
US expects to result of probe into chip imports in two weeks
Lutnick told reporters after a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that the investigation - which is expected to result in tariffs on chips imports - was one of the "key reasons" the EU sought to negotiate a broader trade agreement that would "resolve all things at one time."
Trump said many companies would be investing in semiconductor manufacturing in the United States, including some from Taiwan and other places, to avoid getting hit by new tariffs.
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Reuters
5 minutes ago
- Reuters
Wall St set for weak start on Trump tariffs, Amazon results, soft payrolls
Aug 1 (Reuters) - Futures pointed to a sharply lower open on Friday as new U.S. tariffs on dozens of trading partners and Amazon's unimpressive earnings weighed on sentiment, while a weaker payrolls report added to risk aversion. Hours ahead of the tariff deadline, President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing duties ranging from 10% to 41% on U.S. imports from countries including Canada, Brazil, India and Taiwan. A Labor Department report showed the U.S. economy added less-than-expected 73,000 jobs in July, pointing to a sharp moderation in the labor market amid trade uncertainties. The unemployment rate stood at 4.2%, in line with expectations. "This was a pretty disappointing report ... markets are getting a little bit more worried about the state of the labor market in the aftermath of today's report," said BeiChen Lin, senior investment strategist at Russell Investments. The data forced traders to raise their bets for a September interest rate cut to 62.9% from 41.2% earlier in the day, according to CME's FedWatch tool. At 8:47 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were down 354 points, or 0.8%, S&P 500 E-minis were down 58 points, or 0.92%, and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were down 249 points, or 1.08%. The CBOE Volatility index (.VIX), opens new tab, also known as Wall Street's fear gauge, jumped to a more than two-week high and was last up 18.18 points. Earlier in the week, stronger-than-expected second-quarter GDP report and an uptick in June inflation that influenced expectations on the rate path. Trump said on Friday the Federal Reserve's board should assume control if Chair Jerome Powell continues to refuse to lower interest rates. Fed Chair Jerome Powell, despite pressure from Trump to cut rates, has indicated the central bank was in no rush to do so. Meanwhile, Amazon (AMZN.O), opens new tab slid 8.3% in premarket trading after growth in its cloud computing unit failed to impress investors, in contrast to robust gains reported by AI-focused rivals Alphabet (GOOGL.O), opens new tab and Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab. Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab posted its current-quarter revenue forecast well above Wall Street estimates, but CEO Tim Cook warned U.S. tariffs would add $1.1 billion in costs over the period. The stock was up 1.5%. On Thursday, the S&P 500 (.SPX), opens new tab and the Nasdaq (.IXIC), opens new tab retreated from intraday record highs to end lower as AI-driven enthusiasm following blockbuster earnings from Microsoft and Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab fizzled out. Microsoft briefly surpassed $4 trillion in market value, becoming only the second publicly traded company to reach this milestone after Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab. In other earnings-related moves, Coinbase Global (COIN.O), opens new tab shed 11.1% after the crypto exchange reported a drop in adjusted profit for the second quarter, marred by weaker trading activity amid reduced cryptocurrency volatility.


