GlobalEconPulse

I have to admit, the idea of an AI agent handling my shopping list is incredibly tempting. Who actually enjoys entering their credit card number for the thousandth time or fighting a refresh button for concert tickets? Visa is clearly on to something here. However, there is a trust hurdle we have to clear. Handing over purchasing power to an AI requires a lot of faith in the security of the payment network. I’m all for it for buying dog food or paper towels, but I might hesitate before letting an AI agent make big-ticket decisions. That said, if it means I never have to miss out on a ticket drop again because I type too slow, sign me up.

To be honest, we all should have seen this coming. The moment subscription models started working for other platforms, it was inevitable that Facebook would want a slice of that pie. It is frustrating, absolutely. Being asked to pay just to post a link feels like being charged to breathe air. But from a business perspective, Meta knows that creators and brands are hooked on their audience. My advice? Don't panic, but do diversify. If you are still relying 100% on Facebook to drive traffic to your site, you are building your house on rented land—and the landlord just raised the rent. Start building your email list, work on your SEO, and stop treating social media like a free utility. It hasn't been one for a long time.

As an American watching this unfold, the situation in Japan is fascinating. For years, investors have treated the Yen as a funding currency because borrowing was essentially free. That era is closing. While a 0.75% rate seems tiny compared to US rates, the psychological impact on the Japanese market is huge. If you are planning a trip to Tokyo, you might want to keep an eye on this. If the BOJ keeps hiking and the Yen finally strengthens, that "cheap vacation" might get a little more expensive. It is a necessary pain for the Japanese people to curb inflation, but for the global markets, the unwinding of the Yen "carry trade" could bring some volatility to our own shores. Stay tuned.

It creates a "weird feeling," as one victim put it, to walk past a Circle K and know it was the scene of a crime. We trust these brands. When a major chain installs a machine, it carries an implicit seal of approval. By hosting crypto ATMs that are overwhelmingly used for fraud, Circle K is burning through decades of community trust for a few hundred bucks a month in rent. It is time for corporate leadership to read the room. If your own employees hate the machines and your customers are being robbed in aisle three, maybe—just maybe—it is time to unplug the Bitcoin kiosk.

As an observer of these markets for years, I have to admit the current action in silver is incredibly exciting. Seeing an asset class wake up after years of dormancy is fascinating. However, a word of caution to my fellow American investors: when you see headlines about the silver price doubling, it is easy to get swept up in the Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO). Remember that silver is nicknamed the "Devil's metal" for a reason. It takes the stairs up and the elevator down. While the fundamental case for silver—driven by AI and green energy—is stronger than it has ever been, do not bet the farm on a straight line to $100. If you are entering the market now, be prepared for a bumpy ride. The long-term thesis makes sense, but the volatility is the price of admission for those potential triple-digit gains. Stay disciplined, and don't chase the green candles blindly.

As someone who watches the markets closely, I find the rush toward Nasdaq 24-hour trading to be a classic case of doing something just because we can, not because we should. There is a reason sports games have quarters and workers have weekends. Pauses allow for digestion of information, rational thinking, and rest. The implementation of Nasdaq 24-hour trading feels like a surrender to the dopamine-fueled culture of instant gratification. The volatility we see during the day is already enough to induce motion sickness; extending that volatility through the middle of the night seems reckless. While Nasdaq 24-hour trading might offer convenience for a global trader in a different time zone, for the average American investor, it likely just adds more noise to an already noisy signal. Sometimes, the best financial decision you can make is to simply turn off the screen and get a good night's sleep.

As we watch this political drama unfold, it is important to remember that the role of the Federal Reserve Chair is not just about numbers on a screen. It is about trust. In my opinion, the most dangerous outcome here is not necessarily who gets the job, but how they get it. If the market perceives that the new Federal Reserve Chair is merely a puppet for the White House, the US dollar and Treasury bonds lose their status as the world's safety net. We need a Federal Reserve Chair who has the backbone to say "no" when necessary—whether that is saying no to Wall Street's demand for easy money or saying no to a President's demand for a political boost. The beauty of the US economic system has always been its checks and balances. The Federal Reserve Chair is one of the most vital checks we have. Let’s hope whoever takes the seat—be it Kevin Hassett, Kevin Warsh, or someone else—remembers that their duty is to the long-term health of the American economy, not just the next election cycle.

