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Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Asian shares are mixed after days of gains driven by hopes for US rate cuts
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Asian shares were mixed on Thursday after days of gains driven by hopes for lower U.S. interest rates, while U.S. futures slipped. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 fell 1.4% to 42,657.94 as investors sold to lock in recent gains that have taken the benchmark to all-time records. The Japanese yen rose against the dollar after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Bloomberg that Japan was 'behind the curve' in monetary tightening. He was referring to the slow pace if increases in Japan's near-zero interest rates. Low interest rates tend to make the yen weaker against the dollar, giving Japanese exporters a cost advantage in overseas sales. The dollar fell to 146.55 Japanese yen early Thursday, down from 147.39 yen. The euro fell to $1.1703 from $1.1705. In Chinese markets, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index shed less than 0.1% to 25,597.85, while the Shanghai composite index gained 0.2% to 3,690.88. South Korea's Kospi slid 0.3% to 3,215.61, while Australia's S&P ASX 200 index added 0.5% to 8,871.80. Taiwan's TAIEX fell 0.4%, while India's Sensex edged 0.1% higher. 'Asian markets opened today like a party that ran out of champagne before midnight — the music still playing, but the dance floor thinning out,' Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary. The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down less than 0.1%. On Wednesday, U.S. stocks ticked higher, extending a global rally fueled by hopes the Federal Reserve will cut U.S. interest rates. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% to 6,466.58, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow climbed 1% to 44,922.27, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.1% to its own record set the day before, closing at 21,713.14. Treasury yields eased in the bond market in anticipation that the Fed will cut its main interest rate for the first time this year at its next meeting in September. Lower rates can boost investment prices and the economy by making it cheaper for U.S. households and businesses to borrow to buy houses, cars or equipment, though they risk worsening inflation. Stocks of companies on Wall Street that could benefit most from lower interest rates helped lead the way. PulteGroup climbed 5.4%, and Lennar rose 5.2% as part of a broad rally for homebuilders and others in the housing industry. Lower rates could make mortgages cheaper to get, which could spur more buying. The cryptocurrency exchange company Bullish ended its debut day of trading after an initial public offering of more than $10 billion with a gain of nearly 84% to $68 a share. The hopes for lower interest rates are helping to drown out criticism that the U.S. stock market has broadly grown too expensive after its big leap since hitting a low in April. President Donald Trump has angrily been calling for cuts to help the economy, often insulting the Fed Chair Jerome Powell while doing so. But the Fed has hesitated of the possibility that Trump's sweeping higher tariffs could make inflation much worse. Fed officials have said they want to see more fresh data about inflation before moving. On Thursday, a report will show how bad inflation was at the wholesale level across the United States. Economists expect it to show inflation accelerated a touch to 2.4% in July from 2.3% in June. In other dealings early Thursday, U.S. benchmark crude rose 24 cents to $62.89 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, added 27 cents to $65.90 per barrel. ___ AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed. Teresa Cerojano, The Associated Press
Tom's Guide
12 minutes ago
- Tom's Guide
Right now is the worst time to buy a new iPhone — here's why
When someone asks me when it's the right time to buy an iPhone, I usually tell them "Whenever you need to get a new phone." And I truly believe that — you can drive yourself batty holding out for the latest and greatest hardware, since the nature of technology is that there's always something promising to be more impressive right down the road. But note the "usually" in my "buy a phone when you need a phone" advice. There's one time a year when I think it's a bad idea to spend money on a new iPhone. And folks, we're in that period right now. If you find yourself in the market for one of the best iPhones, better check the calendar first. That's because if you're within a few weeks of an Apple event, it's best to hold off, if possible, just to see what Apple might have in store for its latest devices. And the closer you get to that Apple event, the better idea it is to hold off on a purchase. We don't know exactly when Apple's going to hold its fall launch event, but given Apple's history, it's not to hard to guess an iPhone 17 release date. And we are close enough to that window to where my usual logic about upgrading when you need to no longer applies. Even a casual glance at the last few iPhone releases reveals a pretty universal fact — Apple likes releasing iPhones in the first two weeks of September. That gives the company enough time to get the new devices into stores before the end of the month, so that it has a full quarter worth of sales to show Wall Street for the three months culminating in holiday shopping — the most important time of year in Apple's fiscal calendar. Only once in recent memory has Apple gone through a September without releasing an iPhone. That would be in 2020 — the year the Covid-19 pandemic delayed production on the iPhone 12 and pushed the release later into the fall. No one wants a repeat of that, certainly not Apple. