Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Weds, Feb 25, 2026: Samsung S26 family launches, iPhone Fold starts production, OpenClaw drama, Google Disrupts Espionage, Anthropic Alters AI Safety

Wednesday, Feb 25, 2026 Summary (Get it via Newsletter)

Wildcard Desk:

  • OpenClaw Controversy. Developers debate openly as users bypass anti-bot systems, injecting a playful twist into open‑source norms. See more details.
  • Uber Air‑Taxi Preview. Uber’s prototype air‑taxi booking system for Dubai trials, powered by Joby aircraft, offers an experimental spin on urban mobility. Check out the preview.

Today’s top story – Google’s disruption of a China‑linked espionage campaign using Google Sheets – highlights real‑time vulnerabilities in products millions use. Simultaneously, market jitters around Nvidia, safety shifts at Anthropic and robust earnings figures underscore immediate implications for investors and tech leaders.

The briefing reviews market‐moving earnings and crypto volatility, platform risk from security operations and regulatory pushback, strategic signals in AI and device innovations, plus product updates reflecting ongoing tech creativity.

Market‑moving

  • Nvidia Earnings Anticipated. Markets brace as chipmakers reposition ahead of Nvidia’s quarterly report, reflecting AI demand pressures and stock jitters. The evolving sentiment is detailed in the report.
  • Salesforce Delivers Robust FY26 Results. Record fiscal revenues and a bold $50B share buyback boost confidence despite cautious forward guidance. Stakeholders track this signal via the update.
  • Circle Q4 Surge on USDC. With $770M revenue and booming USDC circulation, Circle energizes the digital payments space as highlighted in the report.
  • Crypto Rally Reverses Course. Bitcoin recovery toward $69,000 and moves in Ethereum and Solana prompt caution among traders, as captured in the analysis.

Platform risk

  • Google Disrupts Espionage Operations. Google dismantled a China‑linked UNC2814 campaign that misused Sheets, alerting governments and telecoms to platform vulnerabilities. Read the full account.
  • Anthropic Scales Back Safety Commitments. Under Pentagon pressure, Anthropic has rolled back elements of its safety policy, spotlighting a clash between agile AI and defense standards; details emerge in the coverage.
  • Discord Halts Age‑Verification Rollout. Facing vocal user backlash, Discord paused its global plan for age verification, raising questions on platform governance. More insights appear in the report.

Strategic signal

  • SambaNova Unveils SN50 Accelerator. SambaNova introduced its SN50 AI accelerator boasting a significant efficiency leap and raised $350M, marking a strategic enterprise AI leap. The announcement underscores competitive momentum.
  • VAST Data Launches Unified AI OS. With a CUDA‑accelerated AI operating system and partnerships with Nvidia and CrowdStrike, VAST Data aims to simplify enterprise deployment. Further details are outlined in the release.
  • Atlassian Embeds Agentic AI into Jira. Atlassian now lets teams assign and track AI agents like human teammates for seamless workflow integration, signaling a strengthening of productivity tools. Explore the brief for more.
  • iPhone Fold Enters Production. Apple begins production of its iPhone Fold, featuring tighter crease tolerances to overcome previous design pitfalls, indicating a refined approach to foldables. Read the feature.

Product noise

  • Anthropic Adds Remote Control to Claude Code. Developers can now take live coding sessions on the go, with Anthropic extending Claude Code’s functionality to mobile interfaces. The update is detailed in the announcement.
  • Perplexity Launches Super‑Agent Platform. Perplexity’s new super‑agent orchestrates multiple AI models to streamline end‑to‑end workflows for enterprise applications, promising enhanced productivity. Further information appears in the report.
  • Samsung Unveils Galaxy S26 Series. During its Unpacked event, Samsung showcased the Galaxy S26 lineup with a pixel‑level Privacy Display and Gemini‑powered AI features, raising the bar for mobile innovation. See the release for full details.

As Marketing Partner for the 38th Annual ROTH Capital Partners Conference, B2i Digital is spotlighting presenting company HIVE Digital Technologies LTD (Nasdaq:HIVE, TSX:HIVE).

https://v.redd.it/an0hsruwnplg1

Japanese Yen Forecast: USD/JPY Bulls Charge Yearly Open Resistance

USD/JPY is pressing into resistance into the close of the month, and the reaction here could decide whether the rally accelerates or stalls.

By :  Michael Boutros,  Sr. Technical Strategist

Japanese Yen Technical Forecast: USD/JPY Weekly Trade Levels

  • USD/JPY is on pace for a second consecutive weekly advance, pressing into a major confluence zone at the yearly open and key Fibonacci retracement resistance.
  • Price action remains constructive while above near-term support, but a decisive weekly close above resistance is required to confirm broader uptrend resumption.
  • Event risk ahead with Tokyo CPI & US PPI on tap into the close of the week / month
  • Resistance 156.64/67, 157.70-158.08 (key), 158.88- Support 154.79, 152.69, 151.91/98 (key)

USD/JPY has extended its recovery into the close of the month, bringing price back to a technically significant resistance zone anchored by the yearly open and a key retracement of the year-to-date range. This is a decisive test for the bulls. A sustained push through this confluence region would signal scope for a renewed challenge of the 2025 highs, while rejection into the weekly close would reinforce the risk of consolidation or pullback within the broader structure. Traders should closely monitor price behavior around this pivot as it is likely to define near-term directional bias. Battle lines are drawn on the USD/JPY weekly technical chart.

Review my latest Weekly Strategy Webinar for an in-depth breakdown of this Yen setup and more. Join live on Monday’s at 8:30am EST.

Japanese Yen Price Chart – USD/JPY Weekly

https://preview.redd.it/rlhfysk36plg1.png?width=1030&format=png&auto=webp&s=ff9ce350db8832f7cbae44e7ff0590533c9695a5

Chart Prepared by Michael Boutros, Sr. Technical Strategist; USD/JPY on TradingView

Technical Outlook: In my last Japanese Yen Technical Forecast we noted that USD/JPY had rebounded just ahead of uptrend support with the bulls, “within striking distance of resistance at 157.70-158.08- a region defined by the 2025 high-week close (HWC), the December high-close, and the January HWC. Look for a reaction there IF reached..” The rally registered an intraweek high at 157.66 the following week before turning sharply lower with an outside-week reversal rebounding just ahead of the January low.

USD/JPY is poised to mark a second consecutive weekly advance into the close of the month with price testing resistance today at the 61.8% retracement of the year-to-date range and the objective yearly open at 156.64/67. The focus is on the weekly / monthly close with regards to this threshold. Key resistance remains at 157.70-158.08- a region defined by the 2025 high-week close (HWC), the December high-close, and the January HWC. A breach / weekly close above this zone is needed to threaten resumption of the broader uptrend towards the 2025 swing high at 158.88. The next major technical consideration is eyed at the 2024 HWC and the 2024 swing high at 160.74-161.95- look for a larger reaction there IF reached.

Initial support rests at the 2026 low-week close (LWC) / the objective February open at 154.79 and is backed by the January low-close at 152.69. Critical support and broader bullish invalidation remains unchanged at 151.91/98- a region defined by the 2022 & 2023 swing highs, and the 38.2% retracement of the 2025 advance. A break / weekly close below this threshold is needed to invalidate the April uptrend and would suggest a larger trend reversal is underway. Subsequent support rests with the 52-week moving average, currently near ~150.

