A handful of investors rattled by Beijing’s sweeping crackdown on domestic tech giants are heading for the exits. Indeed, after 40 years of letting the market play an expanding role in driving prosperity, China’s leaders have remembered something very important. —David E. Rovella Bloomberg is tracking the progress of coronavirus vaccines while mapping the pandemic worldwide. Yes, crypto fans, the IRS is coming for you and your trades—but there’s a silver lining. The new push by Congress to require crypto brokers to report transactions might also clarify rules for traders and users of Bitcoin and other digital tokens, potentially strengthening the system in the long run. For the first time in more than five years, the U.S. Treasury will soon scale back its mammoth quarterly sales of notes and bonds, a shift so large that it could more than counter the Fed’s looming reduction in purchases. The Treasury also began using additional special measures to avoid a U.S. default after the debt limit was reinstated Aug. 1. U.S. equities declined on Monday following softer-than-expected U.S. manufacturing growth amid lingering supply constraints. Here’s your markets wrap. As President Joe Biden moves toward a possible legislative victory with his $550 billion infrastructure bill, one might ask what its success (if it passes) says about American politics. Tyler Cowen writes in Bloomberg Opinion that it’s mostly good news, regardless of whether you agree with it—or Biden for that matter. An Amtrak train departs Union Station in Washington on Aug. 2. The infrastructure bill would provide the biggest infusion of federal spending on public works in decades. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg The world’s biggest pension fund lowered U.S. government bonds and bills to 35% of its foreign debt holdings, a record cut to the weighting of U.S. Treasuries. China is confronting its broadest outbreak since the novel coronavirus first emerged there in late 2019. The delta variant is spreading to places that had been virus-free for months, including the original epicenter of Wuhan. In the U.S., 70% of adults have received at least one dose of a vaccine, a key milestone as hospitals in some states are buckling under the nation’s fifth infection wave. Meanwhile, more mask and vaccination requirements are being implemented in the public and private sectors. Here’s the latest on the pandemic. When India failed to show up at climate talks in London last week, the British took it as a snub. It was also a reminder of how hard it will be to pull the Earth back from the brink of disaster. There are less than three months to go before the next round of high-stakes negotiations. With the clock ticking down, the chances of a global accord in the face of increasingly catastrophic climate change are fading. Turkish firefighters battle a wildfire near the town of Manavgat on July 30. The fire continued out of control all night, forcing evacuations. Wildfires are common in Turkey's Mediterranean and Aegean regions during the arid summer months. Photograph: Associated Press Virtual reality in the healthcare space has evolved from a radical research topic to powerful clinical tool. Proponents contend VR can help doctors and mental health professionals reach under-served populations while providing assessments and interventions that weren’t previously possible. VR is already proving invaluable as a therapeutic strategy for people coping with issues ranging from battlefield post-traumatic stress to chronic pain. Soon, Bloomberg Digital reports, it may help you too. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg Like getting the Evening Briefing? Subscribe to Bloomberg.com for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and gain expert analysis from exclusive subscriber-only newsletters. Bloomberg’s New Economy Daily newsletter:Discover what's driving the global economy and what it means for policymakers, businesses, investors and you, plus a weekend edition from New Economy Forum Editorial Director Andy Browne. Sign up here. |