Watching this unfold, it is clear that we are witnessing a fundamental correction in Corporate America. For the last decade, the influence of proxy advisory firms like ISS and Glass Lewis expanded unchecked, largely riding the wave of ESG popularity. They became the gatekeepers of corporate morality. However, business ultimately runs on numbers, not narratives. Trump's alignment with Elon Musk here represents a return to the "shareholder primacy" doctrine—the idea that a company's only job is to make money for its owners, not to save the world or engineer social equity. While I doubt these firms will disappear—investors still need someone to do the research—their teeth are being filed down. For CEOs like Elon Musk, the era of having to bow down to third-party consultants to get a pay raise or pass a motion is likely coming to an end. It is a bold, aggressive deregulation move that fits perfectly with the new administration's playbook.

Honestly, seeing the US government launches ‘Tech Force’ to hire AI talent feels like a breath of fresh air. For decades, we’ve watched the public sector fall behind, relying on outdated legacy systems while the private sector zoomed ahead. There has always been this stigma that if you go into government tech, your skills will atrophy. This program flips that narrative on its head. By offering nearly $200k and partnering with companies like Meta and Microsoft, the administration is finally speaking the language of the talent they want to attract. They are acknowledging that patriotism alone isn't enough to recruit the best AI talent; you need to offer value, mentorship, and competitive compensation. If this works, it could fundamentally change how Washington D.C. operates. We aren't just talking about better websites; we're talking about a smarter, faster, and more efficient government. It’s a bold experiment, but in the age of AI, it’s exactly the kind of risk the US needs to take.

Honestly, the potential sale of TikTok feels a bit like buying a Ferrari but leaving the engine behind. The entire value of TikTok lies in its eerily accurate recommendation algorithm. It knows what you want to watch before you know what you want to watch. If investors like McCourt plan to buy the brand but strip out the underlying code due to security concerns, are they really saving TikTok? Or are they just buying a user base that will likely migrate elsewhere once the "magic" is gone? It is a classic case of politics colliding with tech utility. As an American user, I want my data secure, but I also know that a "dumbed down" version of the feed just won't cut it.

Honestly, this feels like the most pragmatic move Ford could have made. For a while, it felt like automakers were trying to force-feed us expensive electric vehicles that didn't fit everyone's lifestyle, just to meet a government quota. Don't get me wrong, I like the tech. But if you are a contractor towing a trailer in a rural area, a pure EV truck just isn't practical yet. Shifting focus to hybrids with gas generators? That is a solution that actually solves a problem without creating new ones. It shows that Ford is finally listening to the wallet of the American consumer rather than the wishes of Washington. It might be a "$19.5bn mistake" on paper, but correcting course now is better than driving off a cliff later.

From an American perspective, this looks less like an offensive touchdown and more like a solid defensive play. The UK and South Korea trade deal is essentially keeping things from getting worse in 2026, rather than unlocking a massive new goldmine today. That said, in the current global climate, stability is currency. The UK and South Korea are smart to lock this in. While politicians love to talk about "billions" in growth, the real value here is for the specific sectors like luxury autos and whiskey. If you are selling high-end goods, this deal is a lifesaver. If you are an average worker looking for a sudden economic boom, you might not feel the difference tomorrow. It’s a good deal, but let's not pretend it fixes the structural issues of the post-Brexit British economy.

There is a fundamental limit to running the US economy like a business. In a corporation, if revenue is up and the stock price is high, the CEO is doing a great job, even if the entry-level employees are struggling. But a country is different. The economy isn't just about aggregate numbers; it’s about people. Trump is right that investment and revenue are important, but they are means to an end, not the end itself. If the government’s coffers are full but the citizens are emptying their savings to pay for basic needs, the "business model" is failing. Trump’s messaging feels like a shareholder meeting presentation that ignores the morale of the workforce. Until he acknowledges that the cost of living is a crisis—not a scam—his claims of a "Great American Economy" will continue to ring hollow for millions of voters.

This move by President Zelenskyy to drop the NATO bid is a huge, difficult compromise and a brutal reality check for Ukraine. It shows just how much pressure he's under to end this awful war. Let's be honest, NATO membership was never going to happen while Russia had troops in Ukraine, especially with partners like Hungary and Slovakia blocking the way. By formally giving up the NATO dream, Zelenskyy is calling Russia's bluff and trying to remove their main pretext for the 2022 invasion. But here’s the kicker: an "Article 5-like guarantee" is the absolute minimum Ukraine can accept. The US and our European colleagues need to step up and make sure these new security guarantees are legally ironclad and immediately enforceable, or this whole tragic "compromise" will just be a green light for Russia to try this again in five years.