Asset

• European ETFs reached a record $323.6 billion in year-to-date net inflows by the end of July. • This surge highlights a significant increase in investor appetite for exchange-traded products across the European market. • The growth reflects broader trends in asset management and a shifting preference toward liquid, diversified investment vehicles.

Critics argue US high court justice should recuse himself from upcoming fossil fuel firms’ climate accountability caseSupreme court justice Samuel Alito gained up to $2.9m from his fossil fuel interests between 2005 and 2024, a new review of financial disclosures shows.The analysis from the non-profit advocacy group and judicial watchdog Court Accountability, shared exclusively with the Guardian, found that even at the lowest range of estimates, Alito gained almost $400,000 from his oil and gas interests since being tapped for the high court by George W Bush in 2005. Continue reading...

• Nvidia and Wall Street asset managers are partnering to mobilize over $500 billion in third-party capital to fund AI infrastructure. • The initiative will provide financing for hyperscalers, frontier AI labs, and enterprises to build data centers and purchase Nvidia hardware. • CEO Jensen Huang argues that because Nvidia's hardware is flexible and broadly adopted, lenders can now treat compute capacity as a revenue-generating asset.

• Allianz Global Investors (AllianzGI) has signed an agreement to acquire UOB Asset Management (UOBAM), the asset management arm of Singapore's UOB Group. • The deal expands AllianzGI's reach into high-growth Southeast Asian markets, specifically Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia, while scaling existing operations in Singapore, Taiwan, and Indonesia. • This acquisition is strategically significant as it increases AllianzGI's assets under management in the Asia-Pacific region to over €170 billion.

• Crude oil prices surged above $86 and gasoline exceeded $5 following Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, creating significant market volatility. • Investors are closely monitoring upcoming earnings reports from Alphabet, Tesla, and Intel to determine the continued viability of the AI trade. • The AI sector is seeing a massive infrastructure buildout, with projected capital expenditures of $571 billion this year and $3 trillion by 2028.

• Asian families and fund managers are driving a record surge in sports asset dealmaking across the Asia-Pacific region by pursuing minority stakes in leagues and franchises. • This investment trend is fueled by rapidly growing audiences and rising media rights fees, with FIFA reporting 205 million unique viewers on China's CCTV and 39 million on Japan's Nippon TV. • High-profile investors like Singapore-based businessman Kiat Lim, who controls Valencia CF and has stakes in McLaren Automotive, view sports attention as a valuable financial currency.

• Moonshot AI launched its latest flagship artificial intelligence model, Kimi K3, around mid-July 2026. • The model's impressive capabilities triggered immediate volatility across global tech and digital asset markets. • Investors are increasingly concerned that Kimi K3 could disrupt established players in semiconductor design software and general technology infrastructure.