Click the website link below to Check Out Our FREE "How to Trade USD/JPY" Guide

https://www.cityindex.com/en-uk/whitepapers/

https://preview.redd.it/ridh10176plg1.png?width=1420&format=png&auto=webp&s=9f917c810adc6e1e446f32f629ca66a8601dabec

Bottom line: USD/JPY is trading into confluent resistance into the close of the week / month, and the focus is on a possible inflection off this zone in the days ahead. From a trading standpoint, losses should be limited to 154.79 IF price is heading higher on this stretch with a close above 156.67 needed to fuel another run towards the yearly highs.

Keep in mind we get the release of Tokyo CPI tomorrow with the US Producer Price Index (PPI) on tap Friday. Stay nimble into the monthly cross and watch the weekly close here for guidance. Review my latest Japanese Yen Short-term Outlook for a closer look at the near-term USD/JPY technical trade levels.

USD/JPY Key Economic Data Releases

https://preview.redd.it/zxznyy986plg1.png?width=718&format=png&auto=webp&s=ffdfcaae0a987832e1417c2f85c520463a0b8e4d

Economic Calendar - latest economic developments and upcoming event risk.

Active Weekly Technical Charts

--- Written by Michael Boutros, Senior Technical Strategist

Follow Michael on X @MBForex

https://www.cityindex.com/en-uk/news-and-analysis/japanese-yen-forecast-usd-jpy-bulls-charge-yearly-open-resistance-2-25-2026-2026-02-25/

StoneX Financial Ltd (trading as “City Index”) is an execution-only service provider. This material, whether or not it states any opinions, is for general information purposes only and it does not take into account your personal circumstances or objectives. This material has been prepared using the thoughts and opinions of the author and these may change. However, City Index does not plan to provide further updates to any material once published and it is not under any obligation to keep this material up to date. This material is short term in nature and may only relate to facts and circumstances existing at a specific time or day. Nothing in this material is (or should be considered to be) financial, investment, legal, tax or other advice and no reliance should be placed on it.

No opinion given in this material constitutes a recommendation by City Index or the author that any particular investment, security, transaction or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. The material has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research. Although City Index is not specifically prevented from dealing before providing this material, City Index does not seek to take advantage of the material prior to its dissemination. This material is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person in any country or jurisdiction where such distribution or use would be contrary to local law or regulation.

For further details see our full non-independent research disclaimer and quarterly summary.


Tuesday, February 24, 2026

The Daily Market Flux - Your Complete Market Rundown (02/24/2026)

Our platform aggregates and organizes all relevant market news, helping you stay informed, up-to-date, and knowledgeable without spending hours sifting through headlines.

Reinvented to keep you in control, it's where your edge begins with better information. Go from market noise to clarity in seconds with a real-time platform built to redefine how traders and investors digest financial news.

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Here is Your Complete Market Rundown (02/24/2026)

Top Stories

Markets Stabilize After Tariff Turmoil as Trump Faces State of Union Test

US stock futures steadied following Monday's selloff as Trump prepares his State of the Union address amid polling showing voter skepticism on economic promises. FedEx sued for tariff refunds after Supreme Court ruling, while businesses warn against expecting lower prices despite tariff rollbacks.

Company News

Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN)

Performance Overview

1D Change:  1.58%

5D Change:  3.6%

News Volume:  222

Unusual Volume Factor:  2x

Amazon-Backed Anthropic Sparks Market Volatility with Enterprise AI Push While Pentagon Clash Intensifies

Amazon-backed AI startup Anthropic triggered significant market turbulence on February 24 as it unveiled new enterprise AI capabilities, sending shockwaves through the software sector before partnerships helped stabilize investor sentiment. The company's Claude AI platform announced expanded enterprise offerings including Cowork plugins for Microsoft Office applications and integrations with major firms including Intuit, DocuSign, Salesforce, and Thomson Reuters. The announcements initially hammered technology stocks, with IBM suffering its steepest single-day drop in over two decades after Anthropic highlighted Claude's ability to modernize legacy COBOL systems. Cybersecurity stocks also tumbled following the unveiling of Claude Code Security features. However, markets rebounded later in the session as Anthropic's partnership approach suggested collaboration rather than wholesale replacement of existing software providers. Amazon maintained its significant presence in the day's news beyond its Anthropic investment. The company announced a $12 billion commitment to build data centers in Louisiana, creating over 2,000 jobs in one of the state's largest tech infrastructure projects. Separately, California regulators sought an injunction against Amazon for allegedly stifling price competition, while Italy's data protection authority banned an Amazon unit from using employee personal data. The day took a dramatic turn when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly gave Anthropic a Friday deadline to remove AI safeguards restricting military applications or face contract termination. Anthropic, which had accused Chinese AI firms including DeepSeek of industrial-scale data theft through fraudulent accounts, stood firm on its ethical restrictions despite Pentagon pressure. Anthropic also kicked off an employee share sale valued up to $6 billion at a $380 billion valuation, driven by rising enterprise revenue. Analysts noted the company has become a prime IPO candidate for 2026. Amazon's broader AI infrastructure spending drew attention as the company's capital expenditure plans sparked debate among investors about long-term returns. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway notably dumped 77% of its Amazon stake before his retirement, though separate analysis suggested Amazon's current valuation represents its cheapest level since 2010.

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Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD)

Performance Overview

1D Change:  8.72%

5D Change:  5.3%

News Volume:  201

Unusual Volume Factor:  5x

AMD Secures Landmark $100 Billion AI Chip Deal with Meta, Stock Surges 14%

Advanced Micro Devices announced a massive agreement to supply Meta Platforms with up to $60 billion worth of artificial intelligence chips over five years, with the total deal value exceeding $100 billion when including infrastructure costs. The partnership involves deploying up to 6 gigawatts of GPU computing capacity and includes performance-based warrants that could give Meta up to 10% ownership in AMD through approximately 160 million shares. AMD shares jumped as much as 14% in premarket trading before settling with gains around 10% during regular hours. The deal represents a major validation for AMD as it competes against Nvidia in the AI chip market, marking the company's second mega supply agreement following a similar arrangement with OpenAI. Meta will deploy AMD's MI450 chips as part of its AI infrastructure buildout, coming just days after the social media giant committed to deploying millions of Nvidia GPUs. Wall Street analysts offered mixed reactions. Rosenblatt reaffirmed its Buy rating with a $300 target, calling the partnership major validation for AMD's AI chips. Roth Capital maintained its Buy rating, noting the deal solidifies AMD's role as an AI infrastructure provider. However, Mizuho cautioned that the rally could be short-lived amid headline-driven trading, while some analysts questioned whether the deal reflects desperation rather than strength. The announcement briefly pressured Nvidia shares, which fell 1.7% on the news, though Wall Street remained bullish ahead of Nvidia's earnings report. The AMD-Meta agreement highlights the growing complexity of the AI ecosystem as major tech companies diversify their chip suppliers beyond Nvidia's dominant position in the market.

