Author: GT

It’s a risk-off day in Asia as traders look to Beijing’s response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping reciprocal tariffs on China and other Asian nations. On Wednesday, Trump announced tariffs on imports from 180 nations, including trading partners identified as the worst offenders, such as China and the European Union. The president imposed a new 34% tariff on goods from China in addition to the existing 20% tax, bringing the total levy to 54%, the highest for any nation. The action did not affect Canada and Mexico. Observers say the ball is now in China’s court, and the nature…

A view shows the logo of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) during the United Nations climate change conference COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan November 13, 2024. Maxim Shemetov | ReutersEight key OPEC+ producers on Thuesday agreed to raise combined crude oil output by 411,000 barrels per day, speeding up the pace of their scheduled hikes and pushing down oil prices.The Ice Brent contract with June delivery was trading at $70.50 per barrel at 1:32 p.m. London time (8:32 a.m. ET), down 5.94% from the Wednesday close. The front-month May Nymex WTI contract was at $67.11 per barrel, 6.41% lower.Saudi Arabia,…

Senior members of the Trump administration’s National Security Council — including its top national security adviser, Michael Waltz — used Gmail to conduct government business, The Washington Post reported, citing documents and three unnamed government officials. The report follows last week’s news that several cabinet-level officials, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, discussed highly sensitive war plans in a Signal group chat that also inadvertently included the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. Per The Washington Post, an aide to Waltz used the consumer version of Gmail, which is not cleared for government use, to discuss “highly technical conversations with colleagues at…

Even as he grows older, Microsoft founder Bill Gates still fondly remembers the catalytic computer code he wrote 50 years ago that opened up a new frontier in technology.Although the code that Gates printed out on a teletype machine may look crude compared to what’s powering today’s artificial intelligence platforms, it played a critical role in creating Microsoft in April 1975 — a golden anniversary that the Redmond, Washington, company will celebrate on Friday.Gates, 69, set the stage for that jubilee with a blog post reminiscing on how he and his old high school friend — the late Paul Allen…

Higher-than-usual market volatility affected bulls and bears alike as crypto futures racked up $450 million in liquidations in the past 24 hours as U.S. tariffs went into play. President Donald Trump officially levied a 25% tariff on auto imports and a minimum 10% tariff on all exporters to the U.S. Additional duties were imposed on the nation’s biggest trading partners in Asia and the European Union, with China facing a 50% hike on several goods and a 26% fee on some Indian goods. Turmoil in markets ensued with gains from the past three days wiped out in U.S. indices and…

Roblox, the popular gaming platform geared toward preteens, has made substantial updates to its safety policy in the last year following accusations of insufficient safety measures for children, which could expose them to risks like grooming, explicit content, and violent material.  The company announced Wednesday three new parental control features, including the option for them to block access to certain experiences or people on their kid’s friends list, as well as the ability to track which experiences their child spends the most time in.  These updates implement a more stringent approach regarding how children play on the platform. To access…

In a sector packed with assets that arrive on Monday and hit zero by Thursday, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) stands on its own as a cryptocurrency that’s practically guaranteed to survive and possibly even thrive over the long term. That makes it the smartest coin to buy and hold, and the longer your investing timeline is, the better it looks. Let’s examine three reasons that’s the case. One of the core pillars of Bitcoin’s long-term investment thesis is that it’s designed to maintain its purchasing power relative to fiat currencies. You’ve probably heard something along those lines before, but let’s take…

Kay Firth-Butterfield is a globally recognised leader in ethical artificial intelligence and a distinguished AI ethics speaker. As the former head of AI and Machine Learning at the World Economic Forum (WEF) and one of the foremost voices in AI governance, she has spent her career advocating for technology that enhances, rather than harms, society. We spoke to Kay to discuss the promise and pitfalls of generative AI, the future of the Metaverse, and how organisations can prepare for a decade of unprecedented digital transformation. Generative AI has captured global attention, but there’s still a great deal of misunderstanding around…

Patreon, a subscription platform for online creators, has signed podcasting partnerships with Sony Music Entertainment and Amazon’s Wondery, the company announced on Wednesday. Patreon says the partnerships are designed to make the site a home to fan engagement and exclusive perks for shows from major podcast networks, as the company looks to expand beyond its current base of podcasts. The deal means that Patreon will now offer some of the podcasting industry’s big names on its platform. The addition of bigger partners will allow Patreon to stand out among other platforms that also support podcasts. As for Sony and Wondery,…

By Niket Nishant (Reuters) – U.S. crypto stocks declined in premarket trading on Thursday after President Donald Trump’s latest round of sweeping tariffs rattled investor confidence due to rising global trade tensions, sparking a sell-off in riskier assets. Crypto exchange Coinbase Global fell about 4%, while major bitcoin holder Strategy dropped 3%. Among miners, MARA Holdings, Riot Platforms and Bitfarms slipped about 4%, 5% and 6%, respectively. The broad losses underscore the widespread fallout of the tariffs on multiple asset classes. Bitcoin, the biggest cryptocurrency, dropped 2.3%, while ether dived 3.3%. Even though the Trump administration has signaled a willingness…