Analysis: Must Read

American banks are singing in the rain

The big US banks posted record results on Tuesday, powered by SpaceX's giant IPO, the return of mega-mergers and markets that just won't sit still.

Is Big Tech Dressing Up the AI Bill?

Since November 2025, Michael Burry has been casting a suspicious eye on the accounting wizardry behind the AI boom, accusing hyperscalers of stretching the useful lives of their servers and flattering...

The Fed can breathe easier, but inflation has not had its last say

US inflation in June came in weak, very weak. The annual rate fell back to 3.5%, after hitting a 3-year high of 4.2% in May, and thus came in well below the 3.8% expected by the consensus. On a...

After chips, the AI battle shifts to electricity and water, Goldman Sachs says

Progress in artificial intelligence will no longer depend solely on model sophistication, but increasingly on the infrastructure required to run it. Goldman Sachs puts cumulative investment between...

The UK Invests £26bn to Modernize Its Naval Bases

The UK Ministry of Defence is launching the largest naval infrastructure investment program since the end of the Cold War to strengthen the Royal Navy's operational capabilities.

CNBC/NRF measures a jump in US consumer spending (but keep it in perspective)

US retail sales rose sharply year over year in June, but the monthly pace suggests this acceleration owes more to a favorable base effect than to a real shift in the consumer spending trend.

Can AI make South Korea the Norway of Asia?

Seoul and Taipei are taking in a deluge of dollars thanks to the artificial intelligence boom. But turning this windfall into lasting national prosperity, along the lines of Norway's sovereign wealth...

Bank of America spots a clear pickup in US consumer spending

After Costco, Bank of America data confirms resilient spending in June, this time driven by the World Cup and discretionary purchases.

Fed: Kevin Warsh names the architects of his new monetary doctrine

The Fed chairman has appointed the leaders of five task forces charged with reviewing communications, the balance sheet, data, productivity and inflation analysis.

Irrational Exuberance?

The AI boom has a cash-flow clock, but talking about an expiry date is slightly absurd simply because bubbles are said to have an average lifespan of three to five years. The real clue is who gets...

The Week's Best Reads: a fun shortage, a millionaire cashier and a new social class in South Korea

Fewer leisure options and pricier leisure activities are weighing on Americans. To lift spirits, MarketScreener's press review goes looking for the newly rich: employees of South Korea's semiconductor...

AI promised lower costs until the Fed opened the invoice

They teach you pretty early in economics that technology is supposed to be deflationary. Better tools make workers more productive, productivity raises potential growth, and over time the same unit of...

Costco still notes resilient US consumer demand despite gasoline

After the pickup in April and May, Costco sales are still running strong in June, even though US momentum is showing a slight normalization.

MarketScreener Odds and Ends: Trump, the trader-president?

Donald Trump is racking up stockmarket trades, Copenhagen keeps its title as the world's most livable city and all the gold ever known would fit into a sphere about thirty meters across.

Fed minutes reveal divisions over the path of interest rates

The minutes of the June meeting show a committee that is split between the possibility of a rate cut or a rate hike, depending on how inflation evolves. They also confirm the determination of the...

Calm Before the Storm

The Q2 earnings season kicks off next week. Market expectations are even higher than they were at the start of the year, a setup that is bound to leave some investors disappointed. Major US banks,...

Erdogan center stage at the NATO summit

Long seen as a drag on the Atlantic Alliance, the host of the NATO summit is now indispensable.

Warsh's Fed Caught Out by Inflationary Expectations

American households are sending an uncomfortable signal to the Federal Reserve. According to the New York Fed's June survey, median one-year inflation expectations rose by 0.2% to 3.7%, their highest...

Productivity and AI: mirage or reality?

Between technological promise and macroeconomic reality, AI is starting to move the productivity needle, but in a still highly concentrated way.