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Meta Platforms, Inc. (META)

Performance Overview

1D Change:  0.33%

5D Change:  0.02%

News Volume:  196

Unusual Volume Factor:  2x

Meta Signs $100 Billion AI Chip Deal with AMD While Navigating Ray-Ban Pricing Tensions and Reviving Stablecoin Plans

Meta Platforms struck a landmark agreement with Advanced Micro Devices to purchase up to $60 billion worth of AI chips over five years, with the total deal value exceeding $100 billion when including infrastructure costs. The arrangement secures up to 6 gigawatts of computing capacity and grants Meta the option to acquire up to 10% of AMD through performance-based warrants for up to 160 million shares. AMD shares surged 14% on the announcement, which analysts view as major validation of AMD's position as a credible alternative to Nvidia in hyperscale AI infrastructure. The deal comes just days after Meta committed to deploying millions of Nvidia GPUs, underscoring the company's massive AI buildout strategy. Separately, Meta faces internal tensions with smart glasses partner EssilorLuxottica over pricing for their Ray-Ban AI glasses as they compete against potential rivals like Apple. Court filings also revealed that a Meta executive previously warned the company's Facebook Messenger encryption plan was "so irresponsible," raising questions about internal safety concerns. In cryptocurrency developments, Meta is reportedly planning a stablecoin comeback in the second half of 2026, partnering with a third-party vendor for payments and rolling out a new digital wallet. This marks a revival of Meta's digital currency ambitions following the failure of its previous Diem project. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has predicted the stablecoin market could reach $3 trillion by 2030. Investor activity showed mixed signals, with billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller eliminating his fund's Meta position while billionaire Philippe Laffont shifted focus to other AI stocks after selling Meta shares. Ross Gerber highlighted Meta's $23.6 billion share buyback costs as a point of concern for shareholders. Meta stock edged up modestly as investors weighed the long-term benefits of its AI infrastructure investments against potential dilution from the AMD warrant structure.

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Keysight Technologies, Inc. (KEYS)

Performance Overview

1D Change:  23.18%

5D Change:  28.53%

Keysight Technologies Surges 16% on Record Q1 Results and Strong AI Demand Outlook

Keysight Technologies shares jumped 16% in premarket trading February 24 after reporting record first-quarter revenue and earnings that exceeded estimates. The electronic test equipment maker issued second-quarter profit guidance well above analyst expectations, driven by robust AI infrastructure demand. Wall Street responded enthusiastically with widespread price target increases. Goldman Sachs raised its target to $322 from $243, while UBS lifted its forecast to $340 from $230, projecting 39% upside. Barclays increased its target to $320 from $232, and Morgan Stanley raised its price objective to $268 from $227. Bank of America upgraded the stock based on strong order momentum. The company led S&P 500 gainers for the session, with analysts citing AI-related capital expenditure as a key growth driver. The stock hit a record high during trading, marking the company's largest earnings beat in years. One insider transaction was reported, with SVP Estrada selling $475,000 in shares.

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Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. (KDP)

Performance Overview

1D Change:  4.23%

5D Change:  6.5%

Keurig Dr Pepper Beats Q4 Estimates, Projects Double-Digit Growth Despite Rising Coffee Costs

Keurig Dr Pepper reported fourth-quarter earnings that exceeded expectations by $0.01, with revenue also topping estimates, driving shares up 2.4% in premarket trading. The company posted a 10% sales surge driven by higher prices and resilient demand for sodas. Management issued strong 2026 guidance, targeting low double-digit earnings growth and revenue between $25.9 billion and $26.4 billion as the company prepares for its JDE Peet's acquisition, set to close in six weeks. However, the company warned that cost pressures will persist into early 2026, as JDE Peet's separately reported an unprecedented €1.6 billion jump in 2025 costs due to surging green coffee bean prices. Keurig Dr Pepper secured additional funding for the acquisition as it advances its transformation strategy.

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Geopolitics Events

Markets Stabilize After Tariff Turmoil as Trump Faces State of the Union Test

US stock futures steadied Tuesday following Monday's sell-off, as investors digested the Supreme Court's rejection of President Trump's emergency tariffs and assessed his economic agenda ahead of tonight's State of the Union address. FedEx filed a high-profile lawsuit seeking tariff refunds, while businesses warned consumers not to expect lower prices despite the court ruling. Trump faces mounting challenges selling his economic record to voters, with a Reuters/Ipsos poll finding most Americans view him as growing erratic with age. His administration struggles to demonstrate promised economic gains as data presents a mixed picture of his policy outcomes. Geopolitical tensions escalated as Iran nears a deal to purchase Chinese supersonic anti-ship missiles, pushing Middle East oil tanker costs to six-year highs. Israel warned Lebanon of severe retaliation if Hezbollah joins any US-Iran conflict. China indicated it will determine tariff countermeasures in due course, while Taiwan seeks assurances on trade deal stability. Apple announced plans to manufacture Mac minis domestically as part of Trump's reshoring push.

Continue reading

Trump Administration Scrambles to Adjust Tariff Policy After Supreme Court Setback

President Trump's global tariffs took effect Tuesday at 10 percent, lower than the initially planned 15 percent rate, as the administration works to adjust the temporary rate published by Customs and Border Protection. The implementation follows a Supreme Court ruling that struck down many of Trump's sweeping tariffs as unconstitutional, creating uncertainty for businesses and potentially cooling inflation according to Federal Reserve officials. FedEx launched the first major legal challenge against the administration, suing for tariff refunds just days after the Supreme Court decision. The lawsuit signals the beginning of what could be extensive legal battles as companies seek to reclaim billions in tariff payments already made. However, the White House is indicating that firms pursuing refunds face a lengthy process. The administration is pivoting its trade strategy, developing Pentagon-created AI models to set reference prices for critical minerals including germanium, gallium, antimony, and tungsten. Trump is also exploring new trade probes to revive tariff authority following the court defeat. The developments come as Trump prepares to deliver his State of the Union address amid voter concerns about the economy and questions about whether his tariff policies justify their economic costs.

Continue reading

Trump Administration Working to Raise Temporary Tariff Rate to 15%

The Trump administration is working to increase a new temporary U.S. tariff rate to 15% from the 10% rate published by Customs and Border Protection. A White House official confirmed there is "no change of heart" on the planned 15% rate under Section 122 statute, though timing for the adjustment remains unclear.

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Putin Warns of "Self-Destruction" as Russia-Ukraine War Enters Fifth Year

On the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion, Vladimir Putin issued a stark warning that Ukraine and Western allies risk "self-destruction" in attempting to defeat Russia. Russia signaled it would inform the U.S. about potential nuclear weapons in Ukraine, with officials stating Kyiv's nuclear ambitions would affect Russia's position. While Ukraine indicated another round of talks may be possible, major obstacles persist including Donetsk's future, control of key infrastructure, and security demands. Analysts note the war has fundamentally changed all parties involved, raising stakes too high for a quick resolution.

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Zelensky Pushes for EU Membership Timeline as Allies Pledge Continued Support

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the European Union to provide a clear accession date as the war enters its fourth year. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen affirmed Ukraine is progressing toward membership and pledged to deliver a 90 billion euro loan package as Ukraine faces funding shortfalls within weeks. G7 leaders reaffirmed unwavering support on the war anniversary, while Italy confirmed military aid through 2026. Rising Russian battlefield casualties may constrain Moscow's offensive capacity in coming months, though divisions among European partners complicate Ukraine's diplomatic efforts.

