Zanzibar is seeing a seaweed boom. Can the women collecting it cash in?
In Zanzibar, private investment and donor dollars have been increasing. Seaweed is the third largest contributor to the local economy after tourism and spices. Seaweed has been farmed off Zanzibar, part of Tanzania’s Indian Ocean coast, for decades but there is a new boom underway as global demand increases. (AP News)

Brazil is developing a weapon for trade wars: Fertilizer in the Amazon.
Vast deposits of potash in the rainforest promise to increase Brazil’s dominance in agricultural exports (Wall Street Journal)

A Trump Supreme Court tariff defeat would add to trade uncertainty.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s tough questioning of President Donald Trump’s global tariffs fueled increased speculation that they will be struck down but raised the specter of additional chaos as he is widely expected to shift to other trade tactics in the wake of an adverse ruling. (Reuters)

White House seeks sanctions repeal ahead of Syrian President’s talks with Trump.
Administration officials are hoping to give a boost to Syria’s leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, before he meets with President Trump on Monday by seeking repeal of a major U.S. sanctions law that has impeded rebuilding the Middle East country after a 13-year civil war. (Wall Street Journal)

The end is near for policy easing among big central banks.
Central banks in big economies are nearing the end of their rate-cutting cycles, though some, like the U.S. Federal Reserve and Bank of England – which were more cautious earlier in the year – have scope to ease a little more. Australia, Sweden and Norway all left rates unchanged this week, as did the BoE, albeit in a tight decision. (Reuters)

Bank says inflation has ‘peaked’ as it holds interest rates.
Interest rates were held at 4% in a tight vote as the Bank of England said it judged inflation in the UK to have peaked. Policymakers voted 5-4 in favor of leaving rates unchanged on Thursday but said borrowing costs were “likely to continue on a gradual downward path”. (BBC)

Conservative justices sharply question Trump tariffs in high-stakes hearing.
President Donald Trump’s use of sweeping tariffs faced sharp questioning at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, in a case with major implications for the president’s agenda and the global economy. (BBC)

Trump expresses reservations over strikes in Venezuela to top aides.
President Trump has recently expressed reservations to top aides about launching military action to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, fearing that strikes might not compel the autocrat to step down, according to U.S. officials familiar with the deliberations. (Wall Street Journal)

Chicago Fed’s Goolsbee says he’s cautious about further rate cuts during shutdown.
While Goolsbee has otherwise been an advocate for gradually lowering rates, the central bank official said during a CNBC interview that he has concerns over the lack of important price reports, particularly with general inflation recently trending higher. (CNBC)

With shutdown, contractors ‘in the dark’ on labor data.
The government shutdown prevented the Bureau of Labor Statistics from releasing a job openings report, just one of many metrics that help builders understand the broader economy. (Construction Dive)

Six takeaways from Canada’s federal budget.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has introduced his first federal budget – a blueprint for how he plans to deliver on his promise to make Canada’s economy the strongest in the G7. The ambitious plan, seen as a key test of the new leader and former central banker, is as much a political document as a spending blueprint. (BBC)

Pirates board tanker off Somalia in biggest escalation since 2024.
Pirates boarded a Malta-flagged products tanker off Somalia on Thursday, but the crew took refuge in a fortified safe room and remain in control of the vessel, maritime security sources said. A burst of armed attacks on vessels in the region—including the first involving suspected Somali pirates in a year—has reignited concerns for shipping lanes used to transport critical energy and goods to global markets. (Reuters)