UK economy grew 0.5% in February, beating economists’ expectations by a long shot
Economists polled by Reuters expected U.K. gross domestic product (GDP) to have expanded by 0.1% month-on-month.
Trump says Israel and Lebanon leaders to hold talks after first high-level meeting in decades
The U.S. president said he was “trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon.”
CNBC Daily Open: Trading the truce and the Lebanon dilemma
The S&P, Nasdaq and Nikkei all top new record highs on optimism of an extended truce between the U.S. and Israel, as well as talks with Lebanon.
European stocks end near flat as UK GDP jumps and Iran peace talks remain in focus
European stocks finished Thursday lower as investors assessed fresh economic data and the outlook for U.S Iran peace talks.
China economic growth accelerates to 5% in first quarter — but Iran war clouds outlook
Beijing had lowered its growth target this year to a range of 4.5% to 5%, the least ambitious goal on record going back to the early 1990s.
Daikin shares jump 14% after activist investor Elliott pushes for reforms
Daikin shares surged as much as 13.9% after activist investor Elliott urged the company to boost margins and shareholder returns.
CNBC Daily Open: Wall Street buys Trump’s assurances on Iran war ending soon
Booming indexes don’t erase the impact of the war, with the World Bank warning that conflict-related disruptions could last for months.
Inside India newsletter: Small towns are powering e-commerce’s fastest-growing market, dominated by Amazon, Walmart unit
Small towns are fueling India’s e‑commerce surge, with Amazon and Flipkart chasing new shoppers, faster delivery and rising aspirational demand.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 hits record high as hopes for U.S.-Iran deal fuel broader rally in Asia stocks
Asia markets opened higher, with Nikkei at an all-time high after Wall Street hit record levels on growing expectations of a U.S.-Iran deal to end the war.
The public sours on AI and data centers as Anthropic, OpenAI look to IPO and tech keeps spending
Negativity around AI could be a drag on OpenAI and Anthropic as the startups look to go public, and will likely be a major issue in the midterm elections.
