The Economy Markets

Pinglu Canal's official opening presents ASEAN with a double-edged sword As China's dependence on US trade declines, can ASEAN offer a way forward? China accelerates logistics expansion in the Arctic and South China Sea The official opening of

US naval blockade constricts trade routes along Iran's southern coast Iran turns to the Caspian Sea for Russian grain and military supplies Attacks by wartime adversaries and limited capacity constrain the northern alternative Iran is t

Meetings consume substantial time but can support coordination Meeting intensity correlates with wages, revenue and learning Purpose, participation and preparation determine whether meetings pay The average wo

Minimum wages reshape firms beyond wages and employment Firms adjust through training, hierarchy, prices and work intensity Aggregate figures conceal who ultimately bears adjustment costs When the real total labour costs of

UK courts and businesses increasingly restrict the entry, use and recording functions of smart glasses Risks extend beyond privacy violations to exam cheating and leaks of sensitive information Meta responds with stronger safeguards and a new camera-free model

“Oil Exports Will Soon Dry Up”: U.S.

World Labs acquisition secures spatial intelligence technology, broadening AMD’s AI business Chips combined with models and software to develop systems for robotics and autonomous driving From robot training to autonomous driving validation, AI applications expand into the physical world

North Korean troop deployments and Russian technology transfers deepen military ties built on mutual gains Ukraine seeks air-defense weapons from South Korea as Russian warnings add to pressure on Seoul Disclosure of prisoner transfers sparks diplomatic friction, compounding security burdens

Continued U.S.

LLM token prices fall, yet overall costs continue to rise Companies that once pushed for wider AI use shift toward tighter controls Spread of AI agents makes cost management increasingly urgent The price of tokens used to run artificial intellig

Trump rejects Iran’s “seven-day plan”; Tehran awaits a definitive response Economic and military tensions persist, though further talks remain possible Prolonged war erodes U.S.

U.S.

Weak domestic demand drives China’s low-cost exports, pressuring South Korean and Japanese chemical and steel markets Japanese producers face falling sales and profits as tariffs aim to protect domestic industry Chinese alternative steel products enter South Korea, challenging local producers’ pricing power

Hormuz blockade and Red Sea attacks threaten alternative oil shipping routes Britain and France respond to Saudi appeals with refueling support and defensive deployments Persistent threats amid U.S.

Hand assembly errors and inconsistent component quality slow Optimus production Production delays compound the days needed to learn basic tasks, limiting factory deployment Heat dissipation and battery drain raise doubts about sustained operation

Boston Dynamics opens RMAC to train and validate Hyundai’s Atlas Hyundai plans to deploy 25,000 Atlas robots and expand production capacity Can lower manufacturing costs help Hyundai catch up with Chinese EV makers? Hyundai Motor Group is pr

U.S. and Iran meet at UN General Assembly after exchanging extreme rhetoric Mounting war costs weigh on U.S.

Renaming AI to emphasize its capabilities and value aligns with industry discussions on strengthening human capabilities AI supplements specialist knowledge, making “superhuman labor” a reality and expanding the individual’s role Broader responsibilities bring greater accountability for verification, making human judgment a core skill

Weak growth and deteriorating public finances constrain monetary tightening and the pace of rate hikes Lower returns than in the U.S.

China cut oil use without cutting mobility Renewables and coal filled the missing energy Beijing held rates while Frankfurt and Seoul hiked In the second quarter of 2026, China burned 9% less oil than a year earlier and in