OpenAI has bought Glass Imaging, a company developing a new camera technology for smartphones, in a deal that values the business at about $300 million, insiders told The Wall Street Journal.
Category: TRENDS ON THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC FRONT – Sep 22 2026
BOJ HIKES INTEREST RATE TO ITS HIGHEST SINCE 1995
On 18 September, the Bank of Japan’s (BOJ’s) governing committee raised the bank’s key interest rate from 1 percent to 1.25 percent, its highest in 31 years.
FRANCE’S NATIONAL DEBT REACHES A 31-YEAR PEAK
A months-long parliamentary stalemate has created an unresolved budget deficit that will push France’s debt to its greatest level since 1995 when the nation’s statistics agency began tracking changes in the debt, the country’s finance ministry has said.
CHINA’S EXPORTS GROW AGAIN AS DOMESTIC ECONOMY FALTERS
In August, China’s factory output rose by 5.2 percent, year on year, the National Bureau of Statistics reported, passing both July’s 4.5 percent and analysts’ forecast of 4.8 percent.
EU SEES RECORD FUEL PRICES THIS MONTH WITH MORE TO COME
Energy inflation across the 21-country European Union rocketed up 14.3 percent in August after rising 10.3 percent in July, the Fars news agency reported.
CHINA’S PORTFOLIO OF U.S. TREASURIES IS SMALLEST IN 18 YEARS
China’s central bank and other investors now hold the fewest U.S treasury bonds and notes than at any time since 2008, the Financial Times reported.
THE WORLD SEES THE U.S. AS AN INCREASINGLY RISKY INVESTMENT
Around the world, investors are becoming increasingly leery of putting their money into the U.S. and its dollar.
GOING OUT OF BUSINESS TRENDS
The economic cracks continue to widen as businesses, manufacturers, restaurants, retailers, nonprofits, and public institutions shut their doors or prepare for significant downsizing.
WHEN THE ECONOMY FALLS, JOBS GO WITH IT
The layoff wave continues to spread across the economy, hitting industries from finance and logistics to technology, education, manufacturing, healthcare, and transportation.
IEA CUTS ITS OUTLOOK FOR GLOBAL OIL SUPPLY AND DEMAND
On 18 September, the International Energy Agency (IEA) sharply reduced its forecast for the world’s oil supply and demand this year, citing the lack of progress in settling the U.S.’s war on Iran and renewed strikes along the Persian Gulf.









