AnewZ Morning Brief - 31 August, 2025
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 31th of August, covering the latest developments you need to k...
Global markets opened the week under pressure, with Asian equities broadly lower after disappointing Chinese retail sales data added to mounting concerns over Beijing’s ability—or willingness—to pivot from its traditional export-led growth model to one fueled by domestic consumption.
The shortfall in spending highlights the demand gap in the world’s second-largest economy, a structural challenge at the heart of growing global trade friction. As President Donald Trump intensifies his tariff-driven strategy, the implicit message to global partners becomes clearer: China should consume more, the U.S. less.
Trump’s policy approach, which includes sustained import tariffs averaging 13%—the highest since the 1930s, is reshaping the global trade landscape. His Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, delivered a blunt warning on Sunday: nations unwilling to offer “good faith” trade terms could expect tariff hikes delivered “by letter.”
That posture comes with domestic consequences. Trump is pressuring U.S. retailers—including giants like Walmart, Target, Lowe’s, and Home Depot—to absorb the cost of tariffs rather than passing them on to American consumers. The strategy edges uncomfortably close to price-setting tactics reminiscent of state-managed economies, and this week’s corporate earnings could test just how far retailers are willing—or able—to comply.
Meanwhile, Trump’s tariff revenue is increasingly viewed as critical to funding his ambitious tax cut plan, which recently cleared a House committee and may reach a full vote this week. The package, estimated to add $3–$5 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, has already prompted a credit rating downgrade by Moody’s, echoing earlier moves by other agencies.
While ratings downgrades have had muted effects since the post-2008 credibility crisis, the latest development appears to be rattling foreign investors, already wary of Washington’s unpredictable policymaking. Early trading saw U.S. stock futures down over 1%, Treasury yields rising, and the dollar weakening modestly.
In Europe, pro-EU electoral victories in Romania, Poland, and Portugal brought relief to the euro, providing a political counterweight to trade and monetary uncertainty.
Key market developments to watch Monday:
As markets digest these crosscurrents—from China’s slow internal rebalancing, to U.S. fiscal and trade volatility, and Europe’s fragile political cohesion—investors face a complex week in navigating risk and positioning.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
YouTube TV and Fox have reached a distribution agreement that will keep Fox News, Fox Sports and other Fox channels available to subscribers, the companies confirmed on Thursday.
The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at record highs on Thursday (28 August), after Nvidia’s quarterly report fell short of investors’ lofty expectations but confirmed that demand for artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure remains strong.
Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he intends to convene a summit of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in October, local media reported on Wednesday.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reported on Tuesday that G20 countries’ international goods trade rose slightly in the second quarter of 2025, mainly because imports into the United States fell sharply after rising in the first quarter.
The S&P 500 closed lower on Monday (25 August) as investors turned their attention to Artificial Intelligence (AI) chipmaker Nvidia’s upcoming quarterly results, following Friday’s rally that saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average close at a record high.
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