In BIG PICTURE NEWS, Trump throws his weight around, the EU looks at how to cut purchases from China, Trafigura predict low China oil demand, Sterling jumps, Indian equities underperform, Germany pours money into lithium and Glencore cuts 1,000 jobs. In TMT NEWS, Anthropic moves forward, Meta poaches an Apple designer, the UK considers tighter laws on AI chatbots, WPP falls and India reverses an unpopular move. In CONSUMER-RELATED NEWS, we see why petrol cars may be cheaper than EVs, why UK houses aren't actually getting more affordable and how US private employers cut jobs. In MISCELLANEOUS NEWS, HSBC appoints a new-old chair and Inditex powers through. AND FINALLY, I bring you a magic trick...