How Lego’s partnership-and-production playbook drove record first-half sales

The Lego Group posted record first-half revenue as a deliberate combination of brand partnerships, product breadth and a near-consumer manufacturing footprint helped it outpace the wider toy market. Company executives and industry observers say the strategy married fast-moving marketing tie-ups with operational choices — more localised production, a heavy cadence of new sets, and sharper…

India Faces Severe Export Shock from 50% U.S. Tariffs — Targeted Relief and Market Diversification Can Mitigate the Damage

India faces a sharp economic reckoning as new U.S. tariffs that push duties on many Indian goods to as much as 50% take effect. The move — framed by Washington as punitive measures tied to India’s continued purchases of discounted Russian oil — threatens major export sectors, supply-chain relationships and jobs, while raising difficult strategic…

U.S. government stake sparks market jitters at Intel as governance and global-sales risks mount

Intel’s disclosure that the U.S. government will take a near-10% ownership stake has injected immediate uncertainty into the chipmaker’s outlook, with company filings warning the arrangement could prompt “adverse reactions” from investors, employees, customers and foreign governments — and could directly threaten a business that earns the bulk of its revenue outside the United States.…

Musk’s xAI escalates legal fight with Apple and OpenAI, raising industry stakes

Elon Musk’s xAI and its parent platform X have launched a high-stakes antitrust suit in federal court in Texas against Apple and OpenAI, accusing them of using platform power and exclusive integrations to squeeze out rivals in the fast-evolving market for generative artificial intelligence. The lawsuit seeks billions in damages and aims to force changes…

Business alarm grows as White House signals more equity deals after Intel move

President Donald Trump’s declaration that the administration wants “many more cases like” its recent investment in Intel has stirred deep unease across Corporate America, where executives and investors worry the U.S. is steering toward greater state involvement in private industry. What began as a targeted effort to shore up domestic chipmaking has quickly become a…

French Partnership with JetZero Signals Turning Point for Hydrogen Aviation

A bold new collaboration between French technology company SHZ Advanced Technologies and California-based JetZero is sending shockwaves through the aviation industry. By pooling expertise, the two firms aim to pioneer a hydrogen-powered blended wing-body aircraft—a project that could alter the trajectory of global aviation and the race toward zero-emission flight. The partnership, announced as part…

US Retailers Diverge as Holiday Season Nears Amid Tariff Pressures and Consumer Uncertainty

As the year’s most critical shopping season approaches, America’s largest retailers are sending conflicting signals about their expectations. While some companies report strong momentum heading into the holidays, others are preparing for a slowdown in consumer demand. The divergence reflects a broader tension at the heart of the U.S. economy: households are willing to spend,…

Speculation Mounts That Apple Is Scaling Up India iPhone Output Over Political Risks

Apple is reportedly accelerating its iPhone production in India, a move that industry observers say is tied not only to its long-term diversification strategy away from China but also to mounting political pressures created by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff regime. Based on source information and media reports, the company has stepped up output at…

Nvidia Builds China-Specific Blackwell Chip to Bridge Market Access and Security Limits

Nvidia is quietly engineering a new Blackwell-architecture accelerator tailored for China as it races to reconcile commercial demand with a tightening web of U.S. export curbs and growing geopolitical scrutiny. Internally dubbed the B30A, the chip is being designed to slot between the H20 — the slower, previously approved China model — and Nvidia’s flagship…

China’s Cold Reception of Nvidia’s H20 Chips Reflects Deep Strategic Anxiety

When the U.S. government moved to ease restrictions and allow Nvidia to sell its H20 chips in China, many saw it as a turning point in the bruising technology conflict between the world’s two largest economies. Nvidia had been struggling under tightened export controls, and the green light from Washington appeared to offer the company…