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Meta Releases Muse Glimmer, A 30B Model That Runs On A Single Consumer GPU

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5 days 19 hours ago
Meta Releases Muse Glimmer, A 30B Model That Runs On A Single Consumer GPU

Meta released Muse Glimmer on Monday, a 30-billion-parameter model built for agent work that fits on a laptop. The company published the model's weights - the trained numbers that make up the model itself, meaning anyone can download it and run it on their own machine - on the model repository Hugging Face, under an Apache 2.0 license that is genuinely permissive, without the usage restrictions Meta attached to its Llama releases.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg attends the annual Allen and Co. Sun Valley Media and Technology Conference at the Sun Valley Resort in Sun Valley, Idaho, U.S., July 9, 2026. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

The model is aimed at a specific and increasingly crowded target: AI that runs on your own hardware instead of somebody else's cloud. Google has Gemma, Alibaba has Qwen, Mistral and DeepSeek both ship small open models. Meta is arriving late to a category it arguably created and then abandoned.

What It Is

Glimmer was built from Muse Spark, Meta's frontier model, using a technique called distillation: you train the small model on the big model's output until it learns to imitate what the larger system already knows. 

Then there's the problem of making it fit. A 30-billion-parameter model at full precision needs more than 55GB of memory, which no consumer graphics card has. Meta compressed the numbers that make up the model down to roughly a quarter of their usual precision, shrinking it to under 20GB - small enough to leave room for everything else the model needs running alongside it inside a 24GB or 32GB card. The company says the compression costs little or nothing on the tasks that matter.

Speed comes from a second trick, called speculative decoding. Models normally write one word at a time, each one waiting on the last, which is why long answers feel slow. Meta pairs Glimmer with a small, fast companion model that predicts whole chunks of text, then has the real model check the guesses all at once and keep whatever it got right. It works because checking an answer is much faster than producing one. Meta reports the result is 3.1x faster on an RTX 5090, 1.8x on an M5 Max, and 1.5x on an M4 Max.

Meta has positioned Glimmer against Google's Gemma4-31B and Alibaba's Qwen3.6-27B, and claims strong results on tests that measure whether a model can complete a multi-step job start to finish - fixing real bugs in real codebases, calling outside tools, recovering when something fails. Those are the company's own numbers from the company's own testing, which is worth remembering until outsiders get their hands on it. As of Monday, they can.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says a version of Spark itself will follow in the coming weeks, with larger models after. 

Models you can download are cheaper to run and easier to customize than models you rent, and the strongest downloadable ones increasingly come out of China - DeepSeek, Alibaba, Moonshot. Zuckerberg's argument is that American labs are hobbled by training-data restrictions their foreign rivals don't face, and that blocking foreign models is the wrong answer to that.

"US policy must reduce this additional friction if we want American open source models to lead over time," he wrote.

He also wants distillation protected as a matter of policy - "you can learn from anything you can observe." Glimmer is a distilled model, released the same morning, so the principle has a beneficiary.

Meanwhile

The model came wrapped in a 6,500-word essay titled "The Future is for Everyone," arguing that advanced AI should be handed to individuals rather than concentrated in a few institutions, and that "the notion AI is so dangerous that the only safe path is an extreme concentration of power seems inherently problematic."

Meta also announced a $1 billion fund for communities hosting its data centers, a response to the local opposition that has become one of the larger obstacles to building AI infrastructure. The essay cites Richland Parish, Louisiana, where teachers received a $50,000 bonus out of the tax revenue Meta's construction generated.

Tyler Durden Mon, 08/10/2026 - 10:40
Tyler Durden

NORAD Jets Intercept 2 Planes Over Restricted Airspace Near Trump's Golf Club

Zero Rss
5 days 19 hours ago
NORAD Jets Intercept 2 Planes Over Restricted Airspace Near Trump's Golf Club

Authored by Chase Smith via The Epoch Times,

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) F-16 fighter jets intercepted two general aviation aircraft that flew into restricted airspace over Bedminster, New Jersey, on Aug. 9, the command said.

