Unusual Whales

Sales of heavy trucks are falling like the U.S. is headed for a recession

Heavy truck sales decreased 16% YoY in August, reaching 422 thousand SAAR, down from 442 thousand in July and 501 thousand SAAR in August 2024. Year-to-date sales are down 8.4%. Historically, heavy truck sales decline sharply before a recession, and recent sales have been soft. Heavy truck sales have

Trump says he's designating far-left anti-fascism group Antifa as a terrorist organization

Donald Trump announced early Thursday morning on Truth Social that he is designating Antifa, the far-left anti-fascist movement, as a terrorist organization. The statement left unclear what authority or mechanism would be used for such a designation, given that Antifa has no centralized leadership or formal structure, raising questions about

META has introduced a new live translation feature for its AI glasses

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday introduced the company’s latest artificial intelligence-powered wearable: smart glasses equipped with a miniature display built into the lens. Called the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, the device is positioned as a step toward a future where users spend less time on their phone screens,

BOC cuts key interest rate by 25bps

Before the meeting, we viewed the case for easing as mixed and leaned narrowly toward expecting a hold. However, as the Bank of Canada highlighted, evidence since its July meeting — including a softer labor market, weaker net trade in Q2, and some moderation in core inflation (though still above the

Hyundai facility construction in Georgia paused until 2026

A Hyundai battery plant is facing a startup delay of at least two to three months after last week’s immigration raid, CEO Jose Munoz said Thursday. The Georgia facility, a joint venture between Hyundai and South Korea’s LG Energy Solution, was the site of the largest single-site enforcement

The Fed has cut by 25BPS

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell announced the Fed’s decision on interest rates Wednesday, marking the first cut of the year after months of pressure from Donald Trump to lower borrowing costs. Policymakers reduced the benchmark federal funds rate by 25 basis points, bringing it to a range of 4%

China confirms TikTok’s US app will use Chinese algorithm

Donald Trump said his administration has secured a deal with China to keep TikTok running in the U.S., though questions remain over the final terms — including whether Beijing will retain control of the app’s algorithm. “We have a deal on TikTok ... We have a group of very big

China officially bans its companies from buying Nvidia, $NVDA, chips

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang addressed the U.S. tech giant’s challenges in China after reports surfaced that the country has barred its artificial intelligence chips. Huang said he was “disappointed” following a Financial Times report Wednesday that China’s Cyberspace Administration instructed companies including ByteDance and Alibaba not to

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent once to occupy two different hosues as his principal residence at the same time, the same "kind of contradictory pledges that Trump has been using to try to oust Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook"

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent once simultaneously designated two separate properties as his “principal residence,” according to a Wednesday report — a move similar to the claim President Donald Trump cited when he sought to dismiss Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Bloomberg reported that documents from September 2007 show Bessent agreed that

Luigi Mangione terrorism charges tossed out in killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO

Luigi Mangione won a significant legal ruling Tuesday when a judge dismissed the two most serious state charges against him—first-degree murder and second-degree murder—both of which prosecutors had sought to classify as terrorism offenses. Mangione still faces a separate second-degree murder charge, along with a federal murder charge,

80% of TikTok would be controlled by Oracle $ORCL, Silver Lake, and A16z

TikTok’s U.S. operations would be overseen by an investor consortium that includes Oracle (ORCL.N), Silver Lake, and Andreessen Horowitz, under a framework now being finalized between Washington and Beijing, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. A new entity is set to

54% of Americans said there is no mortgage rate at which they would feel comfortable selling their home, up 12 points from last year, per Bank of America

In June, U.S. home prices logged their weakest growth since 2023, rising at a slower pace than inflation and signaling a cooling housing market. According to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index, national home prices increased just 1.9% year-over-year, while the Consumer Price Index advanced 2.7%

Chinese money launderers appear to have moved some $312 billion in illicit transactions through U.S. banks and other financial institutions in recent years to aid Mexican drug cartels and other criminals, the Treasury Department has said

