Daily Business Digest

Monday, July 7, 2025

Good evening, here’s what you missed while you were building the future…

📈 Markets Take a Monday Tumble

After hitting fresh records last week, reality checked in today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 422.17 points, or 0.94%, and ended at 44,406.36. The S&P 500 fell 0.79% to close at 6,229.98, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.92%, settling at 20,412.52. It was the worst day since mid-June for all three majors, proving that what goes up on strong jobs reports must eventually come down on Monday morning jitters. (CNBC)

🤖 AI Startups Are Literally Eating VC’s Lunch

The numbers are staggering: AI startups received 53% of all global venture capital dollars invested in the first half of 2025, according to new data from PitchBook. That percentage jumps to 64% in the U.S. AI startups also comprise 29% of all global startups funded, and nearly 36% in the U.S. At this rate, VCs might as well rebrand themselves as “AI Capital” and call it a day. (Axios)

🏛️ Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” Gets Through Congress

President Donald Trump praised GOP congressional leaders today after the House approved his massive package of tax and federal spending cuts, delivering the president the first big legislative win of his second term. The House on Thursday passed President Trump’s major tax cut and spending bill in a 218 to 214 vote. The razor-thin margin shows just how divided Washington remains on fiscal policy. (CNN, ABC News)

🚀 Elon’s Latest Power Move: The “America Party”

In the most Elon move of 2025, the space and automotive billionaire announced the formation of a new political party, saying Trump’s “big, beautiful” bill wasn’t beautiful enough for his liking. The Trump-Musk bromance officially hits the rocks as the world’s richest man decides to start his own political party. Because apparently owning Twitter, Tesla, and SpaceX wasn’t enough influence. (Reuters)

📊 Jobs Report Powered Last Week’s Rally

Before today’s selloff, markets were flying high after Nonfarm payrolls rose by 147,000 in June, beating expectations. Stocks rose to new highs on Thursday after the June jobs report showed that hiring was stronger than expected and the unemployment rate fell. The labor market continues to show resilience, though traders are clearly having second thoughts about sustainability. (CNBC, Investopedia)

🏦 Fed Rate Drama Continues

After reducing interest rates in late 2024, the Fed has kept rates at their current levels of 4.25% to 4.5% so far in 2025. The hold has been much to the angst of Trump, who has repeatedly criticized Powell for not cutting interest rates. The president-versus-Fed chair showdown is becoming this year’s must-watch political drama. (Investopedia)

In sobering polling news, 76% of Americans think that democracy is under a serious threat, according to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll. And their faith in political leadership in the White House and Congress is low. Nothing says “stable investment climate” like three-quarters of the population worried about democratic institutions. (NPR)

🎯 Bonus: Start with Your Email Inbox

The easiest AI win for small businesses? Email automation that doesn’t suck. Instead of generic auto-responders, use AI tools like Gmail’s Smart Compose or dedicated platforms like Superhuman to draft personalized responses based on context. Set up AI filters to automatically categorize emails by urgency, route customer inquiries to the right team member, and even schedule follow-ups. The average small business owner spends 2.5 hours daily on email—cut that in half and you’ve just bought yourself 12+ hours per week to actually run your business. Start with one email workflow, master it, then expand.

That’s a wrap for today. Tomorrow we’ll see if the markets can shake off the Monday blues or if we’re in for more volatility. Stay sharp out there.