President Donald Trump was at his golf club in Bedminster for the weekend, arriving the evening of Aug. 7 and departing for Washington on Aug. 9, according to his public schedule. The club hosted the LIV Golf New York tournament from Aug. 6 to Aug. 9.

Both aircraft were escorted out of the area safely, according to a statement from the Continental U.S. NORAD Region at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, which runs the mission. NORAD said in a post on X that it had intercepted multiple aircraft, while First Air Force put the number at two.

The restrictions had been announced days earlier. On Aug. 6, NORAD said it would enforce multiple VIP temporary flight restriction areas over New Jersey established by the Federal Aviation Administration for the weekend.

Such restrictions close off a defined block of airspace for a set period and are published in advance through notices to airmen, which pilots are required to check before every flight. The FAA issues them for presidential movements and other events, and NORAD enforces them.

In the Aug. 6 announcement, the command said aircraft violating the restrictions would be met with whatever action was needed to gain compliance, and it urged pilots to avoid that outcome.

NORAD also said the public may see U.S. Army ground-based air defense equipment in the same region. Those systems operate under NORAD authorities and work alongside its aircraft as part of what it described as a layered defense network of radars, satellites, and fighter jets.

The command tied the posture to Operation Noble Eagle, the name it gives to all of its aerospace warning, control, and defense missions in North America. NORAD describes the operation as deterring, detecting, and defeating potential threats to U.S. and Canadian airspace around the clock.

NORAD used the opportunity to remind pilots that if they are intercepted, they should immediately tune to 121.5 or 243.0 and reverse course until given further instructions on one of those frequencies.

Tyler Durden Mon, 08/10/2026 - 10:25
Tyler Durden

Key Events This Week: CPI, PPI, Retail Sales

Zero Rss
5 days 20 hours ago
Key Events This Week: CPI, PPI, Retail Sales

Most traders may be out on the beach soaking up the mid-summer sun, but the relentless market and geopolitical newsflow continues for another week.

Following Friday's payrolls report, which was far more dovish than hawkish at face value, attention this week will be firmly on July US CPI (Wednesday), which could go a long way towards further tipping the balance for September FOMC pricing. Futures pricing fell by around 10 percentage points immediately after the release on Friday, leaving the implied probability at 44%. Then we get US PPI (Thursday), which is key for the components that feed directly into core PCE. Other US highlights include retail sales and the preliminary University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey (both Friday). Elsewhere, attention will focus on the RBA policy decision (tomorrow), the Norges Bank meeting and UK Q2 GDP report (Thursday), and inflation releases across Asia and Europe. Corporate earnings are quieter than in recent weeks but reports from Tencent, BYD, Cisco, Applied Materials and CoreWeave will still attract attention.

Before we go into the week ahead in more detail the situation in Iran remains finely balanced with Iran’s latest political and security moves suggesting that Tehran is trying to balance a tougher domestic posture with a continued search for a diplomatic off-ramp. The appointment of former Revolutionary Guard commander Mohsen Rezaee to head the Supreme National Security Council reinforces hard-line influence at the centre of decision-making, even as Iranian officials insist they are close to an agreement with Oman on a new shipping framework through the Strait of Hormuz. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has described the talks as being in their final stages, but Tehran has stressed that any technical agreement on shipping routes would not by itself lead to a full reopening of the waterway. Reuters and other major outlets report that Iran continues to tie any lasting Hormuz arrangement to wider demands on the US, including sanctions relief, compensation for war damage and security guarantees. Oman has characterised the negotiations as constructive, while Washington has signalled a willingness to continue talks despite periodic tensions. Brent is up around +0.8% this morning but US and European equity futures are fairly flat.

