US stocks retreat from records as tech giants fall

Wall Street’s bull run showed signs of fatigue Tuesday as major indices retreated from records on drops by Amazon, Nvidia and other tech giants.The pullback followed comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warning that cutting interest rates “too aggressively” could stoke inflation, while the central bank boss also emphasized the need to try to prevent the labor market from softening “unnecessarily.”All three major US indices have finished at records the last three days.”Today’s pullback after fresh record highs could reflect market participants giving credence to valuation concerns amid a historic run, particularly in the mega-cap space, though investors have repeatedly shown a willingness to buy dips throughout this rally,” said Briefing.com.The tech-rich Nasdaq led US indices lower, dropping one percent. Nvidia, which rallied on Monday after announcing a $100 billion investment in OpenAI to build infrastructure for next-generation artificial intelligence, retreated on Tuesday, losing 2.8 percent. While “leading tech companies are investing hundreds of billions in generative AI… some investors continue to question if this is money well spent,” said David Morrison, senior market analyst at Trade Nation.Earlier, London ended the day flat and Paris and Frankfurt added barely half of one percent as investors digested purchasing managers’ index (PMI) data — a closely watched gauge of economic health. The index showed eurozone business activity hit a 16-month high in September, partly driven by solid growth in Germany, while France weighed on performance.Britain’s reading came in below expectations, suggesting the economy is losing momentum, analysts noted, as inflation fears linger.With trade subdued by a holiday in Japan and an approaching typhoon in Hong Kong, Asian markets mostly drifted as Hong Kong and Shanghai both closed lower. Taipei jumped more than one percent, with chip titan TSMC soaring over three percent as it tracked US counterpart Nvidia, which announced a $100-billion investment in OpenAI for next-generation artificial intelligence.Oil prices rose after President Donald Trump called on Europe to completely halt oil imports from the country over the Ukraine war. The US president also threatened sanctions on Russia in a speech that tilted more heavily in support of Ukraine than earlier Trump stances.- Key figures at around 2050 GMT -New York – Dow: DOWN 0.2 percent at 46,292.78 (close)New York – S&P 500: DOWN 0.6 percent at 6,656.92 (close)New York – Nasdaq Composite: DOWN 1.0 percent at 22,573.47 (close)London – FTSE 100: FLAT at 9,223.32 (close)Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.5 percent at 7,872.02 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.4 percent at 23,611.33 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.7 percent at 26,159.12 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,821.83 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: Closed for a holidayEuro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1816 from $1.1803 on MondayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3524 from $1.3514Dollar/yen: DOWN at 147.66 yen from 147.72 yenEuro/pound: UP at 87.37 pence from 87.34 penceWest Texas Intermediate: UP 1.8 percent at $63.41 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 1.6 percent at $67.63 per barrel

