Japan’s property yields face pressure unlike any policy shift seen in the West, as geopolitical tensions with China mute investor returns. The Bank of Japan began unwinding its decade-long negative interest rate policy in March 2025, but analysts say this monetary move isn’t the real constraint. Tokyo-based CBRE

California is home to more billionaires than any other state, with over 200 residing there as of January 1, 2026. The newly proposed Billionaire Tax Act would impose a one-time 5% tax on all assets held by residents worth more than $1 billion, due starting in 2027. This is not

The U.S. federal debt has soared past $38 trillion, and a parallel flood of investment grade corporate bonds is reshaping the borrowing landscape. The Treasury Department faces unprecedented competition from tech hyperscalers and large firms issuing bonds to fuel massive AI-driven infrastructure builds. This overlap forces a critical question:

The fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minnesota has ignited a budget standoff just before the January 30 federal government shutdown deadline. Senator Chris Murphy and several Democrats now seek strict new rules on ICE’s operations as part of the Department of

Venezuela holds the world’s largest oil reserves, yet US oil giants hesitate to invest billions despite government pressure. On January 10, 2026, ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods called Venezuela "uninvestable" during a rare meeting with President Donald Trump and other top energy executives. But this pause isn’t

Oracle’s push into cloud computing drove its debt to a staggering $95 billion, making it the largest corporate debt issuer outside financials in the Bloomberg high-grade index. Michael Burry, known for his 2008 housing market bet, revealed put options against Oracle shares and direct shorts over six months. But

Credit card interest rates in the U.S. have surged from under 15% four years ago to over 21% in 2024, with some Americans facing rates above 30%. President Donald Trump proposed a one-year 10% cap on credit card APRs starting January 20, joining a bill by Sens. Bernie Sanders

Adopting AI to automate work is far from a shortcut to cutting headcount—Ricoh’s experience proves it costs three times more than manual labor initially. Ricoh, an insurance claims processor, spent over $500,000 and a year with a team including outside consultants just to set up its AI

Netflix is betting $82.7 billion to own Warner Bros., HBO, and HBO Max—a move radically redefining how Hollywood’s power plays out. Once just a scrappy DVD-by-mail service with 300,000 subscribers, Netflix now commands nearly 400 million streamers worldwide, spending an estimated $18 billion on content for

Gen Z carries an average personal debt of $94,101, dwarfing amounts held by millennials and Gen X. This generation, raised amid persistent financial crises starting with 2008, refuses to follow traditional economic scripts. Economist Alice Lassman calls it “disillusionomics”—a broad shift toward fragmenting income streams to cope with

Corporate stereotypes peg Gen Z workers as lazy or overly woke, yet Colgate-Palmolive, a $62 billion consumer products giant, sees a different reality. Colgate is revamping its leadership flow to tap into the ambitious, tech-savvy perspectives this generation brings. But this isn’t about managing generational divides—it’s about

California is debating a proposed one-time 5% wealth tax on residents with net worths over $1 billion, targeting roughly 200 billionaires and estimating $100 billion in revenue. Thiel Capital, founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, opened a new office in Miami, adding to its existing Los Angeles presence and Founders Fund’

Across global urban centers, dining out withstands economic shifts differently. China’s small restaurant sector is collapsing amid widespread income pessimism, signaling deeper leverage issues. Small eateries from Shanghai to Guangzhou are posting months of losses as budget-conscious consumers cut discretionary spending in 2025. Zhang Hongbin, who runs a canteen

China-Europe travel often faces headwinds from trade frictions, yet Air France-KLM is leveraging visa-free policies and shifting trade flows to sustain demand. The Franco-Dutch airline reported strong inbound travel from Europe in 2025, fueled by China’s visa-free entry for travelers from over 30 European countries. This is more than

China’s AI sector is pumping hundreds of millions into startups, defying global capital slowdowns. Moonshot AI, known for its Kimi AI models, just secured a massive US$500 million Series C round led by IDG Capital with Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings also investing. But this funding surge

Visa processing delays are pushing thousands of skilled workers outside the US labor pool. Amazon recently allowed stranded employees in India to work remotely until March 2026, but with strict bans on coding, customer interaction, and strategic decisions. This Southeast Asia-focused workaround highlights a new kind of operational leverage in