Eurostat released its first estimate on September 16: In July 2026, quarter-on-quarter industrial production in the eurozone declined by 0.1%, and in the EU by 0.3%. Both regions saw a decrease of 0.1% in June. Compared to a year ago, industrial production in the eurozone remained unchanged, while in the EU it grew by 0.3%. The overall change is minimal, appearing almost like a flat line, but there are clear differences among industries: production of energy, capital goods, and intermediate goods increased quarter-on-quarter, whereas the production of durable consumer goods saw a significant decline. European industry has not experienced a widespread downturn, nor has there been a strong expansion.

The Office for National Statistics of the UK announced on September 16 that in August 2026, the Consumer Price Index CPI rose by 3.1% year-on-year, higher than 2.9% in July; the index including the cost of own housing CPIH rose by 3.3% year-on-year, also higher than the previous month's 3.1%. Both indices increased by 0.5% month-on-month, compared to a month-on-month increase of 0.3% in August 2025. The main factor driving annual inflation upwards was transportation, particularly car fuel costs. At the same time, the core CPI remained at 2.6% year-on-year, and the core CPIH also stayed at 2.9%; there was no acceleration in the rise in service prices either. The overall index has rebounded significantly, but the pressure is mainly concentrated on goods and energy.

On September 15th, Google updated AI and Economy ATLAS, and announced a study in collaboration with Google DeepMind and MIT FutureTech. The study analyzed 2,600 professional AI models and surveyed over 600 scientists from the United States and the United Kingdom. The results showed that nearly half of the surveyed scientists used some form of AI daily, and they reported saving nearly 7 hours per week as a result. However, the study also found that with the rapid generation of more hypotheses, there was a backlog in physical experiments, clinical validation, and result verification. This conclusion is more comprehensive than the claim that "AI speeds up scientific research": while models can streamline some mental processes, they cannot automate...

On September 16th, OpenAI announced a new round of product updates for ChatGPT Ads, among which Sponsored Agents has drawn the most attention. After seeing the ads, users can proactively enter an agent dialogue sponsored by merchants and clearly labeled with relevant information. There, they can continue to ask questions about size, features, applicable scenarios, etc., before deciding whether to visit the merchants' websites. OpenAI also introduced an ad management plugin, suggestions for copywriting and images, as well as text adaptation features. Additionally, HubSpot and Shopify were integrated into the system. It is important to note that the sponsored agent feature is currently only being tested with some advertisers in the United States and has not yet been fully rolled out to users worldwide or all merchants.

U.S. officials say large oil companies may invest in Venezuela; Brent crude oil prices rose to $108.75, with markets focusing on global supply prospects.