2026-07-31
4 分钟The Economist.
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Despite robust spending, America's economy grew slower than expected in the second quarter,
expanding by an annualized 1.5%.
Consumer activity grew by 3.2% thanks to a fall in gasoline prices and higher-than-usual tax refunds.
AI-driven investment continued to boom.
These bright spots were, however, offset by a decline in net exports and companies drawing down their inventories.
Amazon reported second quarter revenues of $200.6 billion, a 20% increase from the same period a year earlier.
Demand for AI saw revenues for Amazon Web Services.
Its cloud computing arm surged almost 37% to $42.2 billion.
Meanwhile, Apple reported quarterly revenues of $109.4 billion, up 16% year-on-year.
America's tech-heavy Nasdaq closed almost 2.8% higher on Thursday after Microsoft's earnings beat estimates.
European football's member associations voted to boycott
the next World Cup if FIFA flogged stakes in the running of tournaments.
The plan, dreamed up by global football's boss Gianni Infantino, has been panned by politicians,
players and administrators who fret about selling the soul of the sport.
The proposal would aim to raise up to $4.2 billion and give money to FIFA's national member associations.
Saudi Arabia proposed creating an international maritime defense alliance amid attacks
on oil tankers in the Red Sea by the Houthis, an Iranian-backed militia.
The Saudi defence ministry said dozens of countries met to discuss the plan on Thursday.