Expo News Today — September 24, 2026

Global economic concerns are taking center stage as fresh data reveals the world's debt burden has surged to a staggering $365 trillion, prompting economists to warn of a potentially devastating vicious cycle. This development comes as the market's rally is being propped up by a shrinking number of stocks, with fewer equities driving the gains than at any time since the dot-com peak. The increasing reliance on a smaller group of stocks to carry the market raises questions about the sustainability of the current rally.

Meanwhile, beyond the economic sphere, geopolitical tensions continue to simmer. Tehran has criticized Canada for not condemning Trump's threat to destroy Iran, highlighting the ongoing strain in international relations. The rivalry between global tech giants is also heating up, with Meta and Amazon locked in a standoff over the music platform Muse. In a related development, the CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic are pushing for international cooperation on AI at the UN, following rebuff from former US President Trump. And in other news, federal prosecutors are probing the executors of the Jeffrey Epstein estate, according to a report.

Today's signal:
• Global debt tops $365 trillion as economists sound alarm over 'vicious cycle' (cnbc.com)
• Tehran criticizes Canada for not condemning Trump's threat to destroy Iran (cnbc.com)
• Meta's standoff with Amazon over Muse could be a sign of things to come (cnbc.com)
• Fewer stocks are carrying the market than at any time since the dot-com peak (marketwatch.com)
• OpenAI and Anthropic CEOs push for AI cooperation at UN after Trump rebuffs 'globalist scheme' to control it (cnbc.com)
• Federal prosecutors probe Jeffrey Epstein estate executors, WSJ reports (cnbc.com)