Trump Issues New Tariff Rates, Still Open to Negotiations…
What Does It Mean – President Trump announced a 25% tariff on imports from Japan and South Korea, effective August 1, 2025, targeting trade imbalances. The executive action delays previously set “reciprocal” tariffs, except for China, to allow negotiations. Tariffs on 12 other nations, including Malaysia and Kazakhstan, range from 25% to 40%. These levies, justified by an economic emergency, aim to address trade deficits but may raise consumer prices for goods like cars and electronics. Japan and South Korea are urged to open markets or face higher duties. Retaliation could escalate tariffs further. Read more.
Musk Declares ‘America Party’ Formed After Trump’s Bill Passes…
What Does It Mean – Following President Trump’s signing of a $3.3 trillion tax and spending bill on July 4, 2025, Elon Musk announced the formation of the “America Party” to challenge the U.S. two-party system. Musk criticized the bill for increasing national debt and accused the Republican-Democrat “uniparty” of wasteful spending. The America Party aims to restore voter freedom and disrupt the political establishment, potentially focusing on congressional races. Trump dismissed the initiative as “ridiculous,” citing historical failures of third parties. Musk’s move, sparked by a viral X poll, faces significant hurdles in breaking the entrenched political duopoly. Read more.
Stock Pickers Shine, Sniffing Out Value During Market Tumult…
What Does It Mean – Despite a robust U.S. stock market rally, value investing underperformed last quarter, with beaten-down shares lagging broader indices. However, skilled stock pickers are finding opportunities in undervalued cyclical stocks, particularly in small-cap and mid-cap segments, amid market volatility driven by tariff uncertainties and trade policies. Anticipated Federal Reserve rate cuts in late 2025 are expected to bolster value stocks, especially cyclicals, as lower interest rates reduce borrowing costs and stimulate economic activity. Strategists remain optimistic about value stocks’ potential to outperform, citing resilience in corporate earnings despite trade disruptions. Read more.
Public Companies Are Buying More Bitcoin Than ETFs for Third Quarter in a Row…
What Does It Mean – Public companies have outpaced exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in Bitcoin (BTC) accumulation for the third consecutive quarter in Q2 2025, acquiring 131,000 BTC (18% increase) compared to ETFs’ 111,000 BTC (8% increase), per Bitcoin Treasuries data. Driven by a crypto-friendly U.S. regulatory environment and a strategic focus on enhancing shareholder value, firms like Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) lead the trend. Public companies hold 855,000 BTC (4% of Bitcoin’s supply), while ETFs hold 1.4 million BTC (6.8%). This shift reflects corporations viewing Bitcoin as a long-term reserve asset. Read more.
China’s humanoid robots generate more soccer excitement than their human counterparts…
While China’s men’s soccer team hasn’t generated much excitement in recent years, humanoid robot teams have won over fans in Beijing based more on the AI technology involved than any athletic prowess shown.
Four teams of humanoid robots faced off in fully autonomous 3-on-3 soccer matches powered entirely by artificial intelligence on Saturday night in China’s capital in what was touted as a first in China and a preview for the upcoming World Humanoid Robot Games, set to take place in Beijing.
According to the organizers, a key aspect of the match was that all the participating robots operated fully autonomously using AI-driven strategies without any human intervention or supervision.
Equipped with advanced visual sensors, the robots were able to identify the ball and navigate the field with agility
They were also designed to stand up on their own after falling. However, during the match several still had to be carried off the field on stretchers by staff, adding to the realism of the experience.
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Relative strength measures the price performance of a stock against a market average, a selected universe of stocks or a single alternative holding. Relative strength improves if it rises faster in an uptrend, or falls less in a downtrend. It is easily applied to individual positions in your portfolio and to sectors and asset classes.
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