Street

Westminster council has recommended banning ‘vertical drinking’ or ordering at the bar in new draft licensing policyNo 10 has vowed to confiscate powers from local councils who try to restrict customers from standing up while drinking in pubs or ordering at the bar.It comes after the Guardian revealed on Thursday that Westminster council in central London recommended not allowing “vertical drinking” or ordering at the bar in its new draft licensing policy. Continue reading...

• Asian equities declined on Thursday, August 6, as the recent technology-driven rally on Wall Street lost momentum. • South Korea's Kospi experienced the sharpest drop, tumbling 3.71%, while Japan's Nikkei fell 1.68% and the MSCI Asia Pacific Index slipped 0.2%. • The downturn signals a shift toward regional caution, with Hang Seng futures also pointing 0.9% lower.

• U.S. stocks slid on August 5, 2026, following a period of record-breaking highs for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 driven by strong corporate earnings. • Investors are currently pausing to evaluate several volatile factors, including rising oil prices and the status of ongoing diplomatic negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. • Market attention is now shifting toward upcoming financial reports from major companies, specifically Disney, Shopify, and Kimberly-Clark.

• The Indian stock market ended the session in the green, with the Sensex closing 150 points higher while the Nifty50 remained flat. • Investors balanced market mechanics against expectations for the Reserve Bank of India's upcoming policy decisions, while monitoring crude oil prices and the rupee. • Analysts noted that recent fluctuations are likely due to adjustments in the revised settlement framework rather than a decline in economic fundamentals.

• Asian stock markets rallied following gains on Wall Street, with South Korea’s KOSPI surging over 3% and the ASX hitting a record high. • Tech giants led the rebound, featuring significant jumps for SK Hynix (over 6%), Samsung Electronics (nearly 4%), and Foxconn Industrial Internet (nearly 9%). • Chinese and Hong Kong markets also advanced, with the CSI 300 rising 2% and the Hang Seng climbing 1.6%, bolstered by Alibaba's unveiling of its Qwen3.8-Max AI model.

• Wall Street indices climbed in early trading on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining 487 points (0.9%), the S&P 500 rising 0.5%, and the Nasdaq Composite increasing by 0.3%. • This surge extends a record-setting momentum from Tuesday, when both the S&P 500 and the Dow closed at all-time highs. • The rally is driven by robust financial performance from companies as the latest earnings season nears its conclusion, providing a strong start to August.

Obama-appointed judge seemed unmoved by Trump attorneys’ arguments in case also naming MurdochA federal judge in Florida seemed skeptical of arguments from Donald Trump’s legal team on Wednesday over whether the court should allow a $10bn defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal to move forward.Trump sued the Journal and News Corp founder Rupert Murdoch over a July 2025 article about a “bawdy” letter reportedly from Trump that was included in a 2003 birthday book for disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Trump has denied authoring or signing the letter, and his attorneys have argued that the Journal published the story despite having been told it was false. Continue reading...

Wayve Uber wins first minicab licence for autonomous cabs from TfL but vehicles will have a safety driver (at first)The taxi app company Uber and the autonomous technology developer Wayve have been granted the first minicab licences in London, allowing them to offer self-driving taxi rides to paying customers – but with a human safety driver in place, for now.The companies said they would start trips in the UK “later this summer” before the full public launch. Continue reading...

• Asian stock markets rallied following gains on Wall Street, with South Korea’s KOSPI jumping over 3% and the Australian ASX hitting a record high. • Tech stocks led the rebound, featuring significant gains for SK Hynix (over 6%), Samsung Electronics (nearly 4%), and Foxconn Industrial Internet (nearly 9%). • Chinese and Hong Kong markets also advanced, with the CSI 300 rising about 2% and the Hang Seng climbing 1.6%, bolstered by Alibaba's release of its Qwen3.8-Max AI model.

• Asian stock markets rose on Wednesday, driven by a surge in tech stocks following strong second-quarter results and an increased revenue forecast from Palantir. • The market rally occurred as investors reacted to easing concerns regarding artificial intelligence trends and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. • Global financial focus shifted toward central bank policy decisions, specifically those from the U.S. Federal Reserve, the Bank of England, and the Bank of Japan.

• In late July 2026, the AI trade faced a severe stress test involving Situational Awareness, a levered fund established by a former OpenAI employee. • Michael Watson argues that AI has become the new "market beta," meaning traditional Wall Street risk models are currently ill-equipped to handle the volatility and systemic shifts it creates. • The shift is exemplified by Microsoft, which captures spending on database units and Azure Kubernetes as AI lowers the engineering barrier for small-to-mid-sized funds to adopt complex infrastructure.

• Wall Street indices approached new record highs on Tuesday, driven by a surge in investor sentiment. • The rally was primarily fueled by a fresh round of strong corporate earnings reports and a decline in crude oil prices. • These factors combined to lift market confidence, pushing major US stocks toward peak valuations.

• U.S. stocks rallied toward all-time highs on Monday as falling oil prices reduced investor concerns regarding persistent inflation. • The surge is supported by strong corporate performance, with S&P 500 companies projected to deliver earnings per share 47% higher than the previous year. • This growth represents the strongest spring earnings increase since 2021, when the global economy began recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Snow falls in Wellington for the first time in 15 years while snow blanketed Dunedin and Christchurch on the country’s south islandTemperatures have plummeted across New Zealand as an Antarctic cold snap hovers over the country, delighting the capital, Wellington, which experienced snow for the first time in 15 years, while giving a southern city’s residents a chance to ski through the streets.The front moved in on Tuesday, with much of the country waking to freezing conditions, frosts, snowfall, hail and bitingly cold wind. Continue reading...

