Bus

• The US Federal Reserve announced on June 24 that 32 of the nation's largest banks are well-positioned to continue lending despite a severe hypothetical economic downturn. • The annual "stress test" revealed that while banks' capital levels dropped by 1.6 percentage points, they remained above the minimum regulatory requirements. • These results indicate that the banking sector could absorb over US$700 billion in hypothetical losses without failing.

• South Korea's equity market is experiencing surging volatility, drawing comparisons to "meme-stock" trends due to the overwhelming dominance of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. • The concentration of market influence within these two semiconductor giants is identified as the primary driver of the current instability. • This volatility matters as it reflects a precarious reliance on a few massive tech firms, potentially distorting broader market valuations and investor behavior.

• On June 25, the Indian stock market saw cautious gains, with the Sensex closing at 77,100.47 (up 109.25 points) and the Nifty 50 ending at 24,056.00 (up 34.35 points). • The market growth was primarily supported by a decline in crude oil prices, which returned to levels seen before the Iran conflict. • Additional positive momentum was driven by recent government policy measures designed to strengthen the rupee and attract more overseas investment inflows.

• McKinsey data indicates that only 10% of marketers are currently unlocking the true value of artificial intelligence. • The report argues that effective AI digital transformation cannot be limited to simple chat boxes but requires a root-and-branch reimagining of business strategy. • Experts suggest that achieving these results necessitates a CEO-level mandate to drive systemic change across the organization.

• Thailand's main stock index has surged over 20% in 2026 through Wednesday, outperforming regional benchmarks in Singapore and Vietnam while Indonesia saw declines. • The growth is largely driven by AI-related infrastructure, specifically power system makers like Delta Electronics (Thailand) and data center investments. • Other top-performing stocks contributing to this rally include Advanced Info Service, PTT, Gulf Development, and Airports of Thailand.

• U.S. and Asian markets surged on Thursday, driven by a renewed rally in artificial intelligence-related stocks, with the S&P 500 rising 0.6% in early trading. • South Korea's Kospi hit a record high of 8,930.30, surging 5.4% after Samsung Electronics gained 5.3% and SK Hynix leaped 13%. • Other regional markets saw mixed results, including modest gains for Taiwan's Taiex (0.5%) and India's Sensex (0.7%), while Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 1.4%.

• Asian equities surged on Thursday, with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares (excluding Japan) rising 1.3% in early trading. • The rally was driven by strong earnings and forecasts from chip giants Micron and Qualcomm, which eased investor fears regarding the sustainability of the AI boom. • Key financial highlights include Micron reporting $22 billion in customer commitments for memory chips and Qualcomm projecting $15 billion in data center sales by 2029.