Bond selloff in the US Worries about a protracted conflict with Iran, swelling fiscal deficits, and rate hikes are rattling global bond markets.
The potential effects on the US economy stretch far beyond the Treasury market.
Treasury yields the interest rates investors receive for holding US debt influence how much consumers and businesses pay to borrow money.
Lenders use those yields as a benchmark for setting rates on mortgages and auto loans. They also undergird yields on corporate bonds that companies use for funding. If the selloff persists, that could start to affect a stockmarket rally that has helped support consumer spending and the Al spending boom. This comes as persistent inflation puts the Federal Reserve under pressure to raise rates for the first time since 2023 a move that would ripple through the economy by raising short-term borrowing costs. Inflation stuck above the Fed’s 2pc target has heightened the chances that the central bank will raise rates this year.
(Adapted from ‘What Does A Bond Selloff Mean For American Consumers?’ by Nicholas G. Miller and Justin Lahart, published on September 2, 2026, by the Wall Street Journal)Al’s big question Barry Norton was a half-hour into his talk on scientific breakthroughs in artificial intelligence when he was asked the most important question on Wall Street. The longtime tech investor laid out how chip design would one day be so intricate and efficient that engineers would literally be moving molecules.
Then a hand went up: All these Al advances are costing US companies trillions of dollars. Will there be a return on that investment? Big tech companies that once had indestructible balance sheets are now cash flow negative. The spending not shown on balance sheets is even greater. Expectations for revenue growth are off the charts, and companies like OpenAl are struggling to keep up. The world’s most valuable company, Nvidia, is nurturing an entirely new asset class to keep chip sales humming. Investors debate whether the earnings from the big Al spending binge will materialise or the market is headed for pain.
(Adapted from ‘We Went to Wall Street’s Exclusive Wildemess Camp. Everyone Was Spooked by AI,’ by Hannah Erin Lang, published on August 22, 2026, by the Wall Street Journal)A dog’s $2.9m home Plenty of doting pet parents spoil their pooches with fancy treats, beds and spa treatments. Technology consultant Howard Rubin and his wife, Suze Rubin, bought their bearded Collie, Buster, a $1.83m house. In 2019, the Rubins bought a house in Pound Ridge, New York what they dubbed ‘Buster’s Retreat’ and moved there full-time in 2022. Now hoping to try Florida again, the couple have purchased a house in Boca and are listing their property for $2.9m. The circa-1955 house has an open floor plan that affords Buster ample space to wander around. The Rubins said they tailored their home around Buster. They spent roughly $2m on renovations mostly related to the home’s infrastructure, a new kitchen and bathrooms. They added two sun shelves to the swimming pool so that the dog could lounge comfortably.
(Adapted from ‘It’s A Dog’s $2.9 Million House. They’re Just Living in it,’ by EB Solomont, published on August 25, 2026, by the Wall Street Joumal) New toy craze Dumplings, ice cubes and gummy bears squishable ones, anyway are some of the hottest toys of 2026.
Squishy toys have been around for years, but products such as NeeDoh, made by Massachusetts-based Schylling, have exploded in popularity this year, helped by their relatively low prices and social media appeal. US sales of squishy toys reached about $297m through June, quadrupling from a year earlier. Unit sales jumped nearly 200pc to 58.6m over the same period.
The combination of fun colours, interesting packaging, stress relief and play helped lay the viral foundation for broader adoption. TikTok Shop has grown to represent 1pc of total retail sales and 3pc of e-commerce sales in just two years, according to Circana’s Social Commerce Tracking data, with toys, hobbies and collectables ranking as the third-largest category on the platform. The squishy toy craze is also reaching Southeast Asian markets.
(Adapted from ‘The Toy Industry’s Latest Craze is Cheap, Colourful And Very Squishy,’ by Jenny Lee, published on August 26, 2026, by CNBC)