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Tariff Tensions Rattle Wall Street Ahead of Earnings and Inflation Data

Wall Street futures dipped Monday morning as investors braced for a volatile week marked by fresh tariff threats and a flood of economic data. President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 30% tariff on imports from the European Union and Mexico , set to begin August 1, sent ripples through global markets. Major U.S. index futures— Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq —were all down roughly 0.3% in premarket trading. While the EU signaled a willingness to negotiate, the looming deadline has heightened uncertainty. Analysts suggest the market’s muted reaction reflects a growing belief that such threats are part of Trump’s negotiation strategy. This week’s economic calendar is packed, with June’s Consumer Price Index (CPI)  report due Tuesday, followed by wholesale inflation, retail sales, and industrial production data. These figures will be closely watched for signs of how tariffs may be influencing inflation and consumer behavior. Meanwhile, second-quarter earnings season kicks off , with ma...

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Global Technology Outage Causes Major Disruptions Worldwide

 


A widespread technology outage on July 19, 2024, has caused significant disruptions across various sectors globally. The outage, primarily affecting Microsoft services, grounded flights, knocked banks and hospital systems offline, and took media outlets off the air.

The issue, which was not a result of a cyberattack, stemmed from a faulty update deployed by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. This update affected computers running Microsoft Windows, leading to cascading problems in airline communications, banking systems, and media broadcasting.

Airlines in the U.S., Europe, and Asia experienced severe delays as they lost access to check-in and booking services. Banks in South Africa and New Zealand reported outages in their payment systems, while hospitals and doctor’s offices faced challenges with appointment systems. Media outlets in Australia were pushed off air for hours.

Microsoft has been working to reroute impacted traffic to alternate systems to alleviate the issue and has observed a positive trend in service availability. However, the disruptions have highlighted the global dependence on a few key technology providers and the potential vulnerabilities in such a centralized system.

This incident underscores the critical need for robust contingency plans and diversified technology solutions to mitigate the impact of such widespread outages in the future.


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