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Its been a dramatic week in foreign exchange markets as a six-word comment on Tuesday by President Donald Trump intensified a selloff for the U.S. dollar, sending it to its lowest level in four years. On Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sought to do some damage control. It doesnt appear to be working yet. Understanding whats happening with the dollar now traces back to early 2025, when the greenback hit a multi-year high relative to other currencies just days before Trumps return to the White House. The dollar has tumbled 10% since, a victim of the Sell America trade that first came into vogue after Trump announced sweeping tariff plans last April. The dollar was already under pressure this month as Trumps rhetoric about acquiring Greenland and his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland reignited that Sell America trade. Last week brought another blow to the greenback when Reuters reported that the New York Federal Reserve had conducted rate checks on the dollar/yen pair, putting traders on alert of a potential coordinated currency intervention by U.S. and Japanese authorities. And yet, it was a brief comment by Trump on Tuesday that saw the dollar suffer its worst one-day decline since April on Wednesday as currency traders ditched the dollar in favor of safe-haven assets like gold and the Swiss franc. When asked by a reporter if the dollar had declined too much, Trump brushed off any concerns, saying, No, I think its great. BESSENT SPARKS BRIEF RALLY Not everyone agrees with that sentiment, to put things mildly. The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed on Wednesday, noting that there are good reasons why a strong dollar policy is favored in Washington and that while Trump likes to be an economic iconoclast, he breaks this particular tradition at hisand Americasperil. Meanwhile, in an interview with CNBC on Wednesday, Bessent sought to reassure traders that the U.S. still has a strong dollar policy and said the U.S. is absolutely not intervening in the currency market right now. Bessents comments did spark a brief rally for the greenback that faded by early Thursdayan indication that the Trump administration may need to do more to reassure investors. DOLLAR AND THE ECONOMY On Wednesday, Federal Reserve policymakers left a benchmark interest rate unchanged, at a range of 3.50% to 3.75%. But Fed Chair Jerome Powell declined to weigh in on the currencys recent decline, telling a reporter, We dont comment about the dollar. That said, a weaker dollar undeniably has ramifications for the broader economy. A weaker dollar can boost U.S. exports by making American goods cheaper for foreign buyers, but it hurts consumers and businesses as the cost of imports becomes more expensive and risks inflation. Meanwhile, Americans pay more while traveling abroad, while its cheaper for foreign tourists to visit the U.S. DOLLAR BEAR MARKET The dollar is still strong by historic standardsand particularly compared to a roughly 12-year period between 2003 and 2015but some investors caution that the worst of its recent declines arent over. In fact, the term bear market is increasingly being bandied about. A bear market is defined as a decline of at least 20% from a recent peak. A longer-term dollar bear market is likely and could be worsened by an investing dynamic in recent years, as Cole Smead, CEO and portfolio manager at Smead Capital Management, told CNBCs Squawk Box Europe on Wednesday. Thats because a huge amount of money has poured into the U.S. over the past decade, and traders will eventually seek out better returns elsewhere. Were going to see the dollar struggle because of that capital account movement abroad, Smead said. More immediately, international traders once again have reason to hedge their bets on the U.S. given Trumps remarks. Stephen Jen, chief executive of London-based asset manager Eurizon SLJ Capital, told The Wall Street Journal that he expects a further 20% decline for the currency. The world is not ready.
