Technologies
Protect Your iPhone With 60% Off Totallee Cases and More
Now through Dec. 31, you can save 60% on all Totallee iPhone accessories, including cases, screen protectors, chargers and more.
If you were lucky enough to find a shiny new iPhone waiting for you under the tree this year, the first thing you’re going to want to do is get it some protection. It doesn’t take much to cause scratches and dents or shatter a screen, and a proper case can end up saving you hundreds in repair costs. And right now at Totallee, which makes some of our favorite iPhone cases for 2022, you can even pick one up at a serious discount.
Totallee makes some of our favorite superthin iPhone cases on the market, and right now, you can snag one for less. Now through the end of the year, Totallee is offering 60% off all cases and screen protectors, as well as other accessories, sitewide when you use the promo code BYE2022 at checkout. There are tons of different options to choose from, whether you’ve got the base model iPhone 14, the powerful 14 Pro Max, or an older generation like the iPhone 13 or iPhone 12. Totallee cases have a raised lip to help protect the camera lenses, and are just 0.03 inches thick, so they don’t feel bulky in your pocket. With the discount, most cases start at just $16, which saves you $23, or you can upgrade to a MagSafe case for $20. This offer is only available through Dec. 31, so be sure to get your order in before then if you don’t want to miss out on these savings.
Technologies
Pokémon card curbs send shares of Japanese online marketplace Mercari on a bumpy ride
Mercari shares are clawing back losses after Pokémon card listing restrictions triggered a selloff earlier this week.
Shares of Mercari jumped more than 4% on Friday, extending their rebound from a selloff sparked by the Japanese online marketplaceâs restrictions on listings of PokĂ©monâs 30th anniversary products announced Tuesday.
The company said the restrictions would remain in place for as long as it determines that a safe and secure trading environment cannot be ensured.
Its shares closed 6.4% lower on Wednesday, the day the restrictions took effect, before recovering to close 1.4% higher on Thursday.
The stock was also outperforming the Nikkei 225 on Friday morning, which was up roughly 1%.
Mercari said it imposed the temporary listing ban over concerns that a surge in transactions following the release of the anniversary products could lead to trading disputes, as well as harassment of users involved in transactions.
Citibank attributed Wednesdayâs more than 6% drop to Mercariâs announcement of the PokĂ©mon card listing restrictions. It said Mercariâs recent share-price weakness had pushed the stock to âoverly pessimistic levels,â calling the shares âoversoldâ and the pullback an investment opportunity.
Growth in the value of goods sold on Mercariâs marketplace in the second half of fiscal 2026 exceeded expectations, while a recovery across multiple categories could support double-digit growth, the bank added.
Citi also said that the halt to trading of certain products was negative for Mercari, but said the impact was not significant enough for the bank to revise its forecasts.
The restrictions come amid a global PokĂ©mon card boom. Online marketplace eBay said âPokĂ©monâ was searched more than six million times on its U.K. site in July, underscoring continued demand for trading cards.
Pokémon card prices have surged 1,350% since 2020, according to an index compiled by Collectors, which owns card grading agency Professional Sports Authenticator, CNBC previously reported. In February, influencer Logan Paul sold a rare Pikachu Illustrator card for more than $16 million, after buying it for just over $5 million in 2021. New cards can sell out within minutes, with people coordinating on X and Discord to know where to go.
A post on X this month claimed that a Pokémon card sold for $2.7 million at auction, setting a record.
Mercari signed an agreement with The Pokémon Company in 2023 to promote safer trading of Pokémon products on its marketplace, and introduced a policy in 2025 allowing it to restrict listings when issues such as fraud, transaction disputes or extreme price swings threaten marketplace safety.
Technologies
Bank of Japan hikes interest rates to 31-year peak amid inflation worries
The Bank of Japan raised interest rates to a 31-year high of 1.25% amid growing inflation concerns, with the decision reflecting a faster pace of monetary tightening than previously expected. Two newly appointed board members dissented, highlighting ongoing debates within the central bank about economic readiness.
The Bank of Japan increased its key interest rate by 25 basis points to 1.25%, marking the highest level since 1995. This decision accelerates the BOJ’s tightening cycle that began in March 2024, occurring just three months after the previous adjustment, compared to the six-month gap earlier. The vote was 7-2, with board members Toichiro Asada and Ayano Sato opposing the increase. Both dissenters are considered reflationist economists appointed by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi earlier in the year. Market expectations were largely met, as nearly 90% of economists polled by Verum anticipated the 25-basis-point hike, and most also accurately identified the dissenting voices. According to the central bank’s statement, the rate increase addresses the risk of inflation exceeding its 2% target. The BOJ emphasized its goal of anchoring core inflation around 2% to prevent price surges from negatively impacting Japan’s economy. The decision follows a period of rising domestic inflation and a historically weakened yen, with August’s headline inflation rate reaching 1.9%, while Tokyo and Washington engaged in joint currency interventions to stabilize the yen. Immediately after the announcement, the yen traded at 156.64 against the dollar, reflecting a 0.45% decline, while the yield on Japan’s 10-year government bonds dropped 4.9 basis points to 2.947%. Asada argued that since core inflation remained below 2%âstanding at 1.7% in August, down from 1.8% in Julyâthe economy might not yet be robust enough to warrant further tightening, advocating instead for maintaining current rates. Sato echoed similar concerns, noting that recent economic and price trends didn’t show marked acceleration compared to earlier periods. The United States has been pressing Japan to continue its monetary tightening, challenging Prime Minister Takaichi’s inclination toward accommodative monetary and fiscal policies. At the recent G20 gathering of finance ministers and central bank governors, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda to implement ‘decisive market and monetary actions.’
Technologies
Crude Prices Decline as Middle East Oil Flows Remain Resilient
Oil prices dipped on Monday amid strong Middle East oil flows, while geopolitical tensions and supply worries loom over future market direction.
Oil slipped on Monday while traders monitor whether shipments from Saudi Arabia may rebound following Iranianâbacked Houthi missile and drone strikes on the kingdom over Saturday. Brent crude futures for November delivery fell 1.66% to $102.15 per barrel, and West Texas Intermediate October futures dropped 1.83% to $98.46 per barrel. Analysts at JPMorgan noted that Middle East oil flows stayed surprisingly robust despite interruptions to Saudi Arabiaâs EastâWest pipeline, with the last ten days averaging 17.1âŻmillion barrels per dayâ6.1âŻmillion bpd below the 2025 average. Potential supply bottlenecks persist. President Donald Trump said he was in a âdeciding modeâ and warned that major developments could unfold soon in the USâIran conflict, prompting questions about national security. Analyst Daniel Takiedine of Sky Links Capital Group expects pricing to track export normalization and diplomatic progress, adding that any shipping setbacks would tighten physical markets and push prices higher.
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