America: Land of the (Not Really) Free

Futures Slide After Another Korea Rout, TSMA Results Revive AI Fears Futures are lower, erasing much of yesterday's gain with both Nasdaq and Rusell lagging SPX, following a continued rollercoaster in Korea where stocks tumbled after the BOK hired rates for the first time in 3 years. As of 8:15am ET, S&P futures dropped 0.3%, while Nasdaq 100 contracts dropped 0.8%. In premarket trading, semis are weaker again while Mag7 is stronger (AMZN, GOOG, META, and MSFT all up are least 1.2%) with the market having "a defensive tilt as...

Toyota's "Next Gen" Corolla Built In China Will Offer Multiple Powertrains Toyota is taking a more flexible approach to electrification, preparing to launch a redesigned Corolla in China in 2028 that can be manufactured with gasoline, hybrid or fully electric powertrains, according to Nikkei Asia. The move comes as automakers increasingly rethink their EV strategies amid slowing growth, fierce competition and uncertainty about how quickly consumers will abandon combustion engines. Nikkei writes that the new Corolla will be built through Toyota's FAW joint venture using a multipathway platform designed to streamline...

Israel Bombs Deep Into Lebanon For First Time Of 3-Week Ceasefire There's supposed to be a 3-week Lebanon ceasefire in effect, but that increasingly appears something merely on paper or in name only, as Israel has stepped up and expanded its attacks on Lebanon - now for the first time of the ceasefire including strikes on the far away Beqaa Valley. "The IDF says it has launched a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah infrastructure in the Beqaa Valley and several areas of southern Lebanon," Israeli media confirms Monday. "The strikes come...