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Dearest gentle reader, Netflix humble requests your presence on your couch this today Thursday, January 29, 2026 to binge part one of the fourth season of its hit series Bridgerton. It is up to you whether or not to don your finest gowns, tiaras, and petticoats or simply leave that to the actors gracing your screens. While Lady Whistledowns identity is now common knowledge, society still has its eyes and judgement on you. So here are some facts you should know going into this next chapter so you are not the laughing stock of the season. Dont say we didnt try to help. What is the basic premise of Bridgerton? Netflixs Bridgerton is based on a series of romance novels by Julia Quinn. There are eight novels in the main series, each focusing on a Bridgerton sibling and a classic romance trope such as enemies to lovers. Additionally, since the popularity of the series epilogues, novellas, and one prequel book has expanded the literary world of the franchise.The plot centers on the individual Bridgerton family members quest for love in Regency Era London. The young adults and children are guided by their loving mother Violet who does her best despite missing her late husband who was killed by a bee sting before his children were of marrying age. Who is the creative force behind Bridgerton? Shonda Rhimes [Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Netflix] It is wild to think that Bridgerton came about because in 2017 creator Shonda Rhimes was sick on vacation. While she wasnt feeling well, she ran out of things to read and picked up Quinns first novel in the series, The Duke and I, which by chance was left in her room. After devouring it, she went out fever and all to the local bookstore to buy the rest of the books in the series. A seed for an idea was planted.That same year, Rhimes left ABC, her previous creative home, and signed a very lucrative four year overall deal with Netflix. Industry insiders estimated this deal was worth around$100 million dollars. With her newfound creative freedom outside the world of traditional network television, Rhimes teamed up with Netflix to tackle a genre that was looked down upon, romance. Why was Bridgerton such a surprise hit? Bridgerton was a gamble for both Rhimes and Netflix. Historically, traditional cable channels tended to stay in their land and do one genre well. For example HBO and Showtime focused on dark, gritty offerings that wouldnt make it past the censors of network televisions. Netflix has offerings for all, including women. Rhimes unabashedly embraced the Regency era and the pursuit of love and marriage. She also put her own unique fingerprints on it by creating an ethnically diverse world. One way she accomplished this was through the character of Queen Charlotte who did not appear in the original book series but was a real historical figure. While historians will continue to debate her ethnicity, in the show she is a Black woman. Her character’s popularity inspired Quinn to pair up with Rhimes to write the prequel novel. This representation in a genre that doesnt typically see diversity helped create even more fans. Golda Rosheuvel (left) as Queen Charlotte, Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury. [Photo: Liam Daniel/Netflix] Bridgertons first season debuted on Christmas day 2020. Eighty-two million homes tuned in (including partial viewers) so clearly men got into the action as well. This massive number was even bigger than Netflix projected and made Bridgerton Netflixs biggest series at the time. While the global pandemic certainly helped initially, the momentum for this series did not die down. Season 3s numbers continued to impress. This installment achieved 45.1M views opening weekend alone. Season 4 is primed to build on this momentum. Who does Bridgerton season 4 focus on? Season 4 is a Bridgerton twist on the Cinderella story. This time it is Benedict Bridgertons turn to find love. (Actor Luke Thompson is up to the challenge.)Benedict is the second oldest son which means he has a little more freedom than his older brother Anthony. He has used this freedom to pursue the arts and explore his sexuality, briefly considering a throuple in season 3.While his personality is bohemian, Violet fears he is a bit lost and needs to settle down. It is believed his sister Eloise (played by Claudia Jessie) will also be heavily featured in the season both because of their close relationship and the need to set up her future season.Last season also saw his sister Francesca married to John Stirling, the Earl of Kilmartin. Readers know some plot points also need to happen here for her season to be able to unfold. What new actors are joining the cast in season 4? Since Bridgerton is about a family, the core cast stays mainly the same with the focus shifting to whomevers love story is front and center for the season. Although sometimes this means fan favorites such as Simone Ashley (Kate Sharma) are not seen on screen. She is just one of the actors not listed on Netflixs official Season 4 cast announcement.Others not present are Jessica Madsen (Cressida Cowper), Bessie Carter (Prudence Featherington), James Phoon (Harry Dankwoth) or Harriet Cains (Philippa Featherington). Never fear the supporting cast does have additions to make up for these absences.Yerin Ha will don a mask for her turn as Benedict’s love interest Sophie Baek. The couple first meet at a masquerade ball that was teased in season 3. L to R: Michelle Mao as Rosamund Li, Katie Leung as Lady Araminta Gao, and Isabella Wei as Posy Li. [Photo: Liam Daniel/Netflix] The role of Lady Araminta Gun, aka the wicked stepmother, will be tackled by Katie Leung. Audiences might remember her from her role as Cho Chang in the Harry Potter movies.Rounding out the supporting cast are the stepsisters Michelle Mao as Rosamund Li and Isabella Wei as Posy Li.Fans can also expect to see familiar faces such as Jonathan Bailey, Nicola Coughlan, and Luke Newton. What are the release dates for season 4? Netflix is following a similar release schedule to season 3. The first four episodes will drop on Thursday, January 29, 2026 at 3 a.m. ET. The concluding four episodes of the season will debut on February 26, 2026.