• Asian shares showed mixed results and European markets trended higher on Tuesday following a Wall Street rally fueled by easing oil prices. • Market analysts are debating the effectiveness of recent currency interventions, noting that such moves may not address core economic drivers like inflation and interest rates. • BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions, suggests that US-backed operations carry more signaling weight than solo actions by Tokyo, though the scale of US contribution may be limited.

• Asian markets saw cautious gains on August 4, 2026, following a global rally on Wall Street, with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares (excluding Japan) rising 0.1%. • South Korean shares led the growth with a rally of up to 2.1%, while Japan's Nikkei 225 declined by 0.3% and S&P 500 e-mini futures rose 0.1%. • Oil prices remained steady near multi-week lows, reflecting a stalemate in the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran.

• The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) extended its gains following a positive rally on Wall Street. • Economist Louise Southall from Xero noted surprising Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data showing discretionary spending grew at a faster rate than spending on essential items. • The market activity coincides with a drop in global oil prices, contributing to the shifting financial landscape.

• US stock market futures surged, with Dow futures jumping over 680 points alongside rises in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, following President Trump's decision to halt strikes on Iran. • The move improved investor sentiment and lowered oil prices at the start of the new trading month, though analysts warn that geopolitical uncertainty persists. • Economic focus shifts to July employment data, with expectations of 87,500 nonfarm payrolls added and a slight unemployment rate increase to 4.3%.

• Wall Street experienced a broad rally, with the S&P 500 gaining 1%, the Nasdaq Composite rising over 1%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average advancing 624 points (1.2%). • The surge was driven by a decline in oil prices and renewed investor optimism regarding a potential diplomatic deal between the US and Iran. • This rally is significant as it extends a recovery period following a volatile July characterized by sharp market swings.

• JPMorgan Private Bank strategist Kriti Gupta reports that the S&P 500 is experiencing a significant internal reshuffle as investors pivot away from the crowded AI trade. • This rotation is characterized by a shift toward sectors that can deliver returns more quickly, causing tech volatility to spike while overall index volatility remains contained. • The S&P 500 recently posted a two-day rebound to approximately 7,490, though it remains below its peak of 7,616.

• Wall Street investors are awaiting the release of the U.S. nonfarm payrolls report on August 7 and upcoming corporate earnings to determine the market's next direction. • Markets are currently navigating significant volatility driven by geopolitical tensions and uncertainty regarding the Federal Reserve's future interest rate policies. • The situation is critical because the Federal Reserve's most recent communication failed to provide a clear roadmap for monetary policy, leaving stocks without a definitive outlook.

• On April 9, 2025, Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on several new tariffs shortly after advising Truth Social followers that it was "a great time to buy." • The controversy centers on the "Truth API," a $1.2 million data feed that allows Wall Street firms to receive the president's market-moving announcements with minimal latency. • Critics argue this creates a systemic advantage for high-frequency traders, effectively allowing them to front-run policy shifts that impact the S&P 500 and digital assets.

• Wall Street is preparing for a critical week of economic data, with the July jobs report serving as the primary focus for investors. • The report is essential for assessing the outlook for US interest rates after the Federal Reserve kept benchmark rates unchanged at its most recent policy meeting. • Market expectations remain volatile as Fed Chair Kevin Warsh provided limited guidance regarding the specific timing of future rate increases.

• Leopold Aschenbrenner's hedge fund suffered a massive 67% loss in July following a "chip wipeout" that impacted leveraged AI investments. • The financial collapse forced Aschenbrenner to remove all leverage and sell the majority of the fund's public holdings to Citadel. • This event highlights the volatility of the AI boom and the risks associated with high-leverage bets on semiconductor stocks.

• On April 9, 2025, Donald Trump launched a $1.2 million data feed via Truth API, providing high-speed access to his policy announcements. • The service allows Wall Street traders to potentially front-run market-moving news, such as Trump's recent announcement of a 90-day pause on several new tariffs. • Critics argue this creates a conflict of interest, as the president retains an economic stake in the vendor while generating the information that drives market volatility.

People among the more than 50,000 who entered Spanish enclave this week describe the journey and their prospectsFour days ago, Youssef El Abbas saw an opportunity to reclaim the life he had lost years seven earlier. News was circulating that about 400 people had swum from Morocco to the neighbouring Spanish enclave of Ceuta on the north African coast, approximately 12 miles (19km) across the strait of Gibraltar from mainland Spain.Here was a chance for the 44-year-old Moroccan father of four to return to Spain, from which he had been deported when his residency expired after the loss of his job in Bilbao in 2019. Continue reading...

• Wall Street is bracing for a critical week featuring the monthly U.S. jobs report and earnings releases from major companies, including McDonald's and SpaceX. • Investors are closely monitoring employment data as job growth slows, reflecting broader economic concerns regarding inflation's impact on households and businesses. • These reports are vital for the Federal Reserve, as labor market strength directly influences the central bank's decisions on interest rate policy.

• Wall Street is bracing for a critical week featuring major corporate earnings reports from companies including McDonald's and SpaceX. • Investors are closely monitoring the upcoming monthly jobs report to gauge the health of the U.S. labor market amid slowing growth. • These employment figures are vital for the Federal Reserve as they determine whether to adjust interest rate policies to combat inflation.