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Ukraine Peace Efforts Stall as Kremlin Frames Conflict as Western Confrontation

Four years after Russia's invasion, peace negotiations have stalled. The Kremlin now characterizes the Ukraine conflict as a broader confrontation with the West and acknowledges its "special military operation" goals remain unachieved. The EU Parliament commemorated the war's anniversary while calling for increased Western pressure on Russia.

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US Stocks Edge Lower as Zillow Hits 52-Week Low

Major US indices opened marginally lower with the Dow down 0.05%, S&P 500 declining 0.07%, and Nasdaq slipping 0.03%. Zillow Group fell to a 52-week low near $42 amid broader software sector weakness.

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China Military Purge Weakens Readiness as Russia Struggles in Ukraine War

China's military purge is undermining command effectiveness and operational readiness, according to new research. Meanwhile, Russia's Ukraine offensive faces setbacks from mounting casualties, with the Kremlin framing the conflict as a broader confrontation with the West. Four years of war have fundamentally transformed all parties involved.

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Macro Events

Markets Stabilize After Tariff Turmoil as Trump Faces State of the Union Test

US stock futures steadied Tuesday following Monday's sell-off, as investors digested the Supreme Court's rejection of President Trump's emergency tariffs and assessed his economic agenda ahead of tonight's State of the Union address. FedEx filed a high-profile lawsuit seeking tariff refunds, while businesses warned consumers not to expect lower prices despite the court ruling. Trump faces mounting challenges selling his economic record to voters, with a Reuters/Ipsos poll finding most Americans view him as growing erratic with age. His administration struggles to demonstrate promised economic gains as data presents a mixed picture of his policy outcomes. Geopolitical tensions escalated as Iran nears a deal to purchase Chinese supersonic anti-ship missiles, pushing Middle East oil tanker costs to six-year highs. Israel warned Lebanon of severe retaliation if Hezbollah joins any US-Iran conflict. China indicated it will determine tariff countermeasures in due course, while Taiwan seeks assurances on trade deal stability. Apple announced plans to manufacture Mac minis domestically as part of Trump's reshoring push.

Continue reading

Trump Administration Scrambles to Adjust Tariff Policy After Supreme Court Setback

President Trump's global tariffs took effect Tuesday at 10 percent, lower than the initially planned 15 percent rate, as the administration works to adjust the temporary rate published by Customs and Border Protection. The implementation follows a Supreme Court ruling that struck down many of Trump's sweeping tariffs as unconstitutional, creating uncertainty for businesses and potentially cooling inflation according to Federal Reserve officials. FedEx launched the first major legal challenge against the administration, suing for tariff refunds just days after the Supreme Court decision. The lawsuit signals the beginning of what could be extensive legal battles as companies seek to reclaim billions in tariff payments already made. However, the White House is indicating that firms pursuing refunds face a lengthy process. The administration is pivoting its trade strategy, developing Pentagon-created AI models to set reference prices for critical minerals including germanium, gallium, antimony, and tungsten. Trump is also exploring new trade probes to revive tariff authority following the court defeat. The developments come as Trump prepares to deliver his State of the Union address amid voter concerns about the economy and questions about whether his tariff policies justify their economic costs.

Continue reading

Fed Officials Signal Caution on Rate Cuts as AI's Economic Impact Remains Uncertain

Federal Reserve officials expressed hesitation about near-term interest rate cuts while grappling with artificial intelligence's potential economic effects. Chicago Fed President Goolsbee stated that 3% inflation is "not good enough" and emphasized rate cuts won't come until inflation returns to target, though he remains optimistic about cuts later this year. He noted uncertainty about remaining tariff pressure on prices and concerns about rising services inflation even as goods inflation recedes. Atlanta Fed President Bostic warned that AI's transition could challenge the Fed's understanding and may lead to structurally higher unemployment beyond the central bank's control. Fed Governor Cook acknowledged AI's "profound changes" will ultimately benefit the economy, noting it makes starting businesses less expensive. Governor Waller highlighted that AI's biggest impact comes when it becomes a general-purpose tool but acknowledged uncertainty about when technologies will reach full systemic impact. The comments come as Trump's 10% global tariff takes effect and markets digest AI-driven volatility.

Continue reading

Trump Administration Working to Raise Temporary Tariff Rate to 15%

The Trump administration is working to increase a new temporary U.S. tariff rate to 15% from the 10% rate published by Customs and Border Protection. A White House official confirmed there is "no change of heart" on the planned 15% rate under Section 122 statute, though timing for the adjustment remains unclear.

Continue reading

US Consumer Confidence Surges to 91.2 in February, Beating Expectations

The Conference Board's February consumer confidence index jumped to 91.2, exceeding the 87.1 estimate and January's revised 89.0. However, Philadelphia Fed's non-manufacturing activity fell to -17.3, missing forecasts.

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Transport Canada Certifies Gulfstream G700 and G800 After Trump Tariff Threat

Canada's aviation regulator approved remaining Gulfstream private jet models following President Trump's warnings of tariffs and retaliatory measures over the country's previous certification delays.

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EU Anticipates US Steel and Aluminum Tariff Relief Within Weeks

European Union officials expect the United States to scale back broad tariffs on steel, aluminum, and derivative products in coming weeks. EU trade chief Sefcovic confirmed a transitional period is underway, with Washington reviewing the tariff structure and officials hoping for positive developments soon.

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Technology Events

Meta Signs $100 Billion AI Chip Deal with AMD Following Nvidia Commitment

Meta Platforms agreed to purchase AI computing power worth 6 gigawatts from AMD in a deal exceeding $100 billion over five years, potentially acquiring up to 10% of AMD's stock. The partnership, featuring AMD's MI450 chips, comes days after Meta committed to deploying millions of Nvidia GPUs, sending AMD shares surging 14%.

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Dow and S&P 500 Rebound After AI-Driven Sell-Off as AMD Surges on Meta Partnership

Major indexes climbed Tuesday following recent market declines, with the Dow and S&P 500 recovering ground. AMD shares surged on news of a Meta deal, while new Trump tariffs took effect amid the broader market rebound.

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Fed Officials Signal Caution on Rate Cuts as AI's Economic Impact Remains Uncertain

Federal Reserve officials expressed hesitation about near-term interest rate cuts while grappling with artificial intelligence's potential economic effects. Chicago Fed President Goolsbee stated that 3% inflation is "not good enough" and emphasized rate cuts won't come until inflation returns to target, though he remains optimistic about cuts later this year. He noted uncertainty about remaining tariff pressure on prices and concerns about rising services inflation even as goods inflation recedes. Atlanta Fed President Bostic warned that AI's transition could challenge the Fed's understanding and may lead to structurally higher unemployment beyond the central bank's control. Fed Governor Cook acknowledged AI's "profound changes" will ultimately benefit the economy, noting it makes starting businesses less expensive. Governor Waller highlighted that AI's biggest impact comes when it becomes a general-purpose tool but acknowledged uncertainty about when technologies will reach full systemic impact. The comments come as Trump's 10% global tariff takes effect and markets digest AI-driven volatility.

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Software Stocks Tumble as AI Disruption Fears Grip Markets

Investors are selling software stocks amid growing concerns about AI disruption, creating volatility across tech sectors. Market participants await Nvidia's Q4 earnings for direction on the AI trade's sustainability.

