U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a presentation on the administration’s policies against cartels and human trafficking in the official dining room of the White House on October 23, 2025 in Washington, DC, USA.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
China on Thursday concluded its “4th Plenary Session,” a conference aimed at setting the country’s development agenda for the next five years. The Chinese government will focus on self-reliance in domestic consumption, technology, agriculture, and manufacturing.
If you squint a little, you start to see the government’s bills in the U.S. economy and markets, generally considered the epitome of free-market capitalism.
The White House announced Thursday that President Trump has pardoned Binance founder Chao Changpeng, who ended trade negotiations with Canada over advertising. Mr. Zhao was found guilty in April 2024 of enabling money laundering on Binance.
The Wall Street Journal reported in August that the Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture was aided by “a partnership with a discreet trading platform secretly controlled by Binance.”
There were also traces of the White House in corporate profits.
intel Shares rose 7.7% in after-hours trading after the company announced third-quarter sales that exceeded analysts’ expectations.
But we can’t ignore the elephant in the room: the 10% stake in the company that the U.S. government acquired in August. The company’s stock price has risen significantly since the acquisition, and President Donald Trump said the government made between $30 billion and $40 billion from the company’s stock. However, the deal will complicate Intel’s revenue accounting practices, the company suggested in a press release.
Mr. Trump’s penchant for acquiring stakes in American companies, and other transactions that seem to blur the personal and professional, raises the question: Are we watching America’s four-year economic plan unfold (with a twist)?
What you need to know today
President Trump ends trade negotiations with Canada. The president of the United States appears to be upset about an ad aired by the Ontario government that features President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs. President Trump also accused Canada of trying to influence the U.S. Supreme Court case on tariffs.
President Trump pardons Binance founder Chang Peng The move comes two months after the Wall Street Journal reported on a Trump family crypto venture that appeared to be connected to a trading platform “managed by Binance.”
China has softened its rhetoric ahead of the meeting between President Trump and President Xi. China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentou said Friday in comments translated by CNBC that the two countries “can find the right path to get along.” The White House announced that President Trump will meet with President Xi at the APEC summit next Thursday.
US stocks rose on Thursday. The Nasdaq Composite outperformed thanks to tech stocks. Asia-Pacific stocks rose on Friday. Korean Kospi Japan set a new record Nikkei Stock Average The gains came after data showed the country’s core inflation rate rose as expected in September.
(PRO) It’s time to consider dividend stocks, says CIO. Kevin Simpson, founder and chief investment officer at Capital Wealth Planning, said these stocks should rise if interest rates fall as the market expects.
And finally…
A shopper looks at produce at a grocery store on Tuesday, October 21, 2025 in West Milton, Ohio, USA.
Kyle Grillot | Bloomberg | Getty Images
