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New Record High Reached Again Just Six Sessions After Surpassing $12,000 AI Data Centers and Power Grid Demand Underpin Prices Big Tech–Driven Demand Remains Resilient Despite Rising Prices, Rally Expected to Continue Copper prices have hit an

$20 Billion Raised on the Back of Nvidia Support Acceleration of the Hyperscale AI Infrastructure Race Intensifying Competition for Data Centers, Power, and Chips Elon Musk-founded artificial intelligence startup xAI has secured an additiona

From smartphones to refrigerators, Google–Samsung AI alliance expands across the board Google aggressively widens user touchpoints, Samsung fires a warning shot at Apple Gemini’s market influence surges, shaking OpenAI ChatGPT’s throne

The Trump administration openly signals its bid to expand influence across the Western Hemisphere From Venezuela to Denmark, “We will have Greenland, one way or another” Europe moves to block Trump’s territorial ambitions

Pivot Sanaenomics from populism to productivity Protect real per-student spending and modernize vocational training Target support, not handouts, to grow without tighter BOJ policy As Japan moves into 2026, it faces a not

Strengthen defence while protecting R&D and skills to keep growth alive Spend smarter: joint procurement, open standards, and dual-use innovation Fund what proves results—capability gains, cost declines, and real diffusion

Points-based immigration replaced EU free movement and filled shortages Rapid rule swings now strain universities and care services Use a public skills scorecard and align visas with training Brexit was supposed to take back contro

China’s volume-driven offensive squeezes Taiwan’s industry, with a reversal in mature-node foundry market share projected by 2027 China expands global market dominance through corporate restructuring and control of legacy supply chains An additional $69–72 billion in state support and 28nm technology localization accelerate qualitative growth

China overtakes Japan to become the world’s largest new-car market, ending a 20-year run State-led, EV-focused expansion drives rapid volume growth, but quality concerns persist Oversupply-fueled price war deepens losses, fueling fears of an “Evergrande-style crisis” in autos

Japanese firms implicated in TSMC technology leakage, sending shockwaves through Taiwanese society Retired executive’s move to Intel expands investigation to U.S.

Korean Shipbuilding assets pile up in M&A market, but deals move slowly MASGA hopes and the supercycle inflate valuations, raising acquisition burden Capex pressure, Japan’s catch-up and other risks remain piled up K

Memory makers’ HBM push tightens wafer supply for DRAM and NAND Wafer capacity stagnates as the post–COVID-19 supercycle memory slump drags on Capex is rising, but a near-term end to the supply crunch looks unlikely A view is emerging tha

Big cities can be cheaper for global work due to urban economies of scale But congestion and housing costs strain schools first Education must be treated as city infrastructure Living in major cities often seems expensive.

Work from home is changing who does housework Being home is mistaken for being free Education policy must adapt fast In 2023, data indicated that 35% of employed people in America worked at home, up from 24% in

AI is turning “search” into a default tutor in schools Antitrust helps, but it moves too slowly for education Open standards and portability keep schools from lock-in Competition policy in the age of AI is now education policy: It must influence how learning tools are acquired, integrated, and changed—not simply penalize dominant companies. As of December 2025, Google held approximately 90.8% of the global search market, demonstrating its central role in how people find answers. However, the nature of search is changing.

Global memory prices keep climbing as AI demand surges and supply stays tight Samsung Electronics and SK hynix gain the upper hand in pricing talks, with earnings seen improving Despite heavy investment, China’s memory profitability and market share stagnate, with an “IPO rally” a medium- to long-term wildcard

Broadening Employment Contraction Driven by AI Adoption Rising Care Employment Amid Deepening Super-Aging Trend Acceleration of Labor and Industrial Reorganization Around Age-Tech As workforce reductions spread acro

U.S. invasion of Venezuela unlikely to have major short-term impact on global oil prices Despite holding the world’s largest reserves, output accounts for just 1% as infrastructure collapse and U.S.

International community warns U.S. invasion of Venezuela and forced transfer of Maduro sets a “dangerous precedent” Public comparisons grow between the current crisis and China–Taiwan relations, strengthening the case for intervention U.S.

Removal of anti-U.S.