US stocks retreat from records as tech giants fall

Wall Street’s bull run showed signs of fatigue Tuesday as major indices retreated from records on drops by Amazon, Nvidia and other tech giants.The pullback followed comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warning that cutting interest rates “too aggressively” could stoke inflation, while the central bank boss also emphasized the need to try to prevent the labor market from softening “unnecessarily.”All three major US indices have finished at records the last three days.”Today’s pullback after fresh record highs could reflect market participants giving credence to valuation concerns amid a historic run, particularly in the mega-cap space, though investors have repeatedly shown a willingness to buy dips throughout this rally,” said Briefing.com.The tech-rich Nasdaq led US indices lower, dropping one percent. Nvidia, which rallied on Monday after announcing a $100 billion investment in OpenAI to build infrastructure for next-generation artificial intelligence, retreated on Tuesday, losing 2.8 percent. While “leading tech companies are investing hundreds of billions in generative AI… some investors continue to question if this is money well spent,” said David Morrison, senior market analyst at Trade Nation.Earlier, London ended the day flat and Paris and Frankfurt added barely half of one percent as investors digested purchasing managers’ index (PMI) data — a closely watched gauge of economic health. The index showed eurozone business activity hit a 16-month high in September, partly driven by solid growth in Germany, while France weighed on performance.Britain’s reading came in below expectations, suggesting the economy is losing momentum, analysts noted, as inflation fears linger.With trade subdued by a holiday in Japan and an approaching typhoon in Hong Kong, Asian markets mostly drifted as Hong Kong and Shanghai both closed lower. Taipei jumped more than one percent, with chip titan TSMC soaring over three percent as it tracked US counterpart Nvidia, which announced a $100-billion investment in OpenAI for next-generation artificial intelligence.Oil prices rose after President Donald Trump called on Europe to completely halt oil imports from the country over the Ukraine war. The US president also threatened sanctions on Russia in a speech that tilted more heavily in support of Ukraine than earlier Trump stances.- Key figures at around 2050 GMT -New York – Dow: DOWN 0.2 percent at 46,292.78 (close)New York – S&P 500: DOWN 0.6 percent at 6,656.92 (close)New York – Nasdaq Composite: DOWN 1.0 percent at 22,573.47 (close)London – FTSE 100: FLAT at 9,223.32 (close)Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.5 percent at 7,872.02 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.4 percent at 23,611.33 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.7 percent at 26,159.12 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,821.83 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: Closed for a holidayEuro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1816 from $1.1803 on MondayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3524 from $1.3514Dollar/yen: DOWN at 147.66 yen from 147.72 yenEuro/pound: UP at 87.37 pence from 87.34 penceWest Texas Intermediate: UP 1.8 percent at $63.41 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 1.6 percent at $67.63 per barrel

‘You’re going to hell’: Trump attacks UN and Europe in scathing speech

US President Donald Trump blasted the United Nations and Europe on his return to the world body Tuesday, warning that migration is sending Western nations “to hell” and dismissing climate change as a “con job.”In a blistering speech during his first UN General Assembly appearance since his White House comeback, Trump also accused the world body of failing to help him as he tried to broker peace deals including in Gaza and Ukraine.”What is the purpose of the United Nations?” asked Trump in a wide-ranging speech lasting nearly an hour. “It has such tremendous potential, but it’s not even coming close to living up to that.”Trump’s first speech to the UN back in 2018 saw fellow leaders laughing at the Republican, but this time his full-frontal attack on the global organization and US allies was received in near total silence.The 79-year-old’s litany of complaints even extended to a broken escalator and teleprompter at the New York headquarters of the UN.After the speech, he met with Ukraine’s wartime leader Volodymyr Zelensky and caused surprise by announcing a short while later that he now thought Kyiv could regain all its territory invaded by Russia — a complete shift from his previous statements.- ‘Going to hell’ -Trump’s fieriest words of the speech were on migration, as he advised the world to follow his lead on one of the core political messages that drove his two US election victories.Trump lambasted the UN for “funding an assault” on Western nations that he described as an “invasion,” before turning his fire on his supposed allies in Europe.”Your countries are going to hell,” he told European leaders. Trump also criticized the UN for failing to get involved in what he claims are seven wars that he has ended, or in his failed attempts to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s war in Gaza.”All they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter,” he said. “It’s empty words, and empty words don’t solve war.”But the US leader later dramatically escalated his rhetoric on Ukraine, saying that NATO nations should shoot down Russian planes violating their territory.And after talks with Zelensky on the sidelines of the summit, he posted on Truth Social that he thinks “Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form.”- ‘Con job’ -On Gaza, a subject that has dominated the UN summit, Trump called recognition of a Palestinian state by US allies including France and Britain a “reward” to Hamas for “horrible atrocities ” in the armed group’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday, however, that Trump could only achieve his long-held goal of a Nobel Peace Prize if he stopped the Gaza war.The US president meanwhile took a typically strident stance on climate change too, saying he was “right about everything” as he pushes for oil drilling and the rolling back of green policies.”Climate change — it’s the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world,” said the billionaire property tycoon. Trump’s second term has opened with a blaze of nationalist policies curbing cooperation with the rest of the world.He has moved to pull the United States out of the World Health Organization and the UN climate pact, severely curtailed US development assistance and wielded sanctions against foreign judges over rulings he sees as violating US sovereignty.Opening the annual summit, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that aid cuts led by the United States were “wreaking havoc” in the world.After meeting Guterres, Trump appeared to call for a change in leadership, telling reporters: “The UN could be unbelievable with certain people running it.”Trump’s other meetings included his Argentinian counterpart and close ally Javier Milei, with the US president saying he did not believe the struggling South American country needed a bailout. Security was tight for the summit, with New York’s UN district swarming with heavily armed police.The US Secret Service said they had disrupted a plot to potentially disrupt telecommunications around the UN that involved “nation-state threat actors.”

