#financial-markets

#financial-markets

Employers added a healthy 130,000 jobs in January, the Labor Department said this week, as the unemployment rate edged down to 4.3%. The caveat? That announcement came with revisions that showed job creation flatlined over the last year, with only 15,000 jobs being added per month on average. Service sectors like finance and professional services that normally power the creation of high-paying office positions have instead been shedding jobs, perhaps reflecting employers' anticipation of AI-related cost savings.

Once a fringe curiosity, the deepfake economy has grown to become a $7.5 billion market, with some predictions projecting that it will hit $38.5 billion by 2032. Deepfakes are now everywhere, and the stock market is not the only part of the economy that is vulnerable to their impact. Those responsible for the creation of deepfakes are also targeting individual businesses, sometimes with the goal of extracting money and sometimes simply to cause damage.

Interchange is a web-based interactive installation that explores how people perceive and engage with financial markets. The project reflects on the shifting relationship between individuals and the abstract systems that define modern finance. Active participation reveals a dynamic, unpredictable environment shaped by personal beliefs, collective behavior, news, and global events.

Financial markets globally rallied with sharp increases in share prices, as the Nikkei rose by 3.5%, the FTSE 100 hit a record 9,061, and the Dow Jones rose over 1%. News regarding nearing trade deals between the EU and US spurred this surge, while a significant trade agreement recently made between the US and Japan benefited Japanese automakers, with Toyota's shares surging over 14%.

The growth of the market for tokenized assets has been far slower than expected in recent years, with many projects still in their infancy or not yet live.

President Donald Trump expressed outrage over the Wall Street Journal's reporting, emphasizing that nobody needs to explain market dynamics to him as he claims full understanding.

Rockland Trust Co increased its position in Alphabet by 50,959 shares in Q2 2025, holding a total of 491,921 shares valued at $86.71 million.

The announcement of a 90-day tariff pause extension until August 1 signifies Trump's ongoing volatility in trade negotiations, leaving room for further changes in policy.

"IBIT overtaking IVV in annual fee revenue is reflective of both the surging investor demand for Bitcoin and the significant fee compression in core equity exposure."

Part-time traders often face time constraints that limit their ability to monitor and trade in the markets continuously. Their schedules require flexibility in trading rules.

"The Taiwan dollar has been under strong appreciation pressure due to record trade surpluses, equity inflows, and hedging activity by Taiwan life insurance companies," Khoon Goh, head of Asia research at ANZ, wrote in a note.

Realty Income (NYSE:O) is a real estate investment trust that pays out monthly dividends and currently has a 5.55% yield, delivering steady cash flow.

Eric Trump is expected to assume a role at the newly formed Tron Inc., following its planned public listing via a reverse merger with SRM Entertainment.