Author: i2wtc

A new housing development built along a canal near the Mokelumne River is viewed on May 22, 2023, near Stockton, California.George Rose | Getty ImagesMortgage rates are rising sharply this week, as investors sell U.S. Treasury bonds at a swift pace. Mortgage rates follow loosely the yield on the 10-year Treasury. Some speculate foreign countries could be dumping U.S. Treasurys in retaliation against President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff plan.But there is another, even bigger, concern for both mortgage investors and for the all-important spring housing market. What if China, one of the largest holders of agency mortgage-backed securities, or MBS,…

Listen to article Pakistan’s economy is showing positive signs of stability and recovery, with an expected 2.5% growth in real GDP for the fiscal year 2025 (ending June 30, 2026). This growth reflects the impact of stringent macroeconomic policies and progress in key economic reforms. According to the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) April 2025, the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) flagship economic publication, Pakistan’s growth rate for FY2025 is projected to remain the same as the previous year (FY2024), which also saw a growth of 2.5%. ADB says Pakistan’s growth is projected to tick up to 3.0% in FY2026. The growth outlook is…

Dell, HP, and Lenovo laptops equipped with Intel Core Ultra processors, optimized for premium thin and powerful laptops, featuring 3D performance hybrid architecture, advanced AI capabilities, and built-in Intel Arc GPU, on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, on January 8 2025. Artur Widak | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesPersonal computer shipments rose in the first quarter of the year as companies sped up deliveries to gear up for incoming tariffs.Research firm Canalys estimates that shipment for PCs jumped more than 9% during the period, while data from IDC Research pegged the growth at nearly…

Dario Amodei, Anthropic CEO, speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box outside the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 21st, 2025.Gerry Miller | CNBCAnthropic, the artificial intelligence startup backed by Amazon, on Wednesday introduced Claude’s Max plan, a new subscription tier for its chatbot that competes with OpenAI’s ChatGPT.Customers can pay $100 per month for five times the amount of usage as the company’s Pro plan, or $200 per month for 20 times the amount. OpenAI’s ChatGPT Pro, which is comparable to Claude’s Max tier, costs a flat rate of $200 per month.Anthropic, founded by former OpenAI research executives, launched Claude…

Listen to article The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a sharp decline on Wednesday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index shedding 1,379.28 points to close at 114,153.15 — a 1.19% drop from the previous session. The index swung between a high of 115,092.12 and a low of 112,891.48 during the session, reflecting cautious investor sentiment amid prevailing economic uncertainties. Total trading volume stood at 267.5 million shares, with a total market value of Rs20.63 billion. The downturn comes amid weak investor confidence and continued economic concerns. On Tuesday, the index touched an intraday high of 116,692.29 and a low of 115,560.90, reflecting steady…

No aid has been delivered to Gaza since March 2 as Israel’s war in the enclave continues to rage.At least 60,000 children in the Gaza Strip are “at risk of serious health complications due to malnutrition” as food supplies dwindle amid Israel’s blockade of aid, according to the enclave’s Ministry of Health. The ministry statement came on Wednesday, a day after United Nations chief Antonio Guterres rejected a new Israeli proposal to control aid deliveries in Gaza, saying it risks “further controlling and callously limiting aid down to the last calorie and grain of flour”. The Health Ministry warned that…

Sam’s Club is opening a store in the Dallas area that will require customers to go all digital. Shoppers will use a smartphone app to scan and pay for their own purchases rather than standing in a checkout lane.Sam’s ClubDALLAS, Texas — Walmart-owned Sam’s Club plans to supercharge its expansion by opening about 15 new stores per year going forward and remodeling all of its approximately 600 locations across the country, the warehouse club’s CEO Chris Nicholas said on Wednesday.With the boost from those new locations, Sam’s Club aims to double its membership over the next eight-to-10 years, he said…

Listen to article Eric Meyer, a senior bureau official (SBO) for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at the US State Department, underscored Pakistan’s immense potential in the minerals sector, calling it a game-changer for both economies. During a recent visit to Islamabad, Meyer led a US delegation focused on boosting cooperation in Pakistan’s critical minerals industry, deepening economic ties, and reinforcing counterterrorism collaboration. “Critical minerals are the raw materials necessary for our most advanced technologies,” Meyer stated while speaking on the sidelines of the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum. “President Trump has made it clear that securing diverse and reliable…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that his military had captured two Chinese men fighting with the Russian army. Zelenskyy said that this was a clear sign that Russian President Vladimir Putin intended to continue the Ukraine war, potentially threatening the ongoing peace negotiations brokered by US President Donald Trump. Ukrainian officials also said that the capture of Chinese soldiers – the first such instance in more than three years of the war – raised questions about Beijing’s commitment to peace. China has long insisted that it is a neutral party in the war and has pushed for a…

Pakistan women beat Ireland by 38 runs in a low-scoring thriller to win the opening One-Day International (ODI) encounter of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 Qualifiers on Wednesday. On a hot day in Lahore, Pakistan’s Diana Baig and Nashra Sandhu starred with the ball, picking up four and three wickets each to bowl the Irish women’s team out for 179. Seamer Diana got the prized scalp of opener Sarah Forbes in her first spell and then came back to clean up the tail by getting the wickets of Christina Coulter Reilly, Louise Little and Arlene Kelly. She was adjudicated…