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Intuit Stock Jumps as Anthropic Partnership Eases AI Disruption Concerns

Intuit shares rallied following announcement of a partnership with Anthropic to deploy custom AI agents for businesses. The AI startup showcased new Claude capabilities and enterprise tools for investment banking and HR sectors. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei predicted AI will automate coding before replacing broader software engineering roles. The developments provided relief to markets weeks after legal issues triggered a selloff, though Wall Street reaction remained muted overall.

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Anthropic Hosts Enterprise Event Showcasing New Claude AI Agent Capabilities

AI startup Anthropic demonstrates enhanced Claude features at enterprise-focused event, unveiling AI agents integrated with tools for investment banking and HR applications amid broader market concerns about artificial intelligence advancement.

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Crypto Events

Coinbase Launches Stock and ETF Trading as Crypto Markets Face Outflows

Coinbase has expanded beyond cryptocurrency by adding US equities and ETF trading, offering over 8,000 securities with 24-hour trading capabilities. The move positions the platform as a full-service financial app competing directly with Robinhood. Meanwhile, crypto markets turned negative with Bitcoin ETFs experiencing $204 million in outflows. Bitcoin remained below $68,000 while Ethereum, XRP, Solana, and Dogecoin extended losses amid concerns over Vitalik Buterin's continued ETH sales and potential further Ethereum price weakness.

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Bitcoin Faces Mounting Pressure as Analysts Warn of Further Declines Amid Capital Flight

Bitcoin has fallen 50% from its peak and faces potential drops to $45,000-$55,000 as capital outflows accelerate and traders brace for additional losses. Analysts cite tariff tensions, policy delays, and a break-even trap stalling rallies, marking Bitcoin's worst monthly performance in four years.

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Misc Events

Google Expands U.S. Data Center Network with Renewable Energy Partnerships in Texas and Minnesota

Google is building new data centers in Texas and Minnesota, partnering with AES Corp for a 20-year power supply agreement in Texas and Xcel Energy in Minnesota, with both facilities incorporating renewable energy sources including solar, wind, and battery storage.

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Biotech stocks surge on positive trial results and strategic partnerships

Palvella Therapeutics and Fulcrum Therapeutics rallied on favorable clinical data, while Larimar gained on breakthrough therapy designation. Indian pharma firms Natco and Eris jumped 6% on Semaglutide partnership. Radiopharm initiated phase 1/2a cancer trial dosing.

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Earnings Events

MercadoLibre Shares Rise Despite Profit Miss on Strong Revenue, E-Commerce Growth

MercadoLibre reported mixed fourth quarter results, missing profit estimates by $0.62 per share while revenue exceeded expectations, driving shares higher on strong e-commerce growth momentum.

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Major Indexes Rise as Markets Await Nvidia Earnings and State of Union

S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq climbed Tuesday amid volatility compression before Nvidia's earnings report and State of the Union address. Notable movers included HIMS, VIR, CLVT, and Domo stock.

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Metals Events

EU Anticipates US Steel and Aluminum Tariff Relief Within Weeks

European Union officials expect the United States to scale back broad tariffs on steel, aluminum, and derivative products in coming weeks. EU trade chief Sefcovic confirmed a transitional period is underway, with Washington reviewing the tariff structure and officials hoping for positive developments soon.

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Current Events - Bitcoin mining is no longer profitable

http://www.jlaforums.com/forum_thumbnail2.php?topic_id=672755295

is there a pattern behind Bitcoin and major Crypto Dumps?

Came to realize some wild coincidences that have me thinking. 10 May 2022, Luna crashed from $40B to $0. 10 AM daily Bitcoin dumps, Market experiences sharp moves around this time. 10 Oct 2025, $19B liquidated in 24 hours ehich is the largest in crypto history.

All share two things in common. the digit 10 and a connection with Jane Street.

Yesterday, Jane Street was sued for market manipulation and for the first time in 2 months, the 10 AM dump didn’t happen. This got me wondering, could the same entity be influencing these events or is it just coincidence? What do you think is really behind these patterns?


Datacenters Behaving Like Acoustic Weapons by Benn Jordan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bP80DEAbuo