Man convicted of attempting to kill Trump at Florida golf course

A man charged with attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at his Florida golf course during last year’s presidential campaign was convicted by a federal jury on all counts Tuesday.Ryan Routh, 59, of Hawaii, appeared to try to stab himself in the neck with a pen after the guilty verdict was read in court but was restrained by marshals, US media said.Routh was handcuffed and removed from the courtroom. He did not appear to be injured when he was brought back in a short time later.Routh was convicted of attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and firearms offenses after a 12-day trial during which he represented himself.He faces a possible sentence of life in prison for attempting to kill Trump. Sentencing was set for December 18.Trump congratulated Attorney General Pam Bondi and Justice Department prosecutors for securing the conviction.”This was an evil man with an evil intention, and they caught him,” the US president said in a post on Truth Social.Bondi said the guilty verdict “illustrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence.””This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our president, but an affront to our very nation itself,” Bondi said in a statement.- ‘I am so sorry I failed you’ -Routh was arrested on September 15, 2024 after a Secret Service agent saw the barrel of a rifle poking from bushes on the perimeter of the West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing a round.The agent opened fire and Routh, who fled in a vehicle, was arrested shortly after.A loaded AK-style rifle, equipped with a scope and a magazine containing additional rounds of ammunition, was recovered from his hiding place.During the trial, a witness testified that Routh had dropped off a box at his residence that included a handwritten letter which stated: “Dear World. This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I am so sorry I failed you.”Acting as his own lawyer at his trial in Fort Pierce, Florida, Routh made rambling remarks which tried the patience of District Judge Aileen Cannon, who cut short his opening statement.Routh has a fixation on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and reportedly traveled to Kyiv in an effort to join foreign volunteer units before being rejected due to his age and lack of experience.Trump was also the target of an assassination attempt on July 13, 2024, when Thomas Matthew Crooks fired several shots during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. One of them grazed Trump’s right ear.Crooks was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper.

Le maire de Saint-Etienne nie tout chantage à la sextape, son ex-directeur de cabinet l’accable

