprove of most of Trump’s economic issues. The US president scores particularly bad on the cost of living, as most voters feel worse off due to higher inflation.

Washington has been trying to manage these costs through its strategic petroleum reserve, but that hasn’t stopped prices from going up. And, crucially, these reserves are finite. The SPR has fallen below 300 million barrels for the first time since it was filled in the 1980s. This adds to concerns about the integrity of the caverns – as experts are divided over the amount of oil that needs to remain to prevent structural damage to the storage sites.

Perhaps feeling that pressure, President Trump maintains that the war will be over soon, and that Iran will be “badly defeated.” Traders are not convinced: markets are dragging their feet at the open. This weekend, Trump added that he would declare the Strait of Hormuz United States territory “pretty soon.” Because “essentially, that’s what it is. We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to.” The Guardian concludes that the “seriousness of [the] remark made in New York on Friday, and whether it signaled a new policy position, [is] not clear.”

That may be the case with many of his off-the-cuff comments, but their consequences can be severe. President Trump has previously threatened to withdraw military support for countries that do not invest in their own defense, or that do not align with the US on geopolitical or geoeconomic matters like trade.

As a case in point, President Trump expressed his discontent with South Korea’s lack of help in the Iran war. And on that basis, Trump ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” the joint military drills with South Korea. He even indicated that he would have cancelled the exercise entirely if it hadn’t been too late for that – despite repeated warnings from US military intelligence that North Korea is gaining valuable experience by aiding Russia in its war against Ukraine.

Washington is preparing a similar carrot-and-stick approach in the field of artificial intelligence. The US wants to force countries to pick a side in the AI-race with China. Any country that signs a deal with Beijing could be cut off from the US’ AI coalition. The draft policy is an extension of the Pax Silica agreement, which was designed to improve the US’ access to critical resources and to strengthen supply lines for semiconductors.

Various countries have already joined the US agreement, which is not binding. China has since launched a rival alliance, causing Kazakhstan to effectively be a signatory to both frameworks. That’s a concern for the US, primarily because the country has a cache of critical minerals. But Washington also wants to prevent that its rivals get access to its frontier AI models and research.

So, the Trump administration may soon send out letters telling its allies to pledge allegiance to the flag – or be cut off from US technologies. It’s a reminder that gross domestic compute is becoming an increasingly important element of strategic autonomy and the power a country can project on the global stage.

The EU, positioned right on the US-China fault line, is still trying to navigate the increasing rupture between the two blocs. Last year, Brussels reluctantly signed a trade deal with the US, to prevent worse. Part of that deal includes a pledge to increase investments in American production facilities. However, whether that materialises is up to private companies, The German economic institute IW calculated that companies cut their US-bound FDI by two thirds in the first half of 2026, to the lowest level since 2023. This reluctance to invest may be entirely due to the uncertainty about US-EU trade relations and the overall economic outlook. Yet, it may put Europe in Trump’s crosshairs again.

Tyler Durden Mon, 08/17/2026 - 09:50

The ladies of “Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th” head to the glitzy city of Beverly Hills to revisit the iconic 90210 in season 6, episode 2. Our “Virtual Reali-Tea” co-hosts take a trip down memory lane and, of course, unpack all the drama along the way. Kyle Richards opens up to Vicki Gunvalson...

The ladies of “Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th” head to the glitzy city of Beverly Hills to revisit the iconic 90210 in season 6, episode 2. Our “Virtual Reali-Tea” co-hosts take a trip down memory lane and, of course, unpack all the drama along the way. Kyle Richards opens up to Vicki Gunvalson...

Historic flooding in Indiana washed away a large section of River Road on Indianapolis’ north side as powerful floodwaters battered the state. Footage showed raging water collapsing the roadway near the White River, which was expected to crest later in the day as more rain moved through. At least five people had died in flooding...

The 36-year-old "Nashville" alum died over the weekend, with Page Six obtaining 911 dispatch audio revealing Panettiere suffered an apparent overdose.

The 36-year-old "Nashville" alum died over the weekend, with Page Six obtaining 911 dispatch audio revealing Panettiere suffered an apparent overdose.

The Atlanta Dream tried to put a stop to the ongoing transgender debate in the WNBA — at least in their house at Gateway Center Arena. A local Georgia mom, Casey, and her daughter, Annie, both wore XX-XY Athletics t-shirts to the Fever’s 97-91 win over the Dream on Sunday night. During overtime, the mother...

China Economic Growth 'Downside Risk' Looms; Goldman Warns After July Macro-Miss-Fest

China’s July activity data weakened from June, missing market expectations across the board, and signaling a soft start to Q3 amid continued divergence between resilient exports and subdued domestic demand.