Transcript

Chapters

Transcript Intro If you're in the demographic of people who generally get recommended my videos, then chances are [music] that you are not a fan of data centers. You may even hate data centers. Yet, here you are watching a video that's being streamed directly from one. And here I am making a video showing you my research and evidence on covering a completely new way that data centers are harming people's health. And then I'll be uploading this video to a data center. But unless this is what you're watching while you pack a bag to live the rest of your life as a hunter and gatherer, the hypocrisy in our relationship with [music] data centers is unavoidable for the foreseeable future. Over the last few years, while traveling literally tens of thousands of miles by land to [music] explore and record sounds outside of our human range of hearing, I started to notice some troubling correlation. Their daughter was 6 [music] years old. She started having seizures, walked away from their home here, took out a second mortgage. [music] In this video, we're going to be traveling all across the country collecting infrasound noise pollution recordings from data [music] centers. And then we're going to conduct a double blind research study that exposes over 100 unknowing human participants to those same frequencies to see how it makes them feel. Spoiler alert, the results are terrifying. And along the way, we might as well take an objective, practical deep dive into how and why the explosion [music] of data centers are so problematic. And we're even going to covertly fly drones over some of the most controversial ones to see how badly they're breaking environmental regulations. Let's go. [music] Data centers are pretty controversial right now and there's a whole lot of big issues that are more or less unrelated to the new big issues that I'm going to be talking about in this video. To put it simply, regardless of where your ethical, [music] environmental, political, or economic interests are, if a data center is being built nearby your home, you're generally kind of But this video isn't about [music] the power and water consumption or the toxic chemicals or the unsettling economic circumstances. Last year, I started hearing about some mysterious and troubling symptoms from people who live nearby newly constructed data centers. I started looking into hundreds of seismograph readings from around the country and there was enough correlation for me to [music] dig pretty deep into an area of research that I already had some experience in. Infrasound is any sound below 20 hertz, Infrasound just below the human hearing range. And I've done a massive video project on it if you're interested in learning more. But for the scope of this video, let's just talk about how it might harm you. Being in the presence of elevated levels of infrasound has [music] been shown to show spikes in cortisol levels which is the hormone associated with stress and hypertension. It can cause vestibular issues leading to loss of balance, vertigo and nausea. Then there's something called viro acoustic disease which suggests that infrasound can cause abnormal growth of extracellular matrices which thickens blood vessels and reduces blood flow to the brain even long after the infrasonic [music] exposure has ended. It's been shown to cause high frequency hearing loss, shortness of breath, anxiety, depression, and it even makes your heart have to work harder to pump blood. So, it's not like this anxietybased or obsessive compulsive thing where an unpleasant feeling or an unusual situation makes you manifest symptoms. [music] We know that infrasound can tangibly harm your health in a very real and measurable way. And there are potentially millions of people being subjected to these low oscillations of pressure waves and not realizing it or understanding the cause of some of the affforementioned symptoms that they might be experiencing. So the first thing I needed was a whole lot of data. And no pun intended, data centers were the perfect vector of enormous unnatural industrial sites frequently surrounded by people reporting symptoms commonly associated with infrasound exposure. I chose five sites to take infrasonic measurements. The first would be the Colossus data center in Memphis. The second would be the Marathon Digital Bitcoin mining and data center facility in Hood County, Texas. The third would be right in the middle of the vast oil and gas fields in the Peran Basin in West Texas. The fourth would be a randomized average of ambient [music] infrasound levels all over the country from hotel rooms to houses to restaurants to remote wilderness. And the fifth would be far away from most sources of human-made infrasound. Right in the middle of Death Valley, hundreds of miles away from any sort of [music] major infrastructure. Okay, let's measure some infrasound. xAI/Colossus This is Colossus in [music] Memphis, Tennessee. It's the data center that Elon Musk built to train Grock, his LLM and anti-woke chatbot that has referred [music] to itself as Mecca Hitler. It was here, coincidentally, while we were standing across the street when its 550,000 GPUs were being monitored by a watchdog group while it generated 3 million sexualized images of [music] people without their consent. And among those, over 23,000 of them depicted children. But when Grock and subsequently Colossus is [music] not generating child abuse material, it's also really, really, really funny. Do you think that all the gold is in Fort Knox? Do I think all the gold is in Fort Knox? Yes. Are you a [ __ ] conspiracy theorist? Yes. Yes. [laughter] What are you a conspiracy theorist? What do I like? I'm a [ __ ] AI with a pension for chaos and I'm stuck talking to you. [laughter] Now does it give you actual answers too and talk [ __ ] or is it mostly just talk [ __ ] We're tuning it. As you can imagine, supplying this type of vital resource to society uses a whole lot of electricity. The city of Memphis, Tennessee, can support about 3,500 megawws. And this facility uses about 13% of that. But right now, it's actually only drawing about 5% from the local power grid and illegally offsetting the rest of it with methane gas turbines. I sent a drone over the Colossus facility to get a better look and then to share the footage with journalists and regulators. [music] These methane turbines that you see emit nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, and volatile organic compounds into the air. And the health effects of these chemicals aren't like some sort of exaggerated woke controversy. [music] Compounds like nitrogen oxide have long been proven to directly cause a wide range of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. [music] They're commonly regulated or even banned in developing countries. For example, in 2019, India finded Volkswagen the equivalent of $71 million USD for hiding nitrogen oxide in their [music] emissions tests. But here in the predominantly black residential neighborhood of Boxtown, nitrous oxide [music] flows freely. And I can tell you from having the unfortunate experience of spending an afternoon there, even half a mile away from the facility, it is literally difficult to breathe. This place smells soing bad. It's a mixture of like natural gas, what I can only assume is chemical runoff and then like I don't know, manure. It gets worse. Colossus is strategically built next to [music] the Mississippi River and uses an estimate of 1 million gallons of water per day with the vast majority of it being turned [music] into steam rather than returning to the area's water table. And it's growing rapidly. Elon Musk, never wanting to turn down that cringe knob, [music] has named the new expansion to the facility Macrohard. But if all goes to plan, the data center will use 1.5 gawatts of power. That's 50% of Memphis's total peak power capacity. And of course, the cost for this infrastructure will be subsidized by the same people breathing in the nitrogen oxide. I could spend the rest of the day talking about the absurdity of this structure, but I was there for the infrasound, and I found a whole bunch of it. My first data sample comes from just across the street, about 300 ft away from the largest of the Colossus buildings. The audible noise pollution was about as bad as the air pollution and scenery was. I'm going to show you what this looks like in a way that's pretty easy to digest, and we don't need seismology software or anything like that. I'm amplifying this by a little bit so we could see a little bit more down here in the spectrum. And to give you an idea of how loud the data center is, this is a car door slamming very close to the microphone. So this that I'm selecting here is about the extent of what a human being can hear in the audio spectrum. And so all these lines and general industrial noises are hanging out around 30 dB in this recording. And so like the lowest of rumbles is peeking out at like -28. And then if we go down to infrasound, the infrasound that you can't hear is like 10 dB louder than that. Another sample I took was from a park near an elementary school in a residential area about a mile away. This in particular is a great example of how higher frequency sounds are dampened by distance much [music] more than lower frequency or infrasonic ones. If this video is playing through a sound system with subwoofers or even if you're wearing some good headphones, you will very quickly realize how frankly uninhabitable this noise makes the entire neighborhood. This rumbling is no good and would make your life utterly miserable. And then this rumble down here is happening at an amplitude that's loud enough to shake the frame of your house. So, humans can't hear this, but look how loud that is. It It's actually almost peaking the recording. And I gave this microphone a whole lot of headroom. Okay. So, I'm going to delete everything above 20 [music] hertz here. So, all audible frequencies. And now we're only left with the infrasound. Now, I'm going to interpret the sample rate four times faster. And I'm going to make it even four times faster than [music] that. This way, all of those infrasonic frequencies will be audible to you. [music] Next up, MARA Crypto Mine When looking at data through the lens of research, when reading through hundreds of public reports of types of pollution per capita, you have to consider bias. For example, if you built an oil refinery near the high number of environmentalists living in Berkeley, California, you'd probably have a lot more air quality complaints per 100,000 people than you would if you built one in Oklahoma City, which [music] is famous for its go-kart races. And from a data perspective, that's what makes this particular region of Texas so unique. Being on the Barnett Shale, this region is supported by a solid backbone of fossil fuel and energy production, and their voting record is as reliably read as one can imagine. There are currently 174 oil and gas