Latest news with #TomKenny
International Business Times
30-07-2025
- Business
- International Business Times
Asian Markets Struggle as US-China Trade Talks End without Breakthrough
Asian stock markets saw little movement on Wednesday, as trade talks between the United States and China concluded without significant breakthroughs. Early advances in MSCI's Asia-Pacific index outside Japan faded, and it was flat by the afternoon. Japan's Nikkei index dropped 0.1%, and Australia's ASX 200 index added 0.7%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dropped by 1.3%. Freepik European markets started on a cautious note. Futures for the region gained 0.15% in early trade, and the German DAX futures added 0.31%. The FTSE futures in Britain showed no major change. In currency markets, the euro edged up 0.1% to $1.1555, bouncing back from a one-month low. The surge followed a positive market reaction to a new EU trade agreement with the USA. Investors Eye the U.S. Federal Reserve Now all eyes are on the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy decision later on Wednesday. For the time being, experts anticipate, the Fed is likely to keep interest rates steady. Yet some officials could advocate for a rate cut if tariffs hurt inflation to worse-than-expected levels. "The U.S. job market is strong, so most Fed members want to wait and see how tariffs are impacting prices," said Tom Kenny, an economist at ANZ in Sydney. He thinks the Fed could lower rates at its next meeting in September if inflation pressures continue to rise. U.S. government bonds rose ahead of the Fed's decision. That forced the 10-year Treasury yield down to 4.328%, the lowest since July 3. The two-year yield stayed around 3.873%—an indication that rates might not move for now. Trade Tensions Remain Unresolved The latest round of trade talks between the United States and China yielded no results, although both sides agreed to discuss extending their 90-day tariff truce. There is no decision on whether to extend the truce, which expires on Aug. 12, or let tariffs increase significantly; President Trump has not yet made a decision. India is also sparring for a possible U.S. tariff hike of up to 25% on certain exports, as it holds back on making new trade offers. In another development, three prime South Korean ministers held talks with the U.S. Commerce Secretary in one last bid to strike a deal. The Bank of Japan is scheduled to hold its policy meeting on Thursday and is expected to maintain its current stance, although investors will look closely at any hints about future rate hikes. Earnings Update and Oil Prices The price of oil rose slightly due to concerns about supply. Brent crude rose 14 cents, or 0.2%, to $72.40 a barrel. This came after President Trump gave Russia a shorter deadline to act on ending the Ukraine war, raising fears of supply disruptions. Corporate earnings were mixed. UBS reported profits above expectations, though HSBC's results undershot amid widening losses in China. The German brand Adidas warned that U.S. tariffs could drag down its profits in the next few quarters. Markets in the U.S. ended lower on Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped by less than 0.5%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq were also down, falling roughly a third of a % apiece. Now investors are awaiting important earnings from tech giants Microsoft and Meta on Wednesday, which are likely to set the tone for the rest of the week in the market.
Geek Tyrant
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS Trailer Sends SpongeBob to the Underworld — GeekTyrant
SpongeBob is coming back to the big screen, and this time, he's diving deeper than ever. Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Movies released the first trailer for The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants , and it sends the Bikini Bottom crew straight into the underworld on a high-stakes rescue mission. In the film, 'SpongeBob and his Bikini Bottom friends set sail in their biggest, all-new, can't miss cinematic event ever…The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants. Desperate to be a big guy, SpongeBob sets out to prove his bravery to Mr. Krabs by following The Flying Dutchman – a mysterious swashbuckling ghost pirate – on a seafaring comedy-adventure that takes him to the deepest depths of the deep sea, where no Sponge has gone before.' This marks SpongeBob's fourth theatrical outing since the show debuted in 1999, and the core voice cast sees the return of Tom Kenny (SpongeBob), Bill Fagerbakke (Patrick), Rodger Bumpass (Squidward), Clancy Brown (Mr. Krabs), Carolyn Lawrence (Sandy), and Mr. Lawrence (Plankton). The new faces and voices joining the fun include George Lopez, Ice Spice, Arturo Castro, Sherry Cola, and Regina Hall are all on board in undisclosed roles. Then there's Mark Hamill, who takes over as the voice of the Flying Dutchman. While Brian Doyle-Murray has traditionally voiced the spooky pirate ghost in the series, Hamill is sure to bring a fresh new energy to the role in this film. The movie marks the feature directorial debut of longtime SpongeBob creative Derek Drymon. The story comes from series veterans Marc Ceccarelli, Kaz, and Pam Brady with Brady also co-writing the screenplay with Matt Lieberman and producing alongside Lisa Stewart and Aaron Dem. The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is set to hit theaters on December 19th, and it looks like this trip to the underworld is going to be gloriously weird.
