open data

The Bank of France is not following a preset path on interest rates and will make decisions meeting by meeting, according to its governor. The stance keeps the door open to cutting, holding or raising rates depending on incoming economic data, and signals caution as eurozone inflation and growth conditions continue to shift. It comes as central banks across Europe weigh how quickly to ease monetary policy.

European Central Bank governing council member Martins Kazaks said the bank is in no rush to adjust policy, citing opposing economic forces that make the outlook uncertain. His comments suggest officials prefer to wait for clearer data on inflation and growth before deciding the next move, leaving the timing of any rate change an open question for markets.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand's chief economist said the central bank's next interest rate decision is 'wide open', signalling that policymakers have not settled on whether to hold or adjust the official cash rate. The comments suggest the outcome will hinge on incoming economic data, leaving markets and borrowers in New Zealand uncertain about the direction of monetary policy.

The Dutch tax administration has cancelled its planned migration to Microsoft 365 and will instead move toward open-source alternatives, according to a ZDNet report being widely shared. The decision is being framed by privacy and free-software advocates as a win for digital sovereignty, cybersecurity and data protection, and may influence other European public bodies weighing dependence on US cloud vendors.

The Netherlands has cancelled its use of Microsoft 365 and switched to open-source alternatives. The move reflects a growing push by governments to reduce dependence on proprietary software from US tech companies, driven by concerns over digital sovereignty, data privacy and vendor lock-in. It adds the Netherlands to a list of European institutions rethinking their reliance on Microsoft products.

US stock futures pointed mostly lower ahead of the opening bell as investors awaited key economic releases on wholesale prices and retail sales. The reports are expected to offer fresh insight into inflation pressures and consumer spending, shaping expectations for the Federal Reserve's next moves on interest rates.

Google has filed an appeal against European Union regulatory requests that would require it to open up Android to rival AI assistants and share search data with competitors. The case adds to Google's long-running battles with EU antitrust authorities, and is being closely watched as regulators across Europe push to curb the power of large technology platforms in emerging AI markets.

Small business lenders are increasingly looking beyond traditional credit scores, using everyday business data such as cash flow and transaction records to assess borrowers. The shift could open access to financing for firms with thin credit histories that were previously overlooked by conventional underwriting.

Gold started Thursday's session at its lowest opening level of the week, with traders positioning cautiously ahead of the release of the US Producer Price Index data. The inflation reading is being closely watched for clues on the Federal Reserve's next moves, which typically influence demand for the metal.

The US General Services Administration is running a hackathon focused on Model Context Protocol servers and AI agents for government use. The event invites participants to build tools connecting AI agents with public-sector data and services. It reflects federal agencies' growing push to experiment with agentic AI and standardised integration protocols across government systems.

Data from CryptoQuant shows Bitcoin open interest on Binance has fallen to its lowest level in two months. The decline points to reduced leveraged trading activity and could signal waning trader engagement or a cooling of speculative positioning. Analysts typically watch open interest shifts for clues about upcoming volatility or trend changes in the Bitcoin market.

Ulysses, a company focused on ocean robotics, is marketing underwater drones priced around $50,000, aiming to automate tasks at sea. The pitch centres on 'robotising the ocean' — using relatively affordable autonomous vehicles to inspect infrastructure, monitor marine environments and gather data at scale. Interest is growing around whether cheap underwater drones can open up a new industrial market.

Investopedia has published its regular pre-market briefing outlining five key points investors should know before US stock markets open on Friday. The roundup typically covers futures moves, earnings, economic data and other catalysts likely to shape the trading day. Investors are checking such briefings to position themselves ahead of the session.

A new technical write-up explains the performance gains in DuckDB 2.0, the open-source analytical database popular with data engineers and analysts. The piece walks through the engineering changes behind the speed improvements, and developers on Hacker News are debating the details of the release.

A new chat service called Strafe is being introduced as a free, open-source alternative to Discord. It offers end-to-end encryption by default and allows users to self-host their own servers, giving them full control over their data. Coverage highlights its appeal to users seeking privacy-focused and independently hosted messaging options.