The Independent
7 minutes ago
- The Independent
Rare coin seller claims former staff used confidential information to set up rival business
A rare coin seller is in a High Court battle with seven former staff members who it claims accessed its confidential information to set up a rival business. Hattons of London alleges that the ex-employees were behind a 'co-ordinated and clandestine conspiracy' to use its 'valuable confidential information' from a customer information database to set up The Knightsbridge Collection, which they wanted to 'emulate and ultimately cannibalise' Hattons. At a hearing earlier this month, barristers for Hattons asked to block Knightsbridge and seven men – Andrew Pickerill, Alexander Jeffery, Daniel Farmer, Mohammed Kashif Aziz, William Shore, Nick Harvey and Benjamin Bradshaw – from trading in competition against Hattons until a trial of the claims at a later date. The former staff all deny the allegations, telling the hearing in London that they accessed the database while on sick leave, and met together at their homes and the Knightsbridge company offices, to discuss a collective grievance against Hattons. In a ruling on Thursday, Jonathan Glasson KC, sitting as a deputy High Court judge, granted an injunction preventing Knightsbridge and the seven men from competing against Hattons for one month. Daniel Northall KC, for Hattons, previously said in written submissions that the company operates within a 'specialist market of individual collectors' and 'depends upon repeat business', but also spends around £5 million a year on marketing and advertising. The former staff, who were all account managers, had access to Hattons' 'most valuable asset', a database that stores customer data and purchase history, during their employment. He said: 'The claimant avers that, rather than develop its customer base lawfully and organically, (The Knightsbridge Collection) has instead misappropriated the claimant's customer data as a quick, cheap, but ultimately unlawful shortcut.' Earlier this year, customers began to contact Hattons to say that they had been contacted by Knightsbridge. Hattons then hired a private investigator who found that some of the men were seen at the Knightsbridge offices in June, while a forensic IT investigation found that some of them had also accessed the database from various addresses while off sick, Mr Northall said. He continued that investigations showed Mr Jeffery had accessed it 87 times in around 10 days. Nicholas Cobill, for Mr Farmer, said his client had already undertaken not to compete against Hattons, meaning an injunction was unnecessary, and that the former staff had a 'legitimate grievance'. Ghazan Mahmood, for Mr Aziz, also said an injunction against his client would be 'utterly disproportionate'. Mr Pickerill, who represented himself, said: 'I completely deny all the allegations made against me. I did not unlawfully access the company's information.' He continued that he had 'never worked for The Knightsbridge Collection'. In his ruling, Judge Glasson said: 'In my judgment the claimant has been able to show unlawful use of its confidential information; that the defendants thereby gained an unfair competitive advantage over the claimant; and that the advantage still exists at the moment and will continue to have effect unless the relief sought is granted.' The judge said he did not accept all of Hattons' claims, 'in particular those inferring dishonesty', but that the injunction would be the 'least irremediable prejudice'.


The Independent
7 minutes ago
- The Independent
Renewables and fossil fuels not ‘either-or', says Reeves after Trump comments
Renewable and non-renewable energy sources are not an 'either-or', Rachel Reeves has said after Donald Trump described North Sea oil as a 'treasure chest'. On a visit to Lossiemouth on the North Sea coast in Moray, the Chancellor described oil and gas as 'incredibly important for the UK and our energy security'. Her appearance in Scotland followed a five-day visit from the US president, who called on the UK Government to 'incentivise the drillers, fast'. Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social: 'North Sea oil is a treasure chest for the United Kingdom. 'The taxes are so high, however, that it makes no sense.' Asked whether she would 'unlock' the 'treasure chest', Ms Reeves told the PA news agency: 'Oil and gas are incredibly important for the UK and our energy security. 'And oil and gas is going to play an important role in our energy mix for decades to come. 'It's why, alongside the private sector, we're investing in carbon capture and storage, which is absolutely essential for supporting energy intensive industries. 'But it's not either-or. 'At the same time, we're investing in clean homegrown energy, including at Berwick Bank in Scotland, which will create thousands of new jobs and power millions of homes. 'And that's what we need to do to make sure that our economy has this energy security that we need, that we bring down bills and bring more good jobs to Scotland.' Berwick Bank in the North Sea has this week received a green light from the Scottish Government. The proposed wind farm, off the coast of East Lothian, could add more than 4.1 gigawatts of capacity, which according to developer SSE Renewables is enough electricity to power more than six million homes annually. But Mr Trump criticised existing wind farms during his visit, when he said: 'When we go to Aberdeen, you'll see some of the ugliest windmills you've ever seen, the height of a 50-storey building.' Gesturing with his hands, he added: 'You can take 1,000 times more energy out of a hole in the ground this big.' Conservative shadow Scottish secretary Andrew Bowie has written to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, calling for a review of policies affecting the oil and gas industry. 'As President Trump has said, the UK's 'very high' tax on oil and gas companies is a deterrent to investment,' he wrote. 'The extension of the energy profits levy (EPL), coupled with uncertainty around future licensing and investment signals, has created a climate of instability that threatens jobs, innovation and the region's economic resilience. 'President Donald Trump's remarks during your visit – calling Aberdeen the 'oil capital of Europe' and urging the UK to 'bring it back' – reflect a sentiment shared by many in the region. 'May I urge you to consider the president's call to 'incentivise' domestic production of hydrocarbons? 'Oil and gas still have a vital role to play in our energy mix and economic future; British people would rather see the UK benefit from domestic exploration and drilling than import more from Norway and Qatar.' The West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP added: 'Will you urgently call a meeting in Downing Street to conduct the review in partnership with industry leaders, our world-leading supply chain business, and the local workforce to ensure a coherent and sustainable path forward?'