US Economy - Too Reliant on AI?

Stocks and the Economy Are Increasingly Relying on the A.I. Boom
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/22/business/economy/stocks-economy-ai.html
Investment in artificial intelligence and related companies is lifting the stock market and spending across the economy. 

MY TAKE: The AI bubble could be worse than the dot-com bust by Vivekanand Jayakumar, The Hill - 06/16/26

https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/5925202-tech-bubble-ai-driven-growth/

G-2 versus the Rest

Don’t Overestimate America and China’s Importance
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/us-china-limits-of-superpower-influence-and-clout-by-jim-o-neill-2026-07
Some commentators on international affairs seem to think that “the West” and the BRICS+ do not really matter; only the United States and China do. Yet three factors complicate this simplistic framing, suggesting that even superpowers' influence has limits, and that smaller powers can sometimes punch above their weight. 

The Semiconductor Stocks Trade

The Most Important Stock Decision You'll Make This Year
https://www.fa-mag.com/news/the-most-important-stock-decision-you-ll-make-this-year-87829.html 

Geopolitical/Geoeconomic Risks

Beware the rising energy dangers of Trump’s Gulf war
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/07/22/beware-the-rising-energy-dangers-of-trumps-gulf-war/
 
Trump’s Tariffs Enter New Phase, Ending Months of Calm
https://www.wsj.com/economy/trade/trumps-tariffs-enter-new-phase-ending-months-of-calm-65f33e3e
President Trump is preparing new levies to replace the ones he put in place after the Supreme Court gutted his trade agenda. 

Diesel Crisis Puts Poor Farmers Around the World at Risk

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/business/bangladesh-farmers-diesel-water-iran.html

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has limited the shipment of diesel, depriving farmers of fuel for irrigation pumps and threatening the food supply. 

A New Central Banking Mindset

Structural shifts demand a new central banking mindset by Vivekanand Jayakumar, The Hill, July 21, 2026
https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/5979598-monetary-policy-paradigm-shifts/
While the primary objective of most central banks — maintaining price stability — remains unchanged, the post-pandemic economic landscape has evolved in ways that require policymakers to rethink how monetary policy is designed and implemented. 

The piece can also be found at these sites:

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/opinion-structural-shifts-demand-central-163000068.html
https://www.aol.com/articles/opinion-structural-shifts-demand-central-163000000.html
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/opinion-structural-shifts-demand-a-new-central-banking-mindset/ar-AA28owNz

Volatility: Stock Indices versus Individual Stocks

Something Weird Is Happening Beneath the Stock Market’s Surface
https://www.wsj.com/finance/stocks/something-weird-is-happening-beneath-the-stock-markets-surface-e8a47ac4
This year is headed for a record divergence between stock indexes and individual stocks. Beneath a calm surface, volatility is unusually high. 

US Popularity on the Global Stage

People in Many Countries Now View China More Positively Than the U.S.
https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2026/07/15/people-in-many-countries-now-view-china-more-positively-than-the-u-s/
More also have confidence in Xi than Trump, according to a survey in three dozen countries.
 
Why the world trusts China more than America
https://www.ft.com/content/f3ad032f-3c06-4ed4-82e2-7c2e5e68af26
Countries suspicious of the US are to be found on every continent, not just in its own back yard.