A developer has released an open-source project called Gods Eye View that turns a web browser into a spy satellite simulator using real data. The tool renders live, open-source spatial intelligence on a photorealistic 3D globe, letting anyone explore real-world imagery and geospatial information in real time. It is drawing attention for showing how much satellite data is freely available to the public.

Law firm Claim Depot has opened an investigation into a potential class action against Magna Hospitality Group over a data breach affecting the hotel management company. The probe is seeking affected individuals who may join legal claims tied to exposed personal information. Hospitality-sector breaches are drawing increasing litigation attention as stolen guest data circulates.

Russian stock market indices closed higher at the end of trading on the Moscow Exchange, according to Banks.ru. Interfax reported that the IMOEX index opened the morning session with only minor changes, while Finam noted that a sharp acceleration in inflation failed to dampen sentiment on the Russian market. Investors appear focused on macroeconomic data and ongoing geopolitical developments, including reports of talks involving Russian and US officials. Overall mood on the market remains resilient despite inflation concerns.

Open Global Rights argues that 'statistical justice' should be treated as a human rights concern. The piece contends that who is counted, and how, shapes whether marginalised groups are seen and served by governments, while gaps and miscounts in official data can entrench discrimination. It calls on rights advocates to pay closer attention to how statistics are produced and used in policy.

Anthropic is dominating headlines on several fronts: it opened a Singapore office and signed an AI safety agreement with the government there. The company also warned that AI models may soon be able to self-replicate without access to data centers, potentially within months on home devices. Separately, NTT is reportedly building a $6.3 billion data center in Japan for the company, and Anthropic introduced new policies, including rules against abusive behavior toward its Claude chatbot and targeting fake sources that sway AI answers.

A new vulnerability tracked as EUVD-2026-99220 has been published affecting Adobe Commerce, Adobe Commerce B2B and Magento Open Source, with a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.7 out of 10. The flaw stems from improper input validation, a class of bug that can often allow attackers to manipulate data or trigger further exploitation. The advisory was published on 13 October 2026 and updated on 15 October, and security teams running Magento-based stores are expected to check for patches.

German journalist Gavin Karlmeier released a new episode of his podcast "Haken dran" on Friday, October 9th, carrying an exclusive scoop from an anonymous source. The report alleges that the social media company W Social is publishing users' legal names and other personal details openly on the world wide web. The claim has drawn attention online, with commenters awaiting confirmation and the company's response to the alleged data exposure.

Big US banks open the quarterly earnings season this week, with investors watching profits alongside new inflation reports and retail sales figures. The S&P 500 hovers near record levels after Wall Street's record-breaking trading streak, which analysts expect to cool. Separately, 1MDB has reached a settlement with Deutsche Bank in a $1.1 billion lawsuit, resolving a long-running legal dispute. Deutsche Bank also upgraded Netflix to Buy, citing international growth and AI upside.

A writer and self-described LLM critic is calling for artificial intelligence models that individuals can train themselves on their own machines, with no data centers required. The alternative proposed is server-based models that are highly specialized and trained only on open data. The appeal reflects a broader debate among AI watchers about user control, privacy, and concentration of AI infrastructure in large companies, resonating with people who want more transparency and independence from big tech providers.

India's Nifty 50 index is on track for a muted opening as traders weigh fresh inflation data that strengthens expectations of further interest rate hikes by the Reserve Bank of India. Market commentary on TradingView notes the cautious mood, with investors reluctant to take positions ahead of policy decisions.

The French open data platform data.gouv.fr has updated its education-themed page, adding new public datasets for exploration. The platform says the refreshed collection can help users better understand available education data. The announcement is drawing modest attention among open data and education watchers.

British regulators have opened an investigation into Meta over the safety of Instagram's 'Instants' feature, which lets users send disappearing photos. Officials are examining whether images that vanish after viewing pose risks to children and whether the company's safety assessments were adequate. Separately, TikTok has told a UK court that Ofcom's data requests bypass transparency rules, as scrutiny of major social media platforms intensifies.