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Yet, a recession never came. Optimism grew that the US might pull off a “soft landing.” Now, those hopes are fading. Consumer expectations have plummeted to their lowest level since 2013, according to The Conference Board. Its senior economist, Stephanie Guichard, warned: “Consumers’ expectations were especially gloomy, with pessimism about future business conditions deepening.” Meanwhile, a March CNBC Fed Survey puts the probability of a US recession at 36%, up from 23% in January. J.P. Morgan’s chief economist estimates the odds at 40%. Some, like bond expert Jeffrey Gundlach, believe the chances are even higher—50% to 60%.

US Yemen airstrike details exposed in a shocking security breach that has raised global concerns. On March 15, 2025, senior US officials mistakenly included journalist Jeffrey Goldberg in a classified Signal group chat discussing Yemen airstrikes. This error has put a spotlight on the vulnerabilities within US military communications. While the UK Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard reassures that Britain still has «high confidence» in US security measures, the breach has triggered debates about national security risks and the reliability of American intelligence-sharing with allies.

However, Trump Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has denied the allegations saying no war plan was discussed. Hegseth discredited Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg who claimed that he was mistakenly added to the group where the war plans were leaked. Apart from the massive breach, which the White House has not denied, the chats — now viral — revealed the true feelings of Trump officials about Europe. ALSO READ: US recession: Jim Walker, who predicted 2008 US market crash, sounds alarm over economic turmoil

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The U.S. is entrusting its most expensive jet-fighter program in history to a company that hasn’t successfully launched a commercial or military aircraft in a decade.

Jessica Aber has left many people with unanswered questions. Jessica Aber, a former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was discovered dead at the age of 43 on 22 March 2025. The former US attorney was found unresponsive in her Virginia home, prompting an official investigation. Jessica Aber has received numerous tributes, as she was widely respected in the legal community.

Va Tech Wabag have received favorable views from analysts who anticipate a turnaround. The stock, part of Rekha Jhunjhunwala’s portfolio, has seen a sharp decline after a stellar rally, making it a small-cap multibagger. Despite the recent fall, Va Tech Wabag has delivered 104% returns over the past year, significantly outperforming the Nifty50’s nearly 7% gain.

Strategic Defense Initiative, was mocked as «Star Wars» and ultimately shelved. Now, under President Donald Trump’s directive, that idea has been reborn as the «Golden Dome.» Announced in a congressional address, Trump positioned the initiative as a critical step in bolstering national security. “As a first step, I’m asking Congress to fund a state-of-the-art ‘Golden Dome’ missile defence shield to protect our homeland. All made in the USA,” he declared. Unlike Israel’s Iron Dome, which focuses on short-range threats, the Golden Dome is designed to counter a wide range of missile attacks, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and hypersonic weapons. The challenge? The sheer size of the US means covering the entire country is a vastly more complex undertaking.

stagflation," as one economist put it—a concern gaining traction among analysts who question whether the U.S. economy's strong post-pandemic performance is beginning to wane. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve painted a picture of an economy reshaped dramatically by President Donald Trump and his economic policy. It warned that tariffs could significantly dampen the economic outlook, ushering in higher inflation and slower growth. That sparked concerns about the dreaded “stagflation,” an economic curse that is hard to escape. ALSO READ: Who is Jeffrey Goldberg, the Atlantic's editor who was 'accidentally' added to top Trump officials' secret Yemen strike chats

CBS’ 60 Minutes, where the actor and director voiced concerns about press freedom and government interference. Trump, never one to stay silent, fired back on Truth Social, dismissing Clooney as a «second-rate movie star» and a «failed political pundit.» The timing couldn’t be more fitting—Clooney is promoting his Broadway adaptation of Good Night, and Good Luck, a play inspired by journalist Edward R. Murrow’s takedown of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s anti-communist hysteria in the 1950s. The parallels between McCarthyism and today’s media battles weren’t lost on Clooney, who warned that the press is facing an era of suppression, much like in Murrow’s time.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India’s defence majors such as Ideaforge Technology Ltd and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd took a beating at the bourses during the recent market sell-off.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : India is advancing negotiations on a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with the US—what would typically be called a free trade agreement (FTA)—but a critical gap in Washington’s trade framework threatens to complicate the deal. Unlike past trade agreements, any pact India finalizes could face prolonged scrutiny and potential amendments by US lawmakers, as the country currently lacks Fast Track Trade Authority (FTTA)—a mechanism that allows the US president to negotiate trade deals and present them for a simple up-or-down vote in Congress.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Every month, Mint’s Plain Facts section brings out an update on key global data to thread together the biggest developments in the world that are worth paying attention to. The accompanying analysis and charts explain how each story is creating ripples on the global stage, where it is headed in the coming weeks, and whether it can impact India.

