Financial markets have entered a period in which the traditional summer slowdown offers little protection from major economic and geopolitical shocks. The market outlook during August was being shaped simultaneously by an unusually weak Japanese yen, uncertainty around energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, changing expectations for United States interest rates and renewed questions…
A Chinese humanoid robot running 100 metres faster than the fastest human in history is an extraordinary demonstration of engineering progress, but the significance of the achievement lies less in beating a sporting record than in what it reveals about the direction of China’s robotics industry. Tiangong Ultra completed the distance in 9.39 seconds at…
The rapid creation of wealth through artificial intelligence companies and technology-related public listings is reshaping one of the world’s most influential consumer markets. While luxury brands initially viewed a growing class of AI millionaires as the ideal customers to revive slowing sales, emerging spending patterns suggest the industry’s biggest opportunity may also be its greatest…
The question of whether artificial intelligence is in a bubble has dominated boardrooms, investor calls and tech conferences over the past year. Valuations have surged, capital has poured into AI-linked firms and expectations have raced ahead of proven returns. Into this debate has stepped an unlikely commentator: a humanoid robot. When asked directly whether the…
Elon Musk has rarely been subtle about where he believes the next technological frontier lies. In recent years, he has increasingly framed humanoid robots not as a side project but as a central pillar of future economic value, arguing they could eventually eclipse cars in importance. In Musk’s telling, robots that look and move like…
A fast, episodic storytelling format known in China as micro-dramas—typically two minutes or less—has rapidly leapt across borders into India’s streaming and short-video ecosystem, triggering a fresh wave of content competition. These highly-scripted bite-sized narratives, once the exclusive province of Chinese platforms, are now being localized, scaled and monetized by Indian production houses, apps and…
Amid volatility in technology stocks and whispers of rotation toward value sectors, State Street Global Advisors maintains that the artificial intelligence (AI) rally is far from over. The Boston-based asset manager argues that despite intermittent pullbacks, the underlying structure of the AI-driven market remains intact — a function of deep capital expenditure cycles, investor psychology,…
China’s manufacturing sector sank deeper in October, with the official Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) falling to 49.0—its weakest reading in six months and below economists’ expectations. The downturn continues a contractionary streak that now stretches into its seventh consecutive month, highlighting how external shocks, weak domestic demand and structural challenges are converging to test the…
In rural Stanton, Tennessee, the promise of clean-energy transformation once seemed tangible. A massive Ford electric truck assembly and battery facility was pitched as a life-changing investment—6,000 jobs, local growth, new infrastructure. But under shifting federal policy, that dream is stalling. Trump’s aggressive rollback of EV incentives and regulatory support is reaching into the so-called…
Europe’s real estate sector is mired in challenges that have thwarted the hoped‑for rebound following the pandemic downturn. From skyrocketing borrowing costs to a wave of maturing loans and a profound change in occupier behaviour, property owners and investors are confronting a harsh new reality. Sales volumes remain near decade lows, distressed assets are mounting,…
