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Welcome to yet another insightful edition of Market Mosaic.
This week, the Fed raised rates even as core inflation cooled, retail sales beat every forecast, the US pulled in a fifth of the world's AI traffic, and ocean freight from China topped $9,000 per container.
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Insights Team, Rwazi
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Chart: Global AI website visits by country, 2025. Data visualization by Market Mosaic.
The US alone out-visits India, Brazil, and Germany combined on AI tools
AI websites drew 125.7 billion visits worldwide in 2025, up 46% year over year. The US alone claimed 26.92 billion of those visits, 21.4% of the total, more than India, Brazil, and Germany combined.
India ranks 2nd, accounting for 9.5% of global traffic. Traffic falls off fast after that: Taiwan, at 29th, pulls in just 1.13 billion visits, a 20th of the US total.
Key Insights
One country generates more than a fifth of the world's AI traffic, a concentration sharper than the US's historical lead in general internet use, and the drop-off after the top 5 is steep. See how your own market's AI adoption compares.
Gasoline prices are up 27% even as the Federal Reserve raises borrowing costs
The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark rate a quarter point to 3.75%-4%, its first hike since 2023, citing inflation that "remains elevated." Annual inflation held at 3.4% in August, while the price index rose 0.4% for the month, the fastest pace in 3 months.
Gasoline is up 27% over the past year, even as core inflation, which strips out food and energy, cooled to 2.4%, its lowest reading since March 2021. Shelter costs eased to 3% from 3.2%.
Key Insights
The headline number and the core number are now pulling in opposite directions, with energy costs the wedge between them: gas and heating fuel are doing the damage a rate hike is meant to prevent. See how your own cost base holds up against this split.
Core retail spending outpaced the broader retail number for a second month
Retail sales rose 1.2% in August, rebounding from July's decline and beating every forecast. The core "control group" figure, which feeds directly into GDP calculations, climbed even faster at 1.4%.
Value is driving that rebound: 67% of shoppers won't buy an item, however cheap, if it doesn't feel like real value, and quality now outweighs price in that judgment.
Key Insights
Two straight months of stronger core spending than headline spending means shoppers are absorbing higher prices instead of pulling back, a kind of resilience that usually cracks only after it's too late to plan around. See how your own demand signals compare.
US tariffs just hit an all-time high of 11.7% on imported goods
Ocean freight from China to the US West Coast now averages $7,000 per container, with East Coast lanes running $8,000 to $9,000, as peak season arrived a month early. The average US tariff rate has climbed to a new high of 11.7%.
Canada is preparing to impose counter-tariffs of 15% to 50% on $27.6 billion in American goods, adding another layer of cost to routes already running hot. Air freight from China now costs up to $7.69 per kilogram on East Coast lanes.
Key Insights
Shippers built their peak-season plans around rates that were supposed to soften by now, and instead they're paying more per container while a new round of counter-tariffs stacks on top. See how your own landed costs compare.
How Jennifer Aniston’s LolaVie brand grew sales 40% with CTV ads
For its first CTV campaign, Jennifer Aniston’s DTC haircare brand LolaVie had a few non-negotiables. The campaign had to be simple. It had to demonstrate measurable impact. And it had to be full-funnel.
LolaVie used Roku Ads Manager to test and optimize creatives — reaching millions of potential customers at all stages of their purchase journeys. Roku Ads Manager helped the brand convey LolaVie’s playful voice while helping drive omnichannel sales across both ecommerce and retail touchpoints.
The campaign included an Action Ad overlay that let viewers shop directly from their TVs by clicking OK on their Roku remote. This guided them to the website to buy LolaVie products.
Discover how Roku Ads Manager helped LolaVie drive big sales and customer growth with self-serve TV ads.
The DTC beauty category is crowded. To break through, Jennifer Aniston’s brand LolaVie, worked with Roku Ads Manager to easily set up, test, and optimize CTV ad creatives. The campaign helped drive a big lift in sales and customer growth, helping LolaVie break through in the crowded beauty category.
Can Robotics Make Regenerative Farming Scalable?
Greenfield Robotics is on a mission to give farmers alternatives to herbicide-dependent weed control. BOTONY is the beginning of a broader robotic farming system designed for a wider range of applications in the field.
The Reg A+ offering is now live for investors who want to be part of what comes next.
This Reg A+ offering is made available through StartEngine Primary, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Please read the Offering Circular and related disclosures before investing. This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment.
28 Wishes sells ice cream in LA. Below 70°F, sales fall about 20%. So they put $20 a day into Kalshi weather markets, taking the cold side. The days that keep customers away now pay something back. Learn more.