Elon Musk donned a new MAGA hat with the greatest message for President Donald Trump at a Cabinet meeting. Musk recently attended the second cabinet meeting of Donald Trump and once again dominated the headlines with his choice of attire. Generally, Elon Musk is seen wearing the signature red 'Make America Great Again' (MAGA) hat at official meetings. But at this meeting, he was seen wearing a red baseball cap that read "Trump was right about everything". The Tesla CEO paired the cap with a black suit jacket over a plain black shirt— again a contrast to his previous appearance at a cabinet meeting last month. Musk was the only attendee at the Cabinet meeting on Monday afternoon to sport the hat with the big statement. ALSO READ: Inside Trump aide and Elon Musk's secret meeting on how they aim to transform federal spending He also wore a black suit jacket over a black shirt, similar to his attire at a Cabinet meeting last month when he wore a ‘tech support’ shirt under a suit jacket and a dark MAGA hat.

HDFC Bank and IT stocks was offset by losses in Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank, and M&M. The benchmark BSE Sensex added 32.81 points or 0.04% to close at 78,017.19, while the broader Nifty 50 index closed at 23,668.65, higher by 10.30 points or 0.04%.

Bihar Legislative Council on Tuesday witnessed yet another spat between Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Leader of the Opposition Rabri Devi who was told by the former that she was inconsequential, but for being the wife of RJD president Lalu Prasad. The JD(U) president's fresh fit of temper was caused by the sight of RJD MLCs reaching the House wearing badges, dyed in green, the colour of the party flag, with slogans declaring that quotas for deprived castes had been hiked in the state by the «Tejashwi government» and were «stolen» after BJP returned to power. Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD supremo's son and heir apparent, was the Deputy CM when the quotas were hiked through legislations passed in 2023, which were, however, quashed by the Patna High Court months later. Bihar's longest-serving CM was visibly miffed at the attempt by his former ally to steal credit for the populist move and he made one of the MLCs stand up so that the badge and the slogans on it could be seen clearly. Staring upwards in the direction of the media gallery, the septuagenarian said, «Just look at this spectacle. You can see this only in this party». Rabri Devi rose in protest against the derision of her party, only to be snubbed by Kumar with the remark, in Bihari slang, «You just stay out of this. The party is not yours but that of your husband».

technical indicators as it gains momentum. The NSE Nifty 50 Index has risen more than 7% this month. Its 14-day relative strength index — a measure of the magnitude of recent price changes — has taken just 14 sessions to move from oversold to overbought territory, its fastest pace on record. A score below 30 is considered oversold and above 70 overbought.

Donald Trump has confirmed that a journalist from The Atlantic magazine was included in a private social media chat about upcoming attacks on the Houthi armed group in Yemen. What could be described as a major foot-in-mouth moment for the Trump administration, Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg claimed that he got to know about the plans of the US bombing the Houthis two hours before it actually happened because Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by mistake texted him the war plan, according to multiple US media reports. On the Senate floor on Monday, the minority leader, Chuck Schumer, called it “one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence I have read about in a very, very long time” and urged Republicans to seek a “full investigation into how this happened, the damage it created and how we can avoid it in the future”. “Every single one of the government officials on this text chain have now committed a crime – even if accidentally,” the Delaware senator Chris Coons wrote on Twitter/X. “We can’t trust anyone in this dangerous administration to keep Americans safe.” ALSO READ: 'Maliciously false information': Elon Musk threatens Pentagon leakers over 'top-secret plans' for China war story

Paris. Cafes are bustling, the economy is showing signs of improvement and a shiny (stair-free) metro expansion is making the 15-minute city even more accessible. Yet there’s also the faintly audible sound of wealth on the move: Two locals inform me of plans to leave, one to Dubai and the other to Switzerland. In a similar vein to London’s fleeing non-doms and Brexit banking exiles, Paris is going through its own dose of ras-le-bol fiscal — the moment when the proverbial tax straw breaks the camel’s back — in President Emmanuel Macron’s twilight years. Taxes are going up on big business and the wealthy; Marine Le Pen is the presidential contender to beat in 2027; parliament is gridlocked and still fighting over pension reforms that tore the country apart in 2023. After an extraordinary run for Paris as the euro area’s investment-banking hub of choice, with the number of French financiers on seven-figure salaries almost doubling in four years, hiring plans are being put on ice.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. MUMBAI : A majority of the investors in the popular sovereign gold bonds (SGBs) are saying no to premature redemption despite making stellar returns on their original investment.

Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Bill for the 2025-26 fiscal in Parliament, seeking approval for key Budget proposals. The Finance Bill needs to be approved by both houses of the parliament to become a law and give effect to the Budget proposals. India plans to scrap the 6% equalisation levy on online advertisement services offered by companies like Google and Meta—commonly known as the Google tax—starting April 1. The move appears to be an effort to appease US President Donald Trump, who has warned of retaliatory tariffs on nations imposing digital taxes on American tech firms from April 2. The proposal is part of the 59 amendments to the Finance Bill introduced by Finance Minister. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 presented the Budget 2025-26 in the Parliament. The Union Budget 2024-25 provided major relief to the salaried class with no income tax on an average monthly income of up to Rs one lakh to boost household savings and consumption with the government also giving thrust to four engines of development — agriculture, MSMEs, investment and exports.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. President Trump wants to secure the minerals the U.S. needs for everything from smartphones to jet fighters by striking deals in Ukraine, Greenland and even Russia.