European Stocks Rally on July 9, STOXX 600 Hits Four-Week High
European equities closed higher on July 9, with the pan-European STOXX 600 rising 0.8% to a four-week peak, led by banks and defense sectors. Italy’s FTMIB surged 1.6% to 2007 levels, fueled by a 4.6% jump in UniCredit (CRDI.MI) to 2011 highs, despite shareholder resistance to its Commerzbank (CBKG.DE) acquisition bid.
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Japan's Real Wages See Steepest Drop in 20 Months, Straining Consumption Recovery
A core contradiction has emerged in Japan’s economy: inflation-adjusted real wages plummeted 2.9% year-on-year in May (following a -2.0% decline in April), marking the sharpest drop in 20 months and extending a five-month streak of contraction. This was driven by persistent inflation—running at 4% when excluding fresh food but including rent costs—outpacing nominal wage growth, which slowed drastically to 1.0% (to ¥300,000) from 2.0% in April, hitting a 14-month low.
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Canada's June Ivey PMI Rises to 4-Month High; Rental Market Cools Unevenly
Canada’s Ivey PMI climbed to 53.3 in June, a four-month high, signaling accelerating economic activity. However, underlying concerns emerged: the employment sub-index dipped below 50 (49.5), while the price index surged to 70.2, highlighting mounting inflation pressures.
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Japan's Economy Faces Double Pressure: Manufacturing Contraction and Halted Central Bank Policy Shift
Japan's manufacturing sector has been in a continuous slump, with the PMI remaining below the boom - bust line for 10 consecutive months. In April, it recorded 48.7, and the new orders index saw its largest decline in 14 months. Weak demand from China, the US, and Europe, along with US tariff shocks, have significantly hit core export categories such as automobiles and semiconductors.
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Canadian Stocks Retreat Slightly Amid Oil Price Decline and Service Sector Woes
On May 5, the Canadian stock market experienced a slight pullback. The S&P/TSX composite index on the Toronto Stock Exchange dropped 27.99 points, or approximately 0.3%, closing at 24,953.52, bringing an end to the previous day's upward trend.
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U.S. House Passes First Major Crypto Industry Regulation Bills
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Genius Act on July 17, sending it to President Trump for signature. This marks the first U.S. regulatory framework for dollar-backed crypto stablecoins. The House also approved two other crypto bills the same day.
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US-Japan Tariff Negotiations Reach an Impasse as US Refuses to Fully Lift Tariffs to Pressure Japan
The tariff dispute between the United States and Japan has been escalating. Negotiation details revealed on May 6 show that the US side has firmly refused to cancel the 14% punitive tariffs and the 10% base tariff imposed on Japan by the Trump administration.
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Soaring Vegetable and Fruit Prices in the US in 2025 Spark Concerns
Soaring Vegetable and Fruit Prices in the US in 2025 Spark Concerns
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UK Retailers in Cost Quagmire as Inflation Worsens and Statistical Reform Looms
The UK retail industry is facing a tough situation as inflationary pressures intensify and statistical reforms are on the horizon. On April 29th, data showed that the inflation rate of grocery prices in the UK climbed to 3.8% (Kantar data), and the food inflation rate reached 2.6% (BRC data), hitting a one - year high. The retail sector is burdened by three major pressures. Firstly, the packaging tax that comes into effect in October will increase the costs of enterprises. Secondly, the Employment Rights Act may lead to more than half of the enterprises scaling back their recruitment.
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SkySpecs raised $20 million for its renewable energy asset health management
SkySpecs raised $20 million for its renewable energy asset health management
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Canada's S&P/TSX Rises 0.35% as Real Estate Leads, Tariff Impact Muted
Canada’s S&P/TSX Composite Index ended a two-day slide, edging up 0.35% to 26,998.66 on July 9, with real estate stocks leading gains. Markets reacted divergently to Trump’s 50% copper tariff plan (effective as early as late July) and extended trade talks to August 1: the real estate index (.GSPTTRE) rose 0.5% on H&R REIT’s (HR_u.TO) 4.7% surge amid Blackstone acquisition talks.
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Trump's Plan to Impose 50% Tariff on Copper Imports Shakes Global Supply Chains
On July 8, 2025, US President Trump announced at a White - House cabinet meeting that he planned to impose a new 50% tariff on all copper imported into the US, which has attracted widespread attention. The news sent New York copper futures prices soaring, triggering shockwaves in the global metal market.
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Ireland Revises Q1 GDP Down, Germany’s Exports Slide on U.S. Tariff Shifts
Ireland’s CSO sharply revised Q1 GDP growth on July 8: annual expansion was cut to 7.4% from 9.7%, as surging U.S. pharmaceutical exports faded. The more indicative Modified Domestic Demand (MDD) was revised up to 2.0% from 0.8%, though 2024 full-year MDD growth was trimmed to 1.8% from 2.7%. GNI*, stripping multinationals’ distortions, showed 4.8% 2024 growth, highlighting GDP’s skew from cross-border capital flows.
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Amazon Hits 1 Million Robots, Launches DeepFleet AI to Revolutionize Logistics with "Second-Level Response"
Recently, Amazon announced that the number of its robots deployed globally has reached 1 million, and launched a generative AI foundation model named DeepFleet, bringing a major transformation to the logistics industry and opening a new era of "second - level response".
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Apple’s $3 Trillion Milestone: Growth, Innovation, and Looming Challenges
Apple has solidified its position as the world’s first tech giant to surpass a $3 trillion market cap, buoyed by the enduring popularity of its iPhone, Mac, and expanding services ecosystem. Despite a slowdown in hardware sales in 2023, the company’s software services revenue surged 12% year - over - year, now accounting for 25% of total earnings.
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