After 90 days

At $65bn in 2023, the US was the world’s largest funder of foreign aid — propping up education, health services and human rights in developing countries and supporting the militaries of strategic allies. Programmes often associated with foreign aid, such as humanitarian assistance, made up a large slice of the total. But significant funding also went to strengthening militaries in allied nations and helping governments phase out fossil fuels or contain the production of opioids that could end up in the US. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) was responsible for around two-thirds of US foreign assistance. President Trump ordered a freeze on much of that spending for 90 days. Administration officials say they will assess whether the US assistance is in line with the president’s “America First” agenda. The administration’s move to dismantle USAID has left big questions over who will oversee whatever programmes are allowed to resume after the 90-day freeze.

(Adapted from “How Much The US Spent On Foreign Aid — And Where It Went,” by Gabriele Steinhauser and Ming Lo, published on February 10, 2025, by the Wall Street Journal)

Betting on long shots

America’s biggest gambling companies are making a killing on multileg bets, called parlays — tough-to-win multipart wagers with tantalising payouts. Fans of parlays say that while the wagers are true long shots, the appeal of winning five figures from $5 is too strong to pass up. They deliver a bigger cut of money to sportsbooks after paying out winners than single bets. And they are a growing portion of bets overall — especially among casual sports fans, who are part of a new and fast-growing segment of the world of online sports betting. Sports-betting companies raked in cash during one of their busiest times of the year leading up to the Super Bowl. Flashy ads highlight special offers for bonus bets on parlays and other offers for newbies. Companies and their media partners are pouring money into advertising the bets, and they’re engaging celebrities and influencers to put together parlays that bettors can latch on to.

(Adapted from “America Has Fallen In Love With Long-Shot Sports Bets,” by Katherine Sayre and Isabella Simonetti,” published on January 25, 2025, by the Wall Street Journal)

Gold’s rally vs Trump trade

In 2025, gold has surged another 10pc, crashing through the all-time high it set three months ago. Gold staged an amazing rally between February and October 2024 when the price rose more than a third. This followed a period of more than three years when the crisis-asset extraordinaire went sideways, despite a roller-coaster ride in interest rates and risk assets. Why gold rallied when it finally did remains slightly mysterious but seems to have something to do with a structural shift in global demand, particularly from central banks. Gold started trading sideways again in October. A stable gold price meant one less confusing thing to think about in a puzzling market thrown into disorder by the US presidential election. However, that hiatus is now over.

(Adapted from “Trump Trade Goes Down, Gold Goes Up,” by Robert Armstrong and Aiden Reiter, published on February 12, 2025, by the Financial Times)

China’s tech stocks’ bull market

A benchmark for Chinese technology stocks has risen more than 20pc in the past month. The Hang Seng Tech index, which tracks the 30 largest tech groups listed in Hong Kong, is up 27pc from its 2025 low on January 13, outpacing both the Nasdaq 100 and the Magnificent Seven stocks. The gains in Hong Kong reflect renewed foreign investor interest in China after DeepSeek, an AI model apparently developed with far less computing power than US counterparts, triggered a global reappraisal of Chinese tech companies. “Only Chinese internet companies are globally competitive and comparable to the US Magnificent Seven,” said Bush Chu, investment manager for Chinese equities at Abrdn. Internet giant Alibaba rose more than 6pc last Wednesday after Chinese media reported it was working with Apple on rolling out the iPhone maker’s AI features in China.

(Adapted from “China’s Tech Stocks Enter Bull Market After DeepSeek Breakthrough,” by Arjun Neil Alim, published on February 12, 2025, by the Financial Times)

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, February 17th, 2025