This all follows last Friday’s US payrolls report certainly offering a mixed assessment of labor market conditions. Headline payrolls unexpectedly fell by -23k, private payroll growth slowed to just +30k, and the previous two months were revised down by a cumulative -103k. However, much of the weakness was concentrated in two sectors - leisure and hospitality (-40k) and local government education (-50k), while goods-producing employment and construction both posted their strongest gains in several months. At the same time, the unemployment rate declined to 4.1%, its lowest level since early 2025. DB economists view the report as consistent with a broadly stable labor market rather than a sharp deterioration, noting that demographic factors continue to weigh on participation.

The softer payrolls data has reduced the urgency for further Fed tightening in the near term, but with labor market slack only gradually increasing, it's over to Wednesday's US CPI. 

On this big number, DB's economists expect headline CPI to rise by +0.15% mom after June’s -0.42% decline, while core CPI is forecast at +0.26% mom following an unchanged reading in June. Lower gasoline prices should keep headline inflation softer than core, and if forecasts are realized both headline and core annual inflation rates would edge down by around one-tenth to 3.45% and 2.51% respectively. Markets will also be watching for evidence of payback from several unusual price moves in June, particularly across parts of core goods and services.

Attention will then turn to July PPI on Thursday. Economists expect headline producer prices to rise by +0.22% mom, with core PPI at +0.3% mom. Particular focus will fall on categories that feed into core PCE inflation, including healthcare services, airfares and portfolio management. DB strategist are currently tracking +0.22% in July and 3.3% YoY.

Friday’s US data will offer the first major read on Q3 activity. Economists expect retail sales to increase by +0.1% mom in July, a dip from the 0.2% increase in June, as lower fuel prices weigh on the headline figure relative to underlying spending measures. The preliminary University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey is expected to ease to 54.7 in August from 55.2 previously.

Fed speakers are relatively sparse, although comments from Cleveland Fed President Hammack and Richmond Fed President Barkin may attract attention following the inflation data.

Outside the US, there are a couple of G10 central banks in focus this week. The Reserve Bank of Australia announces its policy decision tomorrow, with our economists (and the market) expecting rates to remain unchanged at 4.35%. Norges Bank follows on Thursday with a 25% probability of a hike priced in.

In Europe, the key release will be the UK’s Q2 GDP report on Thursday. Our economists expect June GDP to contract by -0.1% mom, leaving quarterly growth at +0.4% qoq, although risks are seen as tilted to the downside. Elsewhere, Norway and Denmark both publish July CPI figures today.

On the corporate side, the earnings season is becoming less intensive, with 400 out of the S&P 500 having now reported, but several notable companies remain on the calendar.

In the US, investors will focus on results from Cisco, Applied Materials and CoreWeave, while in China attention will fall on Tencent and BYD.

Courtesy of DB, here is a day-by-day calendar of events

Monday August 10

  • Data: Japan June BoP current account balance, BoP trade balance, July bank lending, Economy Watchers survey, Denmark July CPI, Norway July CPI, Germany wholesale price index
  • Central banks: BoJ summary of opinions from the July MPM
  • Earnings: Ferguson Enterprises, Alcon, AST SpaceMobile, USA Rare Earth

Tuesday August 11

  • Data: US July NFIB small business optimism, existing home sales, Italy June trade balance
  • Central banks: RBA decision
  • Earnings: Lumentum, CoreWeave, Constellation Software, Venture Global, Super Micro Computer
  • Auctions: US 3-yr Notes ($58bn)

Wednesday August 12

  • Data: US July CPI, Japan July M2, M3, machine tool orders, Germany June current account balance, Canada June building permits
  • Earnings: Tencent, Cisco, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Coherent, Nebius, Cerebras, Vestas
  • Auctions: US 10-yr Notes ($42bn)

Thursday August 13

  • Data: US July PPI, initial jobless claims, UK Q2 GDP, July RICS house price balance, EU industrial production, Japan July PPI
  • Central banks: Norges bank decision, Fed’s Hammack and Barkin speak
  • Earnings: Applied Materials, RWE, Lenovo, Adyen, Pandora
  • Auctions: US 30-yr Bonds ($25bn)

Friday August 14

  • Data: US July retail sales, August University of Michigan survey, June business inventories, China Q2 BoP current account balance, Eurozone June trade balance, Canada June manufacturing sales
  • Earnings: BYD

* * * 

Focusing on just the US, the key economic data releases this week are the CPI report on Wednesday and the retail sales report on Friday. There are a few speaking engagements with Fed officials this week, including events with Presidents Hammack and Barkin.