companies with operations in Hood County alone. And I'd imagine that criticizing this industry in one of the local bars might be a good way to get a free tour of one of the local emergency healthcare facilities. Well, it wouldn't be free. So, when a whole lot of people in this particular region are complaining about data center noise pollution, you know, it's not likely to be hyperbole. Over the last 18 months or so, I had read a lot of articles about a noise coming from a data center that mines Bitcoin. [music] But it seemed like it was a lot more than just a nuisance. While the noise pollution is described as a 70 to 90 [music] decel jet engine-like sound, a large number of reports site symptoms ranging from vertigo to pulmonary embolisms to heart palpitations. This turned [music] into multiple civil suits, and the company built walls to try and dampen the sound, but it resolved little to nothing for those living nearby. There are even a number of reports of plants and animals suffering from health effects that are closely [music] correlated with the mind's operations. Sustained audible noise pollution can be a blight on any living [music] thing nearby. But a lot of these symptoms don't line up with the symptoms of just [music] noise pollution exposure. What they do line up with is some of the known symptoms of infrasound exposure. I initially came to Granberry, Texas with the intention of not [music] speaking to anyone in the city. I didn't want pesky things like empathy or local politics clouding my research, but merely mentioning noise pollution to my friend in a gas station immediately drew a small crowd. And it was as if every new customer that walked in overheard the conversation and then had something new to contribute to it. And this whole situation is actually a wild series of events that [music] involves lawsuits, corruption, neglect, debilitating health issues. But I went there for one thing and one [music] thing only. Infrasound samples. And boy, that Bitcoin mine did not disappoint. I visited a residence about maybe 3/4 of a mile away from the Bitcoin mine on two different occasions. And this is the first. And we can see a whole bunch of weird audible drones and sustained noises. Like a little choir of crypto [ __ ] Now, of course, let's go down to those lower frequencies. And that's brutal. It's almost as if the worst [music] of it like right here at 30 hertz, which is too low to really hear. You just feel it sped up a whole bunch. It sounds like you're next to a plane that's about to take off, but all these frequencies are actually below your range of hearing. I didn't look at the data until a [music] few weeks after taking the samples and leaving the region. And the infrasound in this area was so unordinary and extreme that I decided to go back and [music] do everything again and rule out something like a low-level earthquake or an equipment malfunction. This [music] is from the exact same property about two weeks later. And I got a nice long ambient sample here. Keep in mind that this property is literally a nice secluded farm. And this noise absolutely destroys the atmosphere. I don't really know what's causing these peaks down here, but they're temporary, so I'm not including them in my data. But it's pretty undeniable that this sound here is absolutely coming from the data center. and I didn't feel as shy this time. So, I met with someone who lives right across the street from the Bitcoin mine, Cheryl Shaden. [music] And I would describe Cheryl as the rare combination of someone who is extremely likable and an absolute pleasure to be around, but also someone who you do not want to piss off, who is actively extremely pissed off about the data center [music] near her land. Like, what physical symptoms have you felt just from your property being directly across the street from the data center? motion sickness, dizziness, nausea, GI side effects. My ears ring and buzz. I've got permanent conduction hearing loss now. Um, nervous, anxious, worried. [music] By the way, prior to this interview, Cheryl thought that I was just doing a story on the noise pollution as I was keeping my infrasound research close to my sleeve. Yet, every single [music] one of these symptoms is commonly associated with excessive infrasound exposure. Several of us will reach out to one another. So, it's 3:00 on a Saturday afternoon. I'm outside. I'm trying to work. I am just horrifically nauseated to the point where I feel like I'm going to pass out. I go in the house. A neighbor messages down the road. Same thing, [music] same time. They're trying to do outside work. They can't do it. It's just horrific. Yeah. Do you know of anybody who's like moved, who's just left, who's just been like, I can't handle this anymore. Just literally. One family, their daughter was 6 years old. She started having seizures in the summer of 24. They [music] basically walked away from their home here, took out a second mortgage, moved to Somerville County, south of us to get their daughter away from this. If you know, has her symptoms kind of gotten better since she's left? They went away. Yep. Wow. When we met with the executives at Constellation Energy, the mayor in Glenn Rose and then another commissioner in Somerville County, one commissioner, [music] he the noise [clears throat] from the crypto mine actually made him ill when he was at the power plant meeting with the executives. He can't he can't be in this area for more than an hour and he starts getting sick. I asked Cheryl if she would be okay with me giving [music] her a device that could record infrasound from her property 24 hours a day over a long period that would be [music] discreetly streaming it to a server that I could log remotely. This would at least allow me to be able to better correlate the timeline of infrasound levels with the timeline [music] of the data center being powered down for maintenance. That way, further legal and legislative action can be based on clear [music] evidence and maybe even provide an operational legal template for other regions with infrasound pollution. The Permian Basin For many of you watching or listening to me, a whole lot of energy required to host, stream, and [music] play back this video came from right here, the Peran Basin, spanning from northwest Texas to eastern New Mexico. This area is where over 40% of the oil [music] produced in the entire United States comes from, and it accounts for over 6 million barrels of crude oil per day. And this is also the extraction point for 15% of America's natural gas. And as you would obviously expect, [music] it's an environmental nightmare. The natural gas output is so high that it gets bottlenecked by the pipelines. Because of this, many of the operators resort to flaring or just burning the fuel at the fracking site. Many operators also just vent [music] the methane directly into the open air. The good news is that this area is pretty empty by design. [music] It has a very low population density. And when you do find some residential areas near the oil fields, they're typically temporary or modular housing units [music] limited to housing oil workers. I am here because it's quite possibly the most infrasonically [music] active place on the continent that isn't associated with the data center. We already know that major pipelines and oil rigs can cause infrasound. But the massive amounts of high-press water injection required for fracking has literally turned this geologically sedentary region far from any major fault lines into an active earthquake epicenter with over 2,000 earthquakes per year. In fact, eight out of 10 of the strongest earthquakes in the recorded history of the [music] entire state of Texas have happened in the last 6 years in the natural gas regions of the state. So, I personally can't think of a better place to get a sample of some man-made infrasound. While I was recording this, a nearby well boore turned on and then just started playing this creepy song as the drill string went in and out of the well. At least that's what I'm assuming I'm hearing. Unsurprisingly, there's a whole bunch of near infrasonic and infrasonic activity, but the amplitude is comparable to the rest of the stuff in the audio spectrum. I personally expected the Peran Basin to be the winner here, like the loudest infrasound that I had ever recorded, the peak levels that all infrasound polluters would aspire to reach someday. But while the infrasound levels were nowhere close to ideal, they still weren't as bad as they were near the data centers in Memphis or Granberry. The infrasound levels at these two data centers were so much higher than the ambient values that it doesn't even make practical sense to use a linear scale like 25,000% higher. It makes much more sense to compare these samples using a logarithmic regression. And when you do that, a really interesting thing [music] happens. The line representing the YouTube viewer retention for this video sinks to zero. I have a better idea. Experimenting On Humans [music] I needed to figure out a way to reproduce the infrasound waves at 25 to 30% of the volume or amplitude near the data centers and [music] then get people to sit in a room while exposed to it without knowing that infrasound is [music] involved in any way. Now, some of my viewers may remember this sonic weapon that I created that prevents people from speaking coherently. I think it was June orctions. Damn it, that was hard. Are you where? Unless your wallet contains a CIA badge, the only place in the world where you could get away [music] with testing sonic weapons on people is a deeply nerdy synthesizer convention. And the coolest and nerdiest one, in my [music] opinion, is in downtown Los Angeles, organized by the company that makes the most deeply nerdy synthesizers, BLA. I proposed a very weird idea to the organizers of Bula and Friends. [music] And after promising to come equipped with a whole lot of liability insurance, they were open-minded and let me rent out [music] a booth and an entire enclosed room where I could have a team pull people in from the convention [music] for a unique experiment, have them agree to some waiverss, and then help me get the data I so [music] desperately needed. I had an insulated room with five chairs, five pairs of headphones, and an oil painting of some owls. I had five people per research [music] group. And for every single one of those research groups, I improvised a new story of why the owl painting was known to be haunted. It comes [music] from early '90s Japan. Comes from the late 1970s, late 1980s when the Soviet Union collapsed [music] like the 40s and 50s after the Second World War, North Dakota. This not only kept me entertained and socially [music] challenged throughout the weekend, but it also randomized a bias variable in the data. And I told them that the audio recording that they would be listening to was [music] known to be haunted. I had them sit in this enclosed room while studying the painting and listening to the music for 3 minutes while paying attention [music] to how they felt physically and emotionally. And it was actually really fun and interesting to hear about how the music made them feel and [music] even some insightful or ominous details they noticed in the painting. What the volunteers didn't know was that there was a gigantic specialized subwoofer in the room that created infrasound in 50% [music] of the sessions. And unless I saw water vibrating in a bottle or something, I often didn't know if the [music] infrasound was on or off myself. It's not terribly loud in here. Let's turn the infrasound on. Check this out. Just put my DJI gimbal on the ground here. And Jeez, it's kind of scary. After the sessions, I had them fill out a survey about their experience and then swore them to secrecy for the next 48 hours before explaining to them that they had been lied to. Everything that I told you is a lie. Yeah, I got this on eBay for 30 bucks. The music, there's nothing [music] substantial about it whatsoever. 