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. But don't take my word for it. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, a pretty good source of Apple-related info, has forecast an iPhone event for the second week of September. And if you want to get even more specific, a German site is listing a September 9 event date, with the new iPhone 17 models going on sale September 19. Again, that 10-day window between the announcement and the actual launch is pretty consistent with Apple's recent history. So we have a pretty good idea about when the iPhone 17 models are arriving. And thanks to all the rumors out there about Apple's latest phones, we have a pretty good idea of what new features are on the way, too. At this stage in the evolution of smartphones, we're at a point where we don't see dramatic changes every year. That said, rumors point to some pretty significant improvements coming to the existing iPhone models — and there could be an entirely new device from Apple this fall. The iPhone 17 could be getting one of the more significant changes in the form of an LTPO display. If you're not up to date on the merits of low-temperature polycrystalline oxide panels, don't fret — all you need to know is that it's the technology that enables the adaptive refresh rate on Apple's ProMotion displays. In other words, the entry-level iPhone will finally be able to support a fast refresh rate, allowing for smoother scrolling and more immersive graphics. That alone could make the iPhone 17 worth the price of admission, and that's before you get to more traditional year-over-year improvements to the chipset powering the phone to the battery size. The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max could be in line for a marquee edition of their own, as rumors tip those phones to adopt a 48MP telephoto lens. There's some dispute over what kind of optical zoom the upgraded camera would support — some say 3.5x, others are arguing 8x — but there's no doubt that the high-resolution sensor would mean more detailed close-ups from this year's Pro models. Other Pro-specific features like a vapor cooling chamber to help boost performance could also be in the works for the iPhone 17 Pro. Then there's the fourth phone reportedly coming this fall, the iPhone 17 Air. This is supposed to be Apple's attempt at an ultra-thin phone in the vein of the Galaxy S25 Edge, only Apple's version might be even thinner if measurements of an alleged dummy unit prove to be accurate. It's unclear what else the iPhone 17 Air will bring to the table, but if you're in the market for an entirely new design, this phone could be of interest to you. To put it another way, these shouldn't just be run-of-the-mill upgrades from Apple in the fall. And even if you ultimately decide that there's not enough there to justify an upgrade, you're at least putting yourself in a position to make that call should you hold off on a purchase for another few weeks. There is a wrinkle to this year's buy-or-wait decision, and it comes down to iPhone 17 prices. Specifically, there's a concern that ongoing economic turbulence and in flux tariff policies might have an impact on what you pay for Apple's new phones. Earlier this year, a Wall Street Journal report said Apple was considering an increase to the cost of its iPhones, while a more recent analyst forecast had prices going up by $50 from the equivalent iPhone 16 models. That would mean a starting price of $849 for the iPhone 17, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max costing as much as $1,249. While it may be tempting to buy an iPhone 16 now and avoid any iPhone 17 price hikes, I think the window to do that closed during the summer. We're close enough to the rumored iPhone launch to see what features the new devices bring to the table. And if they're not impressive enough or fail to justify any price increase Apple imposes, you can always fall back to the iPhone 16, which should be available at a lower rate in a post-iPhone 17 world. Apple usually keeps a handful of older models around at reduced prices following one of its product launches. So the combination of an Apple event that will be here before you know it and rumored improvements that sound worth examining should put any planned iPhone purchase on hold at this point, no matter what kind of prices we ultimately see.