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a warning Thursday about Chinese money laundering networks (CMLNs), calling them a growing threat to the American financial system. The agency released both an Advisory, urging banks and other institutions to be alert to how Mexico-based drug cartels

Trump: companies and corporations should no longer be forced to "Report" on a quarterly basis

President Donald Trump is pushing to end the long-standing requirement that public companies report their financial results every quarter, a move he says would shift corporate focus away from short-term pressures and toward long-term management. In a Truth Social post, Trump argued that businesses “should no longer be forced to

Trump: companies and corporations should no longer be forced to "Report" on a quarterly basis

President Donald Trump is pushing to end the long-standing requirement that public companies report their financial results every quarter, a move he says would shift corporate focus away from short-term pressures and toward long-term management. In a Truth Social post, Trump argued that businesses “should no longer be forced to

Trump said a meeting between a U.S. team led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his Chinese counterparts had been a success

The Trump administration has finalized an agreement with China to allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States, wrapping up a long-running dispute that first began during Donald Trump’s initial term as president. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed Monday that a framework had been reached and said Trump

Opendoor, OPEN, board chair Rabois says company is 'bloated,' needs to cut 85% of workforce

Opendoor’s new chairman, Keith Rabois, sharply criticized the company as “bloated” on Friday and pledged to slash as much as 85% of its workforce. “There’s 1,400 employees at Opendoor. I don’t know what most of them do. We don’t need more than 200 of them,

A new bill in Congress could allow the US government to strip citizens of their right to travel for criticizing Israel

A U.S. lawmaker has introduced legislation that could be used to restrict Americans’ right to travel abroad based solely on their speech, including criticism of Israel. The bill, sponsored by Florida Representative Brian Mast, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, would give Secretary of State Marco Rubio authority

Albania has appointed an AI-generated government minister who will avoid getting corrupted

For government leaders, being called “heartless” often comes with the job. But Albania has taken that label literally — by adding an AI program to its cabinet. This new “minister” isn’t a human overseeing artificial intelligence. She is artificial intelligence, introduced simply as Diella. Prime Minister Edi Rama unveiled her

Ohio lawmaker wants to allow utilities to adjust homeowners’ thermostats, water heaters

Ohio lawmakers are considering a new energy initiative that would allow utilities to temporarily adjust residents’ thermostats and water heaters — but only for customers who voluntarily sign up. House Bill 427, introduced this week in the General Assembly, proposes an opt-in “demand response” program designed to ease pressure on the

UBS expects the S&P 500 to reach 6,800 by mid-2026

Across the Atlantic, sentiment is beginning to improve. UBS has raised its mid-2026 forecast for the S&P 500 to 6,800 from 6,200, though the bank is keeping a neutral stance, suggesting much of the potential upside may already be priced in. Morgan Stanley expects a rebound

Comedy Central pulls “South Park” episode that depicted Charlie Kirk after assassination

Comedy Central has pulled a controversial episode of South Park that spoofed Charlie Kirk after the conservative activist was shot and killed at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. The network, owned by Paramount Skydance, quietly replaced the scheduled rerun of Got a Nut—a Season 27 episode in which Eric

22-year-old Utah resident Tyler Robinson has been taken into custody for the assassination of Charlie Kirk

Authorities announced Thursday that the suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk has been taken into custody. Utah Governor Spencer Cox identified the suspect as Tyler Robinson, saying he came to the attention of law enforcement after reaching out to a family friend, who then alerted authorities. Investigators noted that

UBS puts the recession probability at 93%

UBS has sounded an alarm over the U.S. economy, saying its proprietary model places the risk of recession at 93% based on “hard data” covering May through July 2025. While the bank stopped short of making an official recession call, it described the probability as “historically worrying” and pointed

US mortgage rates have just had their biggest weekly drop in a year, at 6.35%, down from 6.50% a week earlier

After months of hesitation in a sluggish housing market, buyers may finally be getting a reason to reenter: mortgage rates are dropping sharply. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 6.35% for the week ending September 11, down from 6.50% the week before, according to Freddie Mac