Le maire de Saint-Etienne Gaël Perdriau, ex-LR, a nié mardi, au deuxième jour de son procès, tout complot pour piéger un rival avec une sextape, malgré le témoignage accablant de son ancien directeur de cabinet et l’interrogatoire serré de la présidente du tribunal.”Jamais, je n’ai pratiqué des méthodes hors-la-loi pour faire de la politique,” a assuré sur un ton très combatif l’édile de 53 ans qui encourt dix ans de prison et une peine d’inéligibilité.Depuis lundi il est jugé à Lyon pour chantage, association de malfaiteurs et détournement de fonds publics avec trois anciens membres de son entourage. Entendus un par un, ils ont tous reconnus avoir comploté pour filmer l’ancien Premier adjoint Gilles Artigues – un catholique qui s’était opposé au mariage homosexuel – avec un prostitué, afin de le “tenir” politiquement. Surtout, ils ont assuré que le maire avaient joué un rôle dans ce “kompromat”.”C’est totalement faux, ça s’est fait sans moi”, s’est étranglé Gaël Perdriau, interrogé mardi soir. “Chacun d’eux avait des raisons personnelles d’organiser cette vidéo”, ambition, appât du gain ou rancunes, soutient-il.Depuis que Médiapart a révélé le scandale en août 2022, “j’ai eu l’impression que l’on ne m’écoutait pas”, “dès le premier instant, il fallait que je sois coupable”, regrette-t-il encore en se présentant comme victime d’une instruction à charge, de fuites “partielles” dans les médias et d’accusations mensongères.- “Je m’en occupe” -Juste avant lui, Pierre Gauttieri qui fut pendant dix ans son plus proche et son plus fidèle collaborateur, a pourtant porté un coup dur à sa défense.Dès son élection au printemps 2014, “Monsieur le maire m’a demandé une solution pour tenir en respect Gilles Artigues, parce que nous avions (…) un doute sur sa capacité à ne pas comploter”, assure l’ancien directeur de cabinet. Et quand l’idée d’une sextape a émergé lors d’échanges avec l’adjoint à l’Education Samy Kéfi-Jérôme et son compagnon Gilles Rossary-Lenglet, “Monsieur le maire a pris la décision d’y aller”, poursuit Pierre Gauttieri.Sur le volet financier, qui impliquait de trouver 40.000 euros pour rémunérer Gilles Rossary-Lenglet, Gaël Perdriau “m’a dit: je m’en occupe”, assène-t-il encore.Des “mensonges”, balaie le maire quand son tour à la barre arrive.”Je pense que Pierre Gauttieri avait des ressentiments très forts contre Gilles Artigues”, qu’il accuse d’avoir fait circuler des rumeurs à son sujet, avance Gaël Perdriau en l’accusant d’avoir agi dans son dos.- Blagues -De même, Gaël Perdriau a réponse à tout, quand la présidente du tribunal Brigitte Vernay soulève les points troublants du dossier:- “Je ne sais pas si c’est un gang bang ou une partouze”, avait-il lâché devant la presse juste après la publication de l’enquête de Médiapart. Pourquoi un tel vocabulaire, s’il ne savait rien du complot?, lui demande la magistrate.- “Je suis assailli, je n’ai pas la bonne réaction, parce que je ne sais pas si Gilles Artigues subit ou est à l’origine de l’article.”- En 2017, il menace son Premier adjoint dans un échange enregistré par ce dernier de diffuser la vidéo “en petit cercle”, rappelle-t-elle.- C’était juste un coup de “colère” à cause d’un désaccord politique, par une menace, rétorque-t-il.- Et les SMS blagueurs qui évoquent Théo, l’escort-boy, échangés en 2018 avec Samy Kéfi-Jérôme ? Comment peut-il avoir compris la référence ?- Parce que le nom lui a été donné la seule fois, fin 2015 ou début 2016, où on lui a dit qu’une vidéo de Gilles Artigues avec un homme existait, assure-t-il. Il avait alors pensé que le film avait été réalisé avec le consentement de son Premier adjoint et n’en avait pas fait plus de cas, poursuit Gaël Perdriau.Toutes ces réponses “n’empêcheront pas le tribunal de s’interroger”, conclut la juge, avant d’ajourner l’interrogatoire qui reprendra mercredi.

