Economy

Oil prices highest in three months

The price of US crude oil (WTI) has risen above $75 a barrel for the first time in three months. In the past two months, prices have increased by about 8 percent, writes Bloomberg.

Several analysts warn that global oil inventories have run low and that technical analysis speaks for a shift. Expectations of upcoming US sanctions against Iran and tariffs on Chinese goods also contribute to expectations of rising prices.

Meta’s Future
Meta Gave Top Advertisers a Different Moderation: “Incorrect”

Social media giant Meta has exempted some of its biggest advertisers from the usual moderation process, the Financial Times reports, citing internal documents from 2023. One of the documents stated that the group of “P95 spenders,” that is, companies that spent more than $1,500 per day, “were exempt from advertising restrictions” and would be “sent for manual human review.”

Meta recently announced that it was ending third-party fact-checking of posts on Facebook and Instagram, replacing it with a solution similar to the community-based system used by X.

Ryan Daniels, a spokesman for Meta, told the FT that the reporting was “simply incorrect” and “based on a hand-picked set of documents.”

Elon Musk's X
EU tightens scrutiny – X risks billions in fines

The European Commission is tightening its investigation into Elon Musk's platform X, which is suspected of violating EU laws on content moderation. Bloomberg reports.

The tone has been raised after pressure from German center-right politicians ahead of the upcoming elections. Musk has openly supported AFD candidate Alice Weidel and planned a live interview with her, which could constitute improper influence under EU rules on algorithms.

If X is convicted, the platform risks a fine of up to 6 percent of its global annual turnover.

Trump's victory
EU summit: "Europe can no longer remain passive"

EU Industry Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné warns of increasing protectionism when Donald Trump returns to the White House soon. He emphasizes that the EU must be ready to respond to US trade measures with its own tariffs and support for European companies.

- This is something we have to deal with. Europe can no longer remain passive, he tells Bloomberg.

Séjourné stresses the importance of avoiding a trade war, but at the same time stresses the need for a strong European industry to cope with the green transition, especially in the steel sector. He also suggests that the EU establish a special competitiveness fund to support the development of new technologies and future industries.

Trump considers declaring a national economic emergency

US President-elect Donald Trump is considering declaring a national economic emergency to impose extensive tariffs, four sources told CNN.

The plan is to use the IEEPA law, which gives the president broad powers to regulate imports during a crisis.

Supporters say the proposed tariffs are important for US industry and national security, while critics warn of potential legal challenges.

The news caused the Stockholm Stock Exchange to turn from positive to negative.