This week, Marcello talks about how Trump and Elon Musk are considering sending $5,000 checks to U.S. taxpayers, thanks to savings detected by DOGE in the government’s payment system. Meanwhile, the stock market suffered its worst day of 2025, losing nearly $1 trillion. In the food sector, egg prices hit a new all-time high in the U.S.
U.S. markets closed the week with sharp declines. Trump is considering imposing tariffs of 25% or more on cars, semiconductors, and medicines, negatively impacting those sectors. Microsoft, on the other hand, rose 1.25% after unveiling its first-ever quantum computing chip. Walmart caused uncertainty with a weaker-than-expected sales forecast. On Friday, the market lost $927 billion, with the Dow dropping 1.69% to 43,428.02 points, and the S&P 500 falling 1.71% to 6,013.13. The Nasdaq suffered the biggest hit, down 2.20%.
In international markets, European stocks had mixed results: London fell 0.84%, Germany dropped 1.01%, and Paris was down 0.29%. Russia, however, gained 3.08%. In Latin America, Mexico’s stock exchange fell 0.63%, while Colombia surged 5.05%. In Asia, Hong Kong led with a 3.79% gain, while Japan dropped 0.96%.
Bitcoin dropped 0.95%, trading at $96,706, though Coinbase shares rose 3% after the SEC dropped an enforcement action against the company. In commodities, gold hit a new record high of $2,954 per ounce, while silver rose 0.96%. Oil, on the other hand, dropped to a two-month low, with WTI crude at $70.40 and Brent at $74.43.
Egg prices in the U.S. hit an all-time high of $4.95 per dozen, reflecting supply chain issues. In Guyana, the government is set to sign an oil production-sharing agreement with TotalEnergies, with the country on track to produce 940,000 barrels per day this year—nearly 1% of global supply.
In finance, New Zealand’s central bank cut interest rates by 0.50% to 3.75%. MercadoLibre surged 7.09% after reporting better-than-expected revenue. Japan’s economy grew 2.8% in the last quarter, exceeding expectations, while Mexico saw its first economic contraction in over three years.
In political news, Trump accused China of exerting influence over the Panama Canal, while Finland and Sweden are investigating another sabotage incident involving undersea telecom cables in the Baltic Sea. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed that a Pentagon study found flu vaccines increase the likelihood of illness by 4.4 times. Yale researchers identified a “post-vaccination syndrome” linked to mRNA Covid shots, causing brain fog, dizziness, tinnitus, and exercise intolerance.
Elon Musk and Trump are discussing sending $5,000 checks to taxpayers using savings detected in the government’s payment system, which DOGE claims could total $522 billion in fraud—equivalent to one-third of all Social Security spending.
In corporate news, Tesla climbed 1.82% after reporting better-than-expected results. Shake Shack surged 11.13% on strong sales numbers. Southwest Airlines will cut 15% of its corporate workforce, while Rivian fell 4.70% after issuing a lower-than-expected delivery forecast.
In international news, power outages are becoming a daily reality in Cuba, with some areas going without electricity for over 20 hours. The government has ordered two-day school closures and is urging reduced energy consumption.
And in interesting facts, new evidence in Romania suggests hominins reached Eurasia 2 million years ago—200,000 years earlier than previously thought.
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