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As Italy prepares for the 2026 Winter Olympics, a crucial part of the prep is the manufacturing of artificial snow; the Olympics organizing committee plans to make 2.4 million cubic meters of the stuff. The practice has become more and more common as climate change leads to warmer temperatures and less reliable snow packs. But as climate change worsens, artificial snow wont even be enough to help certain countries host the Winter Games. By mid-century, the number of countries that could potentially host the Winter Olympic Games could be cut nearly in half, according to a recent study from the University of Waterloo. Currently, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) says there are 93 potential host locations that have the winter sports infrastructure needed to host the games. That includes arenas for events like hockey and ice skating and areas for snow sports outside of a big city. If countries continue with their current climate policies, though, that number drops to 52 locations that would remain climate-reliable for the Winter Olympics by 2050, according to the study, which was published in the journal Current Issues in Tourism. For the Paralympics, which occur in March after the Olympics in February, the situation is even more dire: By 2050, there are only 22 potential host locations. The Olympics need snowmaking Those remaining locations would still require artificial snowmaking, a process that needs cold and dry air. In some places, its becoming too warm to even make snow or to maintain that snowpack. Those are the [locations] that drop off our list of climate-reliable, says Daniel Scott, the study’s lead author and a professor in the Faculty of Environment at Waterloo. This happened during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics: An El Nino brought record high temperatures along with rain to the area before the games, which meant officials couldnt make snow. Instead, they had to bring in snow via trucks and helicopters from higher elevations. If the snow, real or artificial, melts and turns into slush, that becomes a safety issue for athletesand generally hinders their athletic performance. Without snowmaking, the study found, the number of potential hosts for the Winter Olympics plummets to just four by the 2050s. Those are Niseko, Japan; Terskol, Russia; and Val dIsre and Courchevel in France. Is snowmaking sustainable? To not use snowmaking makes about as much sense as moving hockey and figure skating back outside, the way it was in the 1930s, Scott says. The question, then, is how to make snowmaking as sustainable as possible, just like how officials work to make their refrigerated arenas as sustainable as possible. Snowmaking can require a lot of both energy and waterbut just how environmentally harmful it is depends on the specific location. The power grid in France, for example, is nearly completely free of fossil fuels, so a higher electricity demand for snowmaking there wouldnt directly lead to more emissions. In Utah, though, under 20% of electricity comes from renewable energy. That means making snow in Salt Lake City would come with a carbon footprint. Making the Winter Olympics earlier Along with looking at climate-reliable locations, the Waterloo study explored some adaptation strategies to make the Winter Games more resilient against rising temperatures. Combining the Olympics and Paralympics so both occur in February, when colder temperatures are more likely, would be too difficult because of the size and complexity. But the researchers found that if the games each shifted to be a few weeks earlier, the number of climate-reliable host locations for the Paralympics increases to 38. That would mean the Paralympics begin in the last week of February. Cortina dAmpezzo, the Italian Alps town that will host certain events for the upcoming 2026 Olympics, has already seen the effects of climate change. February temperatures there are 6.4 degrees F warmer than in 1956, the first year Cortina hosted the Winter Games. The IOC plans locations years in advance, meaning it relies on this kind of modeling data to make hosting decisions. The committee is already planning who will host the 2038 games, and after that are the 2040 Olympics, already close to that mid-century mark that eliminates a bunch of possible locales. Its only going to become increasingly important for the IOC to pay attention to climate science. The past three years have been the hottest on record, and 2024 was the first year to surpass 1.5 degrees of human-caused warming. If that kind of acceleration were to continue, it would be more and more important for [the IOC] to take note of, Scott says.
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