US Inflation Came In Soft
Saturday, October 25th, 2025
World News — Trump Opens the Door For Fresh Round of Tariff on China
Donald Trump triggered fresh global trade turmoil by launching a probe into whether China complied with a trade deal from his first term—a move that could enable new tariffs even if the Supreme Court strikes down his existing levies and comes just before his Thursday summit with Xi Jinping in Asia. Simultaneously, Trump abruptly halted trade negotiations with Canada after taking offense at an Ontario advertisement featuring Ronald Reagan’s voice criticizing tariffs, prompting alarm about his volatile approach and drawing complaints from the Reagan Presidential Foundation. The erratic moves came as Trump credited his tariff policy for stock market gains exceeding 15 percent this year, though analysts contend shares only recovered after he reined in aggressive tariff plans, while US inflation has risen to 3 percent in September—the highest rate since he returned to office in January.
Tech — AMD and IBM Make Quantum Computing Breakthrough, Stocks Surge on Error Correction Milestone
Advanced Micro Devices’ stock surged nearly 8% on Friday following reports that IBM successfully ran a quantum computing error correction algorithm on AMD’s field-programmable gate array chips, marking what IBM called a “milestone” toward its goal of launching a large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2029. The development, which avoids the need for expensive GPU clusters and stems from an August partnership between the two companies, sent IBM shares up about 8% to their best day since January and boosted other quantum computing stocks including D-Wave Quantum, Rigetti Computing and IonQ. Technology giants Google, Microsoft and Amazon are also racing to develop quantum computing—technology that uses quantum mechanics to solve problems beyond traditional computers’ capabilities—with Google’s quantum executive predicting a “real breakout” within five years.
Economics — US Inflation Came In Soft
US inflation came in softer than expected in September, with core consumer price index rising just 0.2% month-over-month—the slowest pace in three months—strengthening the case for Federal Reserve interest rate cuts beyond the widely anticipated reduction at next week’s meeting and potentially in December. The delayed report, originally scheduled for October 15 but postponed by the ongoing federal government shutdown, showed restrained inflation partly driven by the smallest increase in housing costs since early 2021, though concerns persist that President Trump’s tariffs on household goods will push prices higher in coming months as businesses pass costs to consumers. The shutdown has disrupted data collection, and officials warned there will likely be no inflation release next month for the first time in history, while Social Security recipients will receive a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment next year based on the September figures.
Society — The Eat-at-Home Economy: Restaurants Struggle as Consumers Choose Delivery and Premium Ready Meals
Consumers are increasingly abandoning restaurant dining for home-based meals, driving growth in premium ready-meal offerings like Charlie Bigham’s £30 beef wellington and fueling an 8.2% rise in the UK delivery market compared to just 2.5% for eat-in restaurants, while US delivery expanded 18% as dine-in actually contracted. The shift, accelerated by post-pandemic habits, high interest rates, and in the UK’s case, rising labor costs from increased minimum wage and national insurance contributions, has particularly squeezed mid-market restaurants like Pizza Hut, which closed 68 UK locations this week, while insolvency rates among UK restaurants run twice the industry average. Surviving restaurants are responding by either expanding into supermarket ranges or creating “immersive experiences” that justify higher prices, as analysts note consumers now demand exceptional, unique outings rather than simply good food—prompting one luxury restaurant group to import 5 tonnes of sand to build a temporary beach at its London establishment.
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“There’s no talent here, this is hard work. This is an obsession. Talent does not exist, we are all equals as human beings. You could be anyone if you put in the time. You will reach the top, and that’s that. I am not talented. I am obsessed.” ― Conor McGregor