Monday, August 10 

  • There are no major data releases scheduled.
  • 03:00 PM Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack (FOMC voter) speaks; Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack will appear on Yahoo Finance. Moderated Q&A is expected. At the July FOMC meeting, President Hammack dissented from the Committee’s decision to hold the target range for the fed funds rate unchanged, preferring a 25bp hike. In her dissent statement on July 31, she said that “given the stability of the labor market, with the unemployment rate near my estimate of maximum employment, I view high inflation as the more pressing problem.” She added that a “higher federal funds rate would help restrain economic activity and reduce inflationary pressures” because she does “not see the current policy stance as appropriately restrictive.”

Tuesday, August 11 

  • 10:00 AM Existing home sales, July (GS -1.0%, consensus -0.9%, last -2.4%)

 Wednesday, August 12 

  • 08:30 AM CPI (MoM), July (GS +0.05%, consensus +0.1%, last -0.4%); Core CPI (MoM), July (GS +0.19%, consensus +0.2%, last flat); CPI (YoY), July (GS +3.35%, consensus +3.4%, last +3.5%); Core CPI (YoY), July (GS +2.47%, consensus +2.5%, last +2.6%): We estimate a 0.19% increase in July core CPI (month-over-month SA), which would lower the year-over-year rate by 0.1pp to 2.5% on a rounded basis. We expect mixed autos inflation, reflecting a 0.5% increase in used car prices, a 0.1% increase in new car prices, and a 0.5% decline in the car insurance category. We forecast benign readings for the shelter categories—a 0.23% increase in the OER category and a 0.16% increase in the rent category—reflecting the continued slowdown in their underlying trends. We expect mixed travels services inflation (airfares: +2%, hotels: -1%), reflecting the signals from alternative price data. We expect slight upward pressure on the communications category from recently announced price increases for consumer electronics worth 1-2bp on core CPI inflation. We estimate a 0.05% rise in headline CPI—reflecting higher food prices (+0.2%) but lower energy prices (-2.0%)—which would lower the year-over-year rate to +3.35% from +3.53%. Our forecast is consistent with a 0.26% monthly increase in the core PCE price index in July. We expect a sharp increase in the portfolio management component—reflecting the increase in equity prices in Q2, which flow through to the component with a lag—to contribute to the larger increase in core PCE prices than the core CPI.

Thursday, August 13 

  • 08:15 AM Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack (FOMC voter) speaks: Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack will speak at the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce’s Government Affairs Breakfast series in Kettering, Ohio. Moderated Q&A is expected.
  • 08:30 AM PPI final demand, July (GS +0.4%, consensus +0.2%, last -0.3%); PPI ex-food and energy, July (GS +0.4%, consensus +0.3%, last +0.2%); PPI ex-food, energy, and trade, July (GS +0.4%, consensus +0.3%, last +0.1%)
  • 08:30 AM Initial jobless claims, week ended August 8 (GS 200k, consensus 202k, last 199k): Continuing jobless claims, week ended August 1 (consensus 1,800k, last 1,801k)
  • 08:40 AM Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin (FOMC non-voter) speaks: Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin will speak on the economic outlook and monetary policy at the Chamber of Commerce in Greenville, South Carolina. Speech text and audience Q&A are expected. On August 7, after the release of the July employment report, President Barkin noted that the employment data were “very consistent with how I’ve been seeing the labor market—which is it’s not loose, it’s not tight, it’s sort of in a weak balance.”