Fast Company
12 minutes ago
- Fast Company
5 common Amazon scams and how to avoid them
Amazon is the the most efficient, popular online retailer. So maybe it shouldn't be surprising that it's a gold mine for scammers. These individuals, bless their blackened hearts, are adept at crafting new and increasingly plausible ways to trick the unsuspecting—and posing as Amazon is an easy way to attract attention. So, with a healthy dose of skepticism, let's examine a few of their more popular ruses. And, more importantly, how to avoid becoming the next victim. 'Your Account Is On Hold!' This particular chestnut arrives via email, often with a subject line designed to induce mild panic. It's adorned with a passable Amazon logo and a link, invariably urging you to verify your details or update your billing information. How to avoid it: Amazon, for all its technological prowess, rarely communicates critical account issues via unsolicited links in an email. Outsmarting this one can be done the same way you outsmart just about every other phishing email out there. Make sure to examine the sender's address. Does it genuinely end in '@ Or is it a peculiar string of characters, perhaps including ' somewhere? The latter is a strong indicator it's a scam. In the message itself, are there peculiar grammatical constructions or spellings that suggest English might not be the author's primary language? These subtle imperfections are often telltale signs, though they're getting harder to spot thanks to AI. And finally, resist the urge to click. If there's genuinely an issue with your Amazon account, manually navigating to in your browser and logging in will reveal all. Any legitimate alerts will be visible there. The 'Unexpected Refund' Text Message This rather sneaky tactic involves a text message, ostensibly from Amazon, informing you that a recent purchase of yours has failed some sort of routine inspection. Perhaps it's being recalled, or simply isn't up to Amazon's exacting standards. The good news, the message purports, is that a full refund is due, often without the hassle of returning the offending item. All you need do is click the convenient link provided to claim your compensation. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission, among others, has recently issued warnings about this particular brand of mischief. How to avoid it: Excitement for an unexpected windfall should be tempered with a healthy dose of doubt. For starters, while Amazon does send legitimate texts, an unsolicited refund notification, particularly for an unspecified item and without requiring a return, is highly suspect. Clicking the link in the text message will, in all likelihood, lead you to a meticulously crafted phishing page that looks just like the official Amazon login page—just waiting to collect your Amazon credentials, payment information, and any other personal details you're willing to volunteer. Should you harbor even a fleeting thought that the message might be legitimate, bypass the text entirely by logging into your Amazon account via the official website or the app. Any legitimate refund or recall information will be clearly displayed within your order history or official notifications. The 'Accidental Over-Refund' This is a somewhat more sophisticated deception. You might receive a call or an email asserting that Amazon has, through some inexplicable error, refunded you too much for a recent return. The request is for you to remit the 'overpayment,' often via the purchase of gift cards or a wire transfer. How to avoid it: Before doing anything, consult your actual bank statements or Amazon account to confirm the alleged overpayment. It's almost certain you'll find no such anomaly. When it comes to Amazon's refund protocol, the company's internal processes are reasonably sophisticated. Should a genuine error occur, the company would rectify it internally, not solicit funds from you via questionable methods— certainly not gift cards! And if anyone purports to be from Amazon and requests remote access to your computer to 'correct' a refund issue, it's time to end the conversation. Amazon will never, ever, ever ask for access to your computer. 'Your Order Has Shipped!' Wait, what order? This particular trick plays on a combination of alarm and curiosity. A plausible-looking order confirmation arrives in your inbox for an item—often expensive— that you most certainly didn't purchase. The objective is to prompt you to click the 'Cancel Order' or 'View Details' link in a state of agitation. How to avoid it: Bypass the email entirely. Log into your Amazon account and go to your 'Orders' section. If the supposed order isn't there, it's a fabrication. Though generally ill-advised, should you feel compelled to examine a link, hover your mouse cursor over it and observe the URL that appears. If it deviates significantly from then it's best left unclicked. The 'Mystery Package' Brushing Scam This particular oddity is less about financial theft and more about system manipulation. You receive a package from Amazon, addressed to you, containing an item you never ordered—often something inexpensive and utterly random. The purpose? A third-party seller is using your details to create fake purchases, allowing them to post fraudulent positive reviews under your name, thereby artificially boosting their product's standing. How to avoid it: While seemingly harmless, receiving free—albeit often useless— goods does indicate your personal information is being exploited. Do a good deed by contacting Amazon customer service and reporting the unsolicited package. The company takes a dim view of such practices. And given that your address is being used, a periodic review of your credit report for any other unusual activity is probably in order.