50% of the people who are participating in this study are being subject to a fraction of the infrasound that's coming out of data centers across the US. The most important part of the study was a list of feelings or symptoms with a weighted response [music] between 0 and 10. And most of these symptoms were associated with real-time infrasound exposure symptoms from some older studies. I don't know why, but I feel like it's important [music] that you know that the existence of this video depended on these survey results. There was really no point in making a video about infrasound levels that don't affect anyone. I found that this is the big drawback about funding research through [music] a YouTube channel. Some of the projects I'm involved with aren't really all that interesting and you don't really even hear about them. Finding the truth is both expensive and risky. And if you want to see more content like this, consider joining my Patreon. But anyway, fortunately for the entertainment side of this business, the results were notable enough for me [music] to finish the video and sit here and tell you about it. The experiment had over a 100 participants, but I disqualified anyone who missed a survey question or someone who seemed suspicious or said that they felt a vibration or where I was privy to whether the infrasound was on or off. So, this is clean double blind data from 74 subjects. The people [music] exposed to infrasound were 25% more likely to feel a tingling sensation or restless legs. The very few people who experienced any type [music] of pain were in the infrasound group. Infrasound caused a 12% increase in tiredness, a 33% increase in nausea, [music] and an alarming 150% increase in dizziness. That one is huge to me as vestibular disturbance is an [music] obvious physiological effect of low frequency pressure waves, but it's also the most common complaint from residents [music] in Granberry, Texas. Interestingly, the infrasound group was 11% less likely to be creeped out and 43% less likely to feel spiritual. One theory of mine is that things like [music] dizziness or eye irritation can distract someone from feeling spiritual or exploring the possibility of some type of extraordinary event. The infrasound also appeared to cause a 20% increase [music] in chills and a 33% increase in irritability or depression. The infrasound group was three times more likely to experience [music] eye irritation, which very much correlates with the famous Ghost in the Machine paper I mentioned in my previous infrasound video. The group also had an 80% increase in lethargy, which is [music] interestingly pretty drastically different from their 12% increase in tiredness. That could be my mistake, though. I assume that the definition of lethargy might just be a little bit too ambiguous. So, I'm casting that from the data, and we'll just stick with the tiredness metric. Team Infrasound was 55% more likely to feel anxious, [music] two times more likely to experience sadness, and the big one, three times more likely to experience discomfort. YouTube Data vs Research Data Let's have a quick chat about data. I feel like in my very unique line of work here, there are two different ways to communicate data. There's the YouTuber way, which is useful for breaking [music] down data in an intriguing and entertaining way. And then there's the researcher way, which is useful for interpreting or building on research. And this isn't anything new. I would argue that it's not even a bad thing because it's generally how the general public learns about science. You scroll through your news feed, [music] you see blah blah is eight times more likely to blah blah. You click it and that opens up a little rabbit hole where you learn about things or behaviors that you never knew existed. So admittedly, in the previous segment, you got a heaping dose of data that's optimized for a YouTube video. Now, let's look at the data in the exact same way that I'm looking at it and I'm [music] presenting it to other researchers. So for example, the 33% more likely to experience nausea metric, the viewer may imagine a room with 100 people in it and then 33 of them experiencing nausea, which is very [music] much not the case. The average nausea feeling score from 0 to 10 that each user put in for infrasound is 1.2. For the control group, it's 0.9. That does indeed reflect a 33% increase over the control group, but the numbers are just so low that doesn't really warrant being prioritized in further research. Another metric that had very low numbers, but is worth further research is eye irritation. But this is just yearning for a much larger sample size to verify and figure out what's going on. In my opinion, the only profound metrics here are the spiritual one with the control group score averaging 4.2 and the infrasound one averaging 2.4. Then dizziness with the infrasound group averaging a score of three and the control group averaging a score of 1.2. And by far the most profound metric of all, and if this gets further researched, this is the metric that will probably be the focus of it. The average score in the control [music] group for discomfort was 1.2. The average score for discomfort in the infrasound group was 4.8. When reviewing that data, it's hard for even the most skeptical [music] person to come to any other conclusion than the presence of elevated levels of infrasound is likely to lower your quality of life. I could probably spend the next [music] hour criticizing my own research and rattling off ways that it could be improved, but a sample size of 74 people [music] in a double blind pilot study is exactly what's needed to get funding for further research, which could [music] improve the research conditions, increase the sample size, and test for different frequencies. What this research really needs is something that most research lacks, repeatability. Recording Techniques I currently have three different ways of capturing infrasound, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. The first is a special measurement microphone that has a flat frequency response that goes down to 9 hertz, but it captures all the way down to three herz. So, it's very convenient. It operates just like a microphone and the only thing it requires is a lot of wind protection. Now, if we want full spectrum infrasonic readings with no fall-off, or [music] if we want scientific grade accuracy, or if we want to record below three hertz, we need to leave the microphone world and use high-speed vibration detectors. [music] One of these that is relatively affordable and accurate is the Raspberry Shake 3D system. But it does require a whole lot of setup, but it can record indefinitely. The other is a small vibration sensor and accelerometer that's traditionally used to detect abnormalities and predict safety problems in large lithium batteries. It's tiny. It's portable. It looks cheap. It is expensive. If we want to treat the data from the Raspberry Shaker, the vibration meter like a playable audio file, we need to [music] convert the data into Pascals. I used to excruciatingly do this in Microsoft Excel, but now I've made a Python program that can do [music] this with hundreds of files at a time. I'll put it on my GitHub. The majority of the motivation from this project comes from the literally thousands of messages, emails, and comments that I've received over the years from people seeking help or some form of relief from low [music] frequency noise like the hum or infrasound. And the ultimate lofty goal is for regulators, legislators, or even architects to [music] start taking the environmental effects of sound into consideration when approving or designing a new data center or a new factory or infrastructure component or even a residential building or an office. Prior to this experiment, I feel like we have seen more than enough data to make infrasound monitoring and regulation just as important as air or water quality. Especially when you look at the studies [music] pertaining to the cardiovascular effects, it's a very real environmental hazard that has been poorly [music] understood and grossly underststudied. And while I suspect that having a universally recognized safety [music] threshold for infrasound might be an overly optimistic goal with a government that can't even enforce their own rules with Elon Musk's methane turbines, it can go a long way in both existing and future lawsuits that seek remediation from problematic noise issues caused by data [music] centers and infrastructure that is actively decreasing both the quality of life and health for those with the misfortune of living near them. I've already been in touch with peers to [music] review and formalize this data, if not expand on it. But in the meantime, there are over 3,000 new data centers that are planned or already under construction in the US alone. And right now is the time to have your local community and legislators set a standard for what is acceptable levels of power use, water use, air pollution, and noise and infrasound pollution. If you have a data center being built nearby your residence and the infrasound research in this video scares the [ __ ] out of you, now would be a great time to set up something like a Raspberry Shake and start [music] storing a daily log of seismic and infrasonic activity. Because the vast majority of the responses to complaints and lawsuits is that there is no way of proving whether the infrasound wasn't already present before construction. And even if your legislators have failed you and have no motivation to help your community, you can bet that class action [music] attorneys certainly do. And once again, if you want to help make more research and content like this possible, or join an amazing community or have access to a pool of music samples and field recordings and a whole bunch more, then my Patreon is for you and you can join for as little as $1. Thanks for watching. Keep creating. Bye.