Originally slated for publication late last night (US time), the data release was delayed for five hours after the statistics agency revised its schedule in a break with recent practice.

Industrial production (IP) growth slowed to 4.5% yoy in July from 5.3% yoy in June, reflecting slower export growth and weaker output growth in ferrous metals smelting, power generation (fell 0.1% y/y to 943.9b kwh), and pharmaceuticals industries.

In sequential terms, IP contracted 0.3% mom non-annualized in July (vs. +1.0% mom non-annualized in June), broadly consistent with last year’s pattern of softer quarter-start momentum.

One stand out from Chinese steel production tumbled last month, putting the industry on track for the lowest annual total this decade as mills adjust to much weaker demand.

The seasonal lull in consumption has been compounded by worsening conditions in the wider economy.

The contraction in construction activity has deepened, according to the latest purchasing manager index, while fixed-asset investment has fallen dramatically, the data from the statistics bureau showed.

Fixed asset investment (FAI) growth fell to -12.8% yoy in July from -9.3% yoy in June on a single-month basis despite a low base, as unfavorable weather and slow government spending continued to weigh on investment activity.

Property activity remained sluggish in July despite recent green shoots in some large cities. Property sales fell 13.5% yoy in volume (floor space) terms and 8.8% yoy in value terms in July (vs. -14.2%/-13.9% in June). Growth in new home starts and floor space under construction weakened to -27.8% yoy and -12.7% yoy, respectively, in July from -26.0% and -12.5% in June. New home completions remained soft at -18.7% yoy in July, though less negative than -25.0% yoy in June. NBS and private-sector data suggest nationwide home prices remain under downward pressure, even as some large cities show early signs of stabilization.

Retail sales growth eased to +0.6% yoy from +1.0% yoy in June despite favorable base effects, mainly dragged down by goods sales.

Labor market indicators were broadly stable and in line with seasonal patterns in July. The nationwide and 31-city unemployment rates, both not seasonally adjusted, edged up to 5.2% in July from 5.0% in June. On a seasonally adjusted basis, we estimate both rates were unchanged from June at 5.1%.

Finally, the Services Industry Output Index - which is reported in real terms and closely tracks tertiary GDP growth - also slowed to 4.3% yoy in July from 4.7% yoy in June.

Societé Generale SA economists including Wei Yao said the country’s growth momentum is “collapsing” outside tech.

“China’s economic data continue to disappoint, with an increasingly K-shaped pattern: strong tech, weakness almost everywhere else,” they said in a report.

In a stunningly honest statement, the NBS said that while the economy has remained “stable” so far this year, the external environment is “complicated and volatile” and domestic demand has stayed weak.

“Some companies are facing operational difficulties, and the foundation for the economy to stabilize and improve still needs to be consolidated,” it said in a statement accompanying the data release.

Finally, July activity data combined with Goldman's high-frequency tracker for the first half of August suggest a soft start to Q3 - unfavorable weather conditions (e.g., recent Typhoon Dolphin) and the ongoing global energy shock continue to weigh on activity, while government spending has yet to pick up meaningfully despite stronger easing signals from the July Politburo meeting.

“Economic momentum slowed further in the early third quarter ahead of the late-July Politburo meeting, with all major July indicators falling short of even our low expectations," said Bloomberg's Chang Shu and David Qu.

"On the demand side, private consumption softened modestly, while the contraction in investment deepened sharply. This suggests fiscal spending has yet to pick up from its sluggish pace in the first half.” 

Against this backdrop, Goldman sees downside risk to their Q3 real GDP growth forecast of 4.6% yoy (vs. 4.3% yoy in Q2).

They continue to expect the government to accelerate the pace of bond issuance and proceeds spending in coming months, speed up implementation of the new policy-based financial instrument, and keep the door open to additional easing later this year if growth slows further and the full-year growth target of “4.5-5.0%” comes under pressure.

Professional subscribers can read Goldman's full note here at our new Marketdesk.ai portal

Tyler Durden Mon, 08/17/2026 - 09:20

The Toner of all Toners.

The new era of college football is all about being bold.

Bet $10, get $150 in bonus bets win or lose with the bet365 bonus code for the Premier League.

Highmark Stadium’s design is getting bottom-tier reviews from Bills Mafia.

The "Heroes" alum opened up about postpartum depression, motherhood and growing up in Hollywood during the May 26 panel discussion.

The "Heroes" alum opened up about postpartum depression, motherhood and growing up in Hollywood during the May 26 panel discussion.