Manage The Numbers - Most Recent

Oct 17, 2026

M.L.B. Playoff Ads With Sydney Sweeney and Megan Fox Draw Backlash

Commercials with Sydney Sweeney promoting a gambling platform and Megan Fox endorsing male enhancement have rankled fans, and even athletes. Who is in charge?

US budget deficit balloons to highest in five years

Oct 17, 2026

The US budget deficit grew to almost US$2 trillion over the past year, government data showed Friday, reaching its highest level since 2021 despite President Donald Trump's promises to cut public spending and red ink. The deficit, which occurs when government spending exceeds its revenues, rose to US$1.99 trillion in fiscal year 2026, the Treasury Department said. This marked a 12-percent increase from the prior year, when the shortfall came in at US$1.78 trillion. A key driver of expenditures was the rising interest paid on public debt, which jumped US$144 billion, to a record US$1.36 trillion. Interest costs on around US$32 trillion in publicly held US debt have been ballooning in recent years, and climbing bond yields have fuelled further concerns. Meanwhile, an expected influx of revenue from Trump's sweeping tariffs failed to fully materialise during his second term. The Supreme Court struck down his global duties in February, triggering a wave of refunds. Treasury data released Friday reflected US$145 billion in customs refunds over the year — primarily due to tariffs — erasing significant gains from Trump's duties. Overall, government revenues climbed by three percent to US$5.40 trillion in the latest fiscal year, which ended September 30. But spending was much higher, rising by six percent to US$7.40 trillion. The Trump administration has pledged to slash deficits and government spending since he returned to the White House last year. Besides slashing the federal workforce and foreign aid, the Republican-controlled Congress pushed through cuts to the Medicaid health insurance scheme and moved to shrink the federal food assistance programme too. But they also extended expiring tax cuts and provided fresh funding for Trump's migrant deportation drive. The latest data released Friday showed that upticks in tax collection from individuals and customs revenues were offset by higher refunds and lower corporate tax collection. Among other sectors, spending on on defence military programmes increased by US$48 billion, or six percent, over the year to US$917 billion. Taken together, a Treasury official estimates the US deficit-to-GDP ratio is around 6.2 percent, up from 5.8 percent last year. This stands in contrast to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's previously stated goal of bringing the deficit down to three percent of GDP, alongside other targets like spurring economic growth of three percent. The latest budget figures come around two weeks before US midterm elections, where Trump's Republican Party is trying to retain control of Congress. Ahead of the crucial vote, both Republicans and Democrats have raised ideas that could widen the budget shortfall further. Trump recently promised US$5,000 to every American adult if Republicans maintained control of Congress, a plan that would cost over US$1 trillion. Democrats say they are looking to reverse Medicaid cuts and revive health care tax breaks. (AFP) Edited by Tony Sabine

Oct 16, 2026

Netflix Hurries to Rewrite Its Narrative With Layoffs and a Sudden Firing

Despite strong revenues and profits, the streaming service cut 1,000 jobs and jettisoned its chief content officer. Drops in the stock price and viewer engagement are to blame.

AI jitters, higher oil prices rattle US markets

Oct 16, 2026

US markets ended sharply lower on Friday, with CoreWeave, Broadcom and other AI-related technology stocks under renewed pressure, while a jump in oil prices spooked traders heading ⁠into the weekend. The Nasdaq extended losses from earlier in the week, hammered by concerns that debt-laden AI infrastructure companies may not turn profits in time to repay debts, particularly with borrowing costs expected to rise. The S&P 500 lost 84 points, or 1.1 percent, to 7,659 points, the Nasdaq Composite lost 573 points, or 2.2 percent, to 26,140. The Dow Jones ⁠Industrial Average fell 175 points, or 0.3 percent, to 52,002. Investors were also watching oil prices jump more than three percent due to Middle East supply worries. "There is some fear in the market," said Rob ⁠Haworth, senior investment strategist at US Bank Wealth Management in Seattle. "High oil prices, in particular, ⁠tend to weigh on the price/earnings ⁠multiple of stocks, and so I think you have investors looking to be cautious into the weekend rather than take more risk." Adding to concerns around AI financing, some current Anthropic ⁠investors and prospective investors are weighing a lower valuation for the company in its upcoming IPO, Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Third-quarter earnings season shifts into gear next week with reports from Tesla, Meta Platforms and Procter & Gamble. Analysts on average see quarterly earnings surging more than 30 percent, driven by AI-related megacaps, according to LSEG data. While the S&P 500 remains up about 12 percent in 2025, most of that gain has come from AI-related tech stocks. Hotter-than-expected consumer and producer inflation reports this week showed price pressures were extending beyond energy commodities. Federal ⁠Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh on Friday voiced optimism about US economic strength and surprise about how well global economies have been "hanging in there" during a lingering energy shock and tighter monetary policy to fight inflation. Markets increasingly expect the Fed to keep interest rates unchanged this month. Barclays now expects 25-basis-point hikes each in December and January. Tesla dropped after the electric-vehicle maker unveiled a redesigned Roadster, powered by rocket-style thrusters, developed in collaboration with SpaceX. (Reuters) Edited by Tony Sabine

Oct 16, 2026

Why Bad News in the Bond Market May Be Good News for Investors

In the contrarian logic of investing, rising interest rates have made bonds much more attractive, our columnist says.

Oct 16, 2026

U.S. Budget Deficit Nears $2 Trillion, a Reality Check for Trump’s Cost Cutting

Higher interest rates are inflating borrowing costs as the Trump administration spends on the Iran war and tariff refunds.

Oct 16, 2026

Indonesian Stocks Plunge as MSCI Threatens to Drop Market from Indexes

The potential downgrade by MSCI, an influential index provider, adds to a deepening crisis of investor confidence in the economic policies of President Prabowo Subianto.

Oct 16, 2026

Warsh Vows to Tame Inflation as A.I. Delivers ‘Shock’ to Economy

The Federal Reserve chairman stuck to his pledge to avoid providing guidance about the path forward for interest rates, but did nothing to convey an urgency to raise them later this month.

Lufthansa’s Final A346 Flight Marks the End of an Aviation Love Story

Oct 16, 2026

Lufthansa’s quirky plane, with its extra-long fuselage, four engines and restrooms down a flight of stairs, has a devoted following. Now, the carrier, one of few still flying the model, is taking it out of service.

U.S. presses China on Mastercard, Citigroup market access in bilateral Bangkok talks, official says

Oct 16, 2026

The U.S. raised market access issues for Mastercard and Citigroup in China during bilateral meetings in Bangkok this week, a U.S. Treasury official says.