Financement libyen: l’intermédiaire franco-libanais Ziad Takieddine est mort

L’un des grands protagonistes des affaires politico-financières françaises de ces 30 dernières années s’est éteint: l’intermédiaire franco-libanais Ziad Takieddine est mort mardi matin à Beyrouth, à deux jours de la décision du tribunal correctionnel de Paris sur les soupçons de financement libyen de la campagne présidentielle 2007 de Nicolas Sarkozy.L’information du Point a été confirmée à l’AFP par l’avocate française de M. Takieddine, Me Elise Arfi, et par une source au sein de sa famille.D’après cette dernière, l’intermédiaire de 75 ans “était détenu à la prison de Tripoli (nord du Liban) depuis un mois sur la base d’une action en justice intentée par son avocat (libanais) qui affirmait qu’il ne l’avait pas payé”, et est décédé à l’hôpital après une crise cardiaque.Dès mai 2012, Ziad Takieddine assurait à la presse que le financement de la campagne de l’ex-chef de l’Etat français par le défunt dictateur libyen Mouammar Kadhafi et de ses lieutenants, évoqué dès 2011, était “la vérité”.Nicolas Sarkozy avait en retour constamment vilipendé celui qu’il qualifiait de “grand manipulateur”, connu pour ses déclarations fluctuantes.En 2016, dans un retentissant entretien à Mediapart, Takieddine s’auto-incrimine: il affirme avoir convoyé entre novembre 2006 et début 2007 “cinq millions d’euros” dans des valises lors de trois voyages entre Tripoli et Paris, remis en deux fois à Claude Guéant, directeur de cabinet de Nicolas Sarkozy, alors ministre de l’Intérieur, mais aussi à l’ancien chef de l’État lui-même. Ces derniers avaient farouchement démenti.Ziad Takieddine avait été mis en examen dans cette enquête sensible.Cet homme volubile, haut en couleurs, et parfois confus dans ses explications, avait connu en parallèle d’autres soucis judiciaires sur des dossiers plus anciens.La cour d’appel de Paris a en effet confirmé début 2025 sa condamnation à cinq ans de prison ferme dans le volet financier de la tentaculaire affaire Karachi, un système de commissions occultes sur des contrats d’armement français avec l’Arabie saoudite et le Pakistan au mitan des années 1990.Ziad Takieddine avait quitté la France pour se réfugier au Liban quelques jours avant sa condamnation dans cette affaire en première instance, mi-2020.En fuite, il était visé par un mandat d’arrêt dans le dossier libyen. En raison du décès de l’intermédiaire, le tribunal de Paris, qui doit rendre jeudi son jugement dans ce dossier, devrait déclarer l’action publique éteinte à son encontre.- Volte-face -Au Liban, Ziad Takieddine avait fait plusieurs séjours en prison, notamment à cause du mandat d’arrêt français.Mais comme le Liban n’extrade pas ses ressortissants et que Ziad Takieddine avait fait appel en France, la justice libanaise l’avait libéré en avril avec une interdiction de quitter le territoire libanais. Le septuagénaire avait déclenché un dernier big bang, fin 2020: il avait rétracté près de dix ans d’accusations de financement de Nicolas Sarkozy par la Libye devant BFMTV et Paris Match, soutenant cette fois que l’ex-président n’avait pas bénéficié de cet argent.Des propos “déformés”, corrigeait deux mois plus tard Ziad Takieddine, une volte-face temporaire analysée depuis par la justice comme une possible subornation de témoin, et qui vaut une mise en examen à plusieurs personnalités, dont Nicolas Sarkozy, son épouse Carla Bruni-Sarkozy ou la figure de la presse people, Mimi Marchand. Les trois sont présumés innocents dans ce dossier pas encore jugé.Ziad Takieddine est mort au Liban où il était né, le 14 juin 1950, dans une grande famille druze implantée dans les hautes sphères du pays.L’intermédiaire y a d’abord été publicitaire, avant de quitter son pays, déchiré par la guerre civile, pour Londres.Dans les années 1980, il est placé à la tête de la station de montagne Isola 2000 (Alpes-Maritimes) et noue progressivement des liens avec de hauts responsables de droite.Grâce à ces connaissances et son entregent, il s’immisce dans la négociation de contrats de défense au cœur de l’affaire Karachi. Il mène alors grand train et couvre de cadeaux ses relations politiques.Mais son influence va ensuite décliner, entre un divorce difficile avec son épouse, la concurrence de son ennemi juré, l’homme d’affaires Alexandre Djouhri, venu des réseaux liés à Jacques Chirac, et le début de ses ennuis judiciaires.