Friday, August 14 

  • 08:30 AM Retail sales, July (GS -0.1%, consensus +0.1%, last +0.2%); Retail sales ex-auto, July (GS flat, consensus +0.2%, last -0.2%); Retail sales ex-auto & gas, July (GS +0.2%, consensus +0.3%, last +0.4%); Core retail sales, July (GS +0.2%, consensus +0.3%, last +0.5%): We estimate nominal core retail sales increased 0.2% in July (ex-autos, gasoline, and building materials; month-over-month SA). Our forecast in part reflects a 0.2pp drag from payback for an early Amazon Prime Day, which is normally conducted in July but was held in June this year and likely boosted last month’s report. We estimate nominal headline retail sales declined 0.1%, reflecting lower gasoline prices and auto sales.
  • 10:00 AM University of Michigan consumer sentiment, August preliminary (GS 55.0, consensus 54.6, last 55.2): University of Michigan 5-10-year inflation expectations, August preliminary (GS 3.3%, consensus 3.3%, last 3.3%)

Source: DB, Goldman

Tyler Durden Mon, 08/10/2026 - 10:15
Tyler Durden

Give Them An Inch...

Zero Rss
5 days 20 hours ago
Give Them An Inch...

By Bas van Geffen, senior macro strategist at Rabobank

Talks between Iran and Oman on the reopening of Hormuz are reportedly inching ahead, as Iran continues to give the US the silent treatment. Negotiators said that a deal to establish a safe shipping route was close, but Iran may now be exploring just how much it can extract from the US in return.

Last week, Iran had already said that any deal with Oman would be contingent on the US lifting its blockade of Iranian ports. On Friday, a US official told Reuters that the administration agreed to this. The US blockade would end once a deal is announced that “restores commercial shipping without impediments.”

But give them an inch and they’ll take a mile. Tehran added new demands over the weekend, saying that the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen unless the US meets “a number of requirements.” These demands largely seem to refer to the original memorandum of understanding. Iran’s additional demands include the US ending all hostilities and withdrawing its troops from the area. Iran also wants Washington to pay billions in war damages and lift sanctions on the country.

Or do the additional demands reflect division between Iranian camps, and varying levels of distrust of the US? The strait remains a key point of geopolitical leverage – at least until planned alternatives for oil exports are all fully operational.

Meanwhile, the US president appears to be divided on the war as well. The Wall Street Journal reported this weekend that Trump had been willing to walk away without any agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme, claiming victory if the strait reopens. However, Iran’s additional demands may have torpedoed that plan.

Netanyahu rejecting the Board of Peace plan for Gaza is a further complicating factor. The Israeli prime minister indicated that he will not withdraw troops until Hamas fully disarms.

So, yesterday, Trump told Axios that he was “low-keying it,” waiting for the economic damage to build: “We are only semi-negotiating. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money.” Yet, the longer this persists, the more economic damage could build in the US and other parts of the world as well.

Energy markets started the week off cautiously after all this. Brent futures are marginally higher, but traders seem reluctant to take big positions given all this on-again, off-again news. Equity markets seem to have shrugged off the weekend news flow entirely, perhaps partly aided by US economic data.

Following Friday’s employment report, the case for a Fed hike is weakening, but it is certainly not yet done for. The headline payrolls number disappointed, with a -23,000 jobs print and a 37,000 downward revision to the June estimate. In contrast, unemployment declined from 4.2% to 4.1%, but the underlying data indicate that this was due to a big fall in labour supply that outpaced the decline in household employment.

Our US strategist noted earlier that employment growth has been slowing for several months, and Friday’s report confirmed that downside risks to the labor market have not disappeared entirely since the three insurance cuts last year. This could strengthen the argument of the Fed’s doves. Yet, the employment report also allows the hawks to argue that the labor market is mostly suffering from supply constraints, even if they are a little less confident in their case than before.

In short, the labor market data may have removed some urgency, reducing the odds of a September hike. However, incoming inflation data remain key.

Tyler Durden Mon, 08/10/2026 - 09:45
Tyler Durden

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