ECONOMIC UPDATE—MARKET OVERVIEW

ECONOMIC UPDATE—MARKET OVERVIEW

Today, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) reported that builder sentiment fell by 2 points in June from May to 32. Last June it was at 43, and a number below 50 is ranked negative. 

Global Economy

SPOTLIGHT: BIGS GETTING BIGGER

SPOTLIGHT: BIGS GETTING BIGGER

Brown & Brown, an insurance company with more than 450 locations around the world, will pay $9.83 billion in cash and stock for Accession Risk Management Group.

The Israel War

ISRAEL WAS PLANNING ATTACK ON IRAN FOR MONTHS, REPORT SAYS

ISRAEL WAS PLANNING ATTACK ON IRAN FOR MONTHS, REPORT SAYS

The Israeli military has been planning its decapitation strike on Iran for at least eight months and aimed to carry out a decisive blow to eliminate Tehran’s top military leaders and nuclear scientists, Axios reported last week.

GALLANT: U.S. HAS OBLIGATION TO COME TO ISRAEL’S AID AGAINST IRAN

GALLANT: U.S. HAS OBLIGATION TO COME TO ISRAEL’S AID AGAINST IRAN

Yoav Gallant, the former Israeli defense minister, said in an interview on Monday that he believes the U.S. has an obligation to come to assist Israel’s war in Iran, and said U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent “determination” seems to “pave the way” for the U.S.’s involvement. 

GAZA DEATH TOLL

GAZA DEATH TOLL

The death toll in Gaza reached 55,432 people—including more than 300 Palestinians who have been killed trying to access humanitarian aid at distribution locations.

Trends in AI

KEY AI BENCHMARKING SERVICE ACCUSED OF BIAS

KEY AI BENCHMARKING SERVICE ACCUSED OF BIAS

LMArena, a standard platform ranking the performance of large language model AIs (LLMs), gives preference to models made by giant tech companies, according to a study preprinted on arXiv and not yet peer-reviewed.

RESEARCHERS RELEASE THE KRAKENCODER

RESEARCHERS RELEASE THE KRAKENCODER

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City have unveiled the Krakencoder, a new AI that weaves together a variety of brain images taken by different devices. The result is a deeper, more integrated view of how a brain affects behavior, thoughts, and how it recovers from injuries. 

Hi-Tech Science

MIDDLE-AGE BELLY: BLAME STEM CELLS, NOT DIET OR LAZINESS

MIDDLE-AGE BELLY: BLAME STEM CELLS, NOT DIET OR LAZINESS

It’s been called “middle-age spread”: as people reach their 40s and beyond, many see their bellies go big and fat pile onto their hips and butts.Some respond by joining a gym, taking up jogging, or eating a lot more salads. Still, the extra fat usually stays put. People at City of Hope—a major U.S. center of research and treatment for......

PLAYING A GAME COULD END CHRONIC PAIN

PLAYING A GAME COULD END CHRONIC PAIN

A brain-training game using biofeedback shows an ability to slash chronic pain at least as well as opioids, researchers at Australia’s University of New South Wales have found in a small trial.

The above are just a few of the many articles in the latest Trends Journal. CLICK HERE for the full edition.

Skip to content