Five things you need to know this week

📦 US-China: deal without details
Washington and Beijing have announced a framework trade agreement... but without publishing any details. On the markets? Polite optimism. 

✈️ Tragic crash of Air India plane
A Boeing 787 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing over 240 people. This is the first fatal accident for this model—and another blow for Boeing, which thought it had turned the page on the 737 MAX.

🔥 Trump vs. California
The president sends Marines and National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell anti-immigration protests. Governor Newsom fights back in court... and obtains a temporary injunction. California is a key state in America: if it were independent, it would be the world's fourth largest economy behind the US, Japan, and Germany.

🧠 Elon apologizes, Trump forgives (temporarily)
Musk swallows his pride and apologizes to Trump. The result? Tesla shares are back on the rise. But can these two larger-than-life egos really stay on the same page? Nothing is less certain.

💣 Israel strikes, oil prices soar
Massive Israeli raids have targeted nuclear sites and prominent figures in Iran. Crude oil prices are soaring and markets are tense. At the heart of the concerns is the Strait of Hormuz, a key bottleneck for global oil. As an added bonus, there is a reality that must be upsetting the White House: US oil production is expected to decline next year.

Articles not to be missed

There's more to life than gold; there's also platinum. We explain why it's soaring. Gold is still doing pretty well this year.

The graph

Platinum takes the elevator

 

The weekly press review, covering finance, but fortunately not only that

The world is going in all directions this week, and so are our articles. Hedge funds are rummaging through France's industrial ruins, while the war of autonomous drones is knocking at the door and the Fed is looking for a new guru. Trump reigns supreme, Obama keeps a low profile, and American democracy is bogged down in its own paradoxes. On another front, Apple is feeling the breath of obsolescence, start-ups are miniaturizing to the extreme, and AI is demanding the keys to the house. Fortunately, we can breathe a little easier: tomatoes are clearing their name and Spielberg is back on top thanks to a 50-year-old shark. And then there's the moon, aliens from the 1980s, fake luxury bags, and a footnote that could save the global economy. Are we exaggerating? Maybe. But it's Friday. All links to the articles here.

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