SmartLinks Blog

finance

Aug 17, 2026 · 1 min read

Japanese second-quarter growth weaker than expected

Households and businesses pulled back in the worst months of the Iran energy shock

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finance

Aug 17, 2026 · 4 min read

Alibaba answers Meta’s AI challenge with new laptop-ready model

Alibaba launched a laptop-ready AI model and released the weights of its most powerful Qwen model, escalating its rivalry with Meta in open-weight AI.

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finance

Aug 17, 2026 · 2 min read

Vista Energy up 5% after billionaire Peter Thiel buys stake in the Argentine shale oil producer

Peter Thiel’s hedge fund disclosed a $76 million stake in Argentine oil producer Vista Energy, sending its shares higher in premarket trading.

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finance

Aug 17, 2026 · 13 min read

What will TV look like in three years? Media insiders share their predictions

CNBC asked media insiders what they think the TV market — from pay TV subscribers to sports ratings — will look like in three years.

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finance

Aug 17, 2026 · 8 min read

Santoli: Earnings bonanza that lifted market to record may not be all that it appears to be

The S&P 500 is up more than 6% in 12 trading days to record levels.

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finance

Aug 17, 2026 · 3 min read

Russia targets Danube port after one of Ukraine’s largest aerial attacks of the war

Russia struck port infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa region, damaging a Togo-flagged civilian vessel near Izmail after Kyiv launched a major drone attack on Moscow.

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finance

Aug 17, 2026 · 3 min read

Strait of Hormuz shipping grinds to a halt ahead of U.S.-Iran ceasefire expiry

Shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz sank to a new low as a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is set to expire on Monday with no deal in sight.

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finance

Aug 17, 2026 · 1 min read

FirstFT: Dimon warns UK against higher bank taxes

Also in today’s newsletter: private credit doldrums and AI super-rich

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finance

Aug 17, 2026 · 1 min read

China’s economy shows signs of weakness in July

Industrial output growth slows and retail sales nearly flat as flagging sentiment weighs on spending

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finance

Aug 17, 2026 · 6 min read

China's economy slows further in July as retail sales barely grow, investment slump steepens

The data is reinforcing concerns about the health of the world's second-largest economy, which has grappled with a deepening supply-demand imbalance.

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finance

Aug 17, 2026 · 2 min read

Ferrari Luce: Polarizing EV debut becomes a $40 million collector’s item

The auction of the Luce comes nearly three months after Ferrari unveiled its first fully electric car, which was priced at 550,000 euros (roughly $640,000).

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