Good evening, you're tuned in to Markets Desk.
China's economy posted one of its weakest growth figures in decades this quarter, with second-quarter GDP falling below the government's own annual target range. The miss intensifies pressure on Beijing to deploy fresh stimulus, and it sends a clear signal to global markets that domestic demand and the property sector remain serious structural drags.
Closer to home, two point six million Americans lost their Affordable Care Act coverage this year after enhanced federal subsidies expired, pushing enrollment down from twenty-one point eight million to nineteen point two million. Analysts are split on whether the drop reflects sticker shock from premiums that more than doubled, or a cleanup of fraudulent enrollments that inflated earlier figures — likely some measure of both.
And on the philanthropy front, Warren Buffett has quietly closed out one of the most consequential charitable partnerships in history, redirecting his giving away from the Gates Foundation after nearly two decades and forty-eight billion dollars in donations. The ninety-five-year-old is distributing roughly six billion dollars this year across other charitable organizations, marking a significant reshaping of how his legacy capital flows.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
