Donald Trump’s abrupt and aggressive tariff policies have swerved the global economy onto a trajectory of slowed growth and rising costs that will worsen the longer and more acrimonious the trade war becomes, a new report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has warned.
ECONOMIC UPDATE—MARKET OVERVIEW
This week’s Trends Journal cover speaks tens of thousands of words. Today, gold racked up a new high, hitting nearly $3,040 per ounce. As we go to press it’s at $3,034 per ounce... up nearly $1,000 per ounce since we forecast that a Top Trend of 2024 would be a Golden Year for Gold.
THE STOCK MARKET…IS THIS THE BIG ONE?
Over the past several weeks the U.S. stock market has suffered substantial losses. There is not a single day which has gone by over the last few weeks that I have not gotten bombarded with a single question, “Greg, Is This the Big Stock Market Crash?”
TOP TREND 2024: A GOLDEN YEAR FOR GOLD
The U.S. spot gold price briefly topped $3,000 on 10 March, passing the milestone for the first time. The metal’s futures price in European evening trading surpassed the same milestone later on the same day.
MERGE WITH AI OR BE REPLACED
Humans are being pressured in their work and personal lives to merge with AI in 24/7 “collaborative” existence, in order to avoid obsolescence.
JOKE’S ON US: TRUMP SAYS HE WAS BEING A LITTLE SARCASTIC WHEN VOWING TO BRING UKRAINE WAR TO AN END WITHIN 24 HOURS OF TAKING OFFICE
U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview Friday that he was “being a little bit sarcastic” when he vowed during his campaign to bring the Ukraine War to an end within 24 hours of taking office.
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS CONDEMNS ISRAEL
Doctors Without Borders said in a statement last week that it “strongly condemns” Israel’s decision to impose a new siege on Gaza to try and force Hamas to agree to its new ceasefire terms.
Global Economy
SPOTLIGHT: BIGS GETTING BIGGER
Private equity firm BlackRock is leading a consortium that plans to purchase a controlling interest in the country of Panama’s ocean ports from Hong Kong-based C.K. Hutchison Holdings for $22.8 billion.
SPOTLIGHT: TRADE WAR FALLOUT
Donald Trump’s abrupt and aggressive tariff policies have swerved the global economy onto a trajectory of slowed growth and rising costs that will worsen the longer and more acrimonious the trade war becomes, a new report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has warned.
CHINESE ECONOMIC BRIEFS
Still struggling to revive the country’s consumer economy, Chinese officials have instructed banks to encourage households to borrow and to use their credit cards.
The Israel War
ISRAEL MURDERS MORE THAN 400 PALESTINIANS IN NEW AIRSTRIKES, CEASEFIRE DEAD, TRUMP COORDINATED
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered massive airstrikes across Gaza early Tuesday—killing over 400 and shattering a ceasefire agreement that was routinely violated by Tel Aviv.
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS CONDEMNS ISRAEL
Doctors Without Borders said in a statement last week that it “strongly condemns” Israel’s decision to impose a new siege on Gaza to try and force Hamas to agree to its new ceasefire terms.
NO BIG DEAL: ISRAEL CARRIES OUT AIRSTRIKE IN NORTHERN GAZA, KILLING AT LEAST 9 HUMANITARIAN AID WORKERS
The IDF on Saturday carried out its deadliest strike yet in Gaza amid its ceasefire with Hamas—killing at least nine humanitarian aid workers—three of whom were there to film the distribution effort.
Trends in AI
AI MAKES YOU AND YOUR COMPANY “SUPERHUMAN,” ENTREPRENEUR SAYS
“Humans who don’t embrace AI in a company will be replaced by humans who do,” Anthony Tan, founder of Grab, Southeast Asia’s preeminent ride-hailing company, said in an 11 March CNBC interview. “The same will apply to companies.”
FIRST JOB INTERVIEW QUESTION: HOW SKILLED ARE YOU IN AI?
One in four tech jobs being posted specifies AI-related skills, with the proportion rising to 36 percent in the information-tech patch of that sector, The Wall Street Journal reported.
MCDONALD’S SUPERSIZES ITS AI INVESTMENT
AI is the main course in the technological makeover the burger chain is making to its 43,000 restaurants.
Hi-Tech Science
GYROTRONS BRING GEOTHERMAL ENERGY CLOSER
Geothermal energy—piping the Earth’s inner heat to the surface to warm buildings, water, and other things that need it—has been limited by the ability to reach down to get it.
STORING 5,000 VIDEO MOVIES ON A TINY CRYSTAL
At the University of Chicago, researchers have used the quirks of quantum physics to store and retrieve vast amounts of data in a tiny crystal barely a tenth of an inch in size (about 0.10 of a millimeter).
STUDY: MORE SOCIAL MEDIA TIME, MORE PERSONALITY DISTURBANCES
Psychologists at Canada’s Simon Fraser University reviewed more than 2,500 published scientific papers detailing links between social media use and mental disturbances.
