International
Wall Street stocks end mixed after bumpy day
AFP
US equities went for a ride Tuesday, ending the day mixed after bouncing around for most of the session as investors digested solid retail company earnings but disappointing housing data.
Shares started the day in the doldrums after data showed new US home construction dove in July, but were buoyed when Walmart reported a jump in revenues, with the retail giant also saying its annual profit would not be as bad as it predicted three weeks ago.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.7 percent to finish the day at 34,152.01, while the broad-based S&P 500 was up 0.2 percent to 4,305.2.
Meanwhile, the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index retreated, falling 0.2 percent to end at 13,102.55 after recovering from the low point of the day.
The weak housing data — new US home construction projects started in July tumbled 9.6 percent — gave rise to more fears about the economy since the real estate market drives a lot of other spending.
But manufacturing rebounded, according to Federal Reserve data.
And Walmart’s results indicated consumers are still spending, though the chain warned that it is seeing signs of shoppers holding off on buying some goods due to high prices. Home Depot also reported solid earnings.
And oil prices declined for the third day, on the hope for a boost in global supply, while US gas prices at the pump continued to drop further below $4 a gallon, in more good news for American families.
“We can’t say that Walmart had extraordinary results but it was better than expected. Overall Wall Street was too pessimistic,” Gregori Volokhine of Meeschaert Financial Services told AFP.
“We can say that a large part of the rally was simply because people had positioned themselves wrong.”
Walmart shares jumped 5.1 percent on the positive results that came after the company slashed its profit forecast late last month.
Home Depot rose 4.1 percent following a 7.6 percent increase in quarterly earnings to $5.2 billion.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
International
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.
Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.
The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”
International
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.
The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”
The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”
Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.
The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
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