Major Tech

• The S&P 500 reached a new all-time high and the Nasdaq Composite surged following the release of July Producer Price Index (PPI) data. • Wholesale prices remained unchanged month-over-month, defying economist expectations of a 0.2% increase and following a 0.3% decrease in June. • The rally is driven by investor confidence that the Federal Reserve will maintain current interest rates during its upcoming meeting next month.

• Several Indian deeptech and AI startups, including Arboreal Bioinnovations, Revspot, and Fixxly, secured significant investments in July 2023. • Arboreal Bioinnovations raised ₹230 crore in a Series A round led by EAAA Alternatives, with participation from Omnivore and Rainmatter by Zerodha. • The funding is critical for Arboreal to expand its manufacturing capacity, enhance R&D, and accelerate the commercialization of next-generation functional ingredients.

• Major stock indexes surged on Thursday, recovering from a previous day's plunge that followed the Federal Reserve's decision to maintain current interest rates. • Market volatility was highlighted by divergent movements in Microsoft and Meta Platforms shares as investors focused on the "Magnificent Seven" mega-cap tech firms. • The rally coincides with new economic data showing a slowdown in GDP growth and PCE inflation figures that aligned with analyst estimates.

• US stock markets, including the Dow Jones, NASDAQ, and S&P 500, staged a sharp recovery during morning trading on Thursday, July 30, 2026. • This rebound follows a steep sell-off in the previous session, which was triggered by the Federal Reserve's decision to keep interest rates unchanged. • The market recovery is being driven by positive momentum from technology sector earnings reports and investor reactions to monetary policy.

• Six European deep tech scale-ups, including France-based Vsora, have been selected for investment through the European Innovation Council (EIC) STEP Scale Up programme. • Vsora is specifically highlighted for its development of ultra-high-performance AI inference technology designed for edge computing and data centres. • The selection process was highly competitive, with 24 companies submitting proposals and 17 advancing to interviews with a panel of independent experts.

• The Australian share market (ASX) overcame early losses to close at a 20-day high, defying a broader regional trend. • This recovery occurred despite a significant sell-off of AI and technology stocks across Asian markets and a sharp plunge in global oil prices. • The market's resilience suggests a decoupling from the volatility affecting tech-heavy indices and energy sectors in the short term.

• AI-labeled job postings are increasing rapidly across Europe, with a significant shift toward non-technological occupations. • Germany leads this trend with 59% of AI roles outside tech, followed by the Netherlands (58%), the UK (54%), and France (54%). • This shift indicates that AI integration is expanding beyond specialized data roles into broader business and operational functions.

• Asian stock markets declined on Monday, July 20, as rising oil prices driven by escalating Middle East conflicts sparked renewed inflation concerns. • South Korea's chip-heavy market fell 0.6%, following a significant nearly 9% drop during the week ending July 19. • The volatility comes as investors prepare for a week of major tech earnings, which will serve as a critical test for the sustainability of the AI-driven trade.

• Microsoft is granting users greater control over AI features within Teams as AI-driven coding, dictation, and digital actors continue to reshape business operations. • New advancements in large language models (LLMs) are making AI-powered dictation more practical by allowing workers to speak naturally while the software automatically corrects grammar and formatting. • Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are being forced to seek new marketing strategies as the rising cost of Google Ads becomes unsustainable.

• European lawmakers are moving forward with the "Chat Control" bill, which allows Big Tech companies to scan personal texts, emails, and social media messages. • The measure aims to identify and combat the spread of child abuse material online, despite a majority of lawmakers previously voting against the proposal. • This development is significant as it bypasses legislative opposition and raises critical concerns regarding the privacy and encryption of citizens' personal communications.

• The European Union has delayed the launch of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) until 2027. • This postponement affects several Schengen nations, including France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece, and Portugal, following technical failures with the Entry/Exit System (EES). • The decision stems from biometric system chaos and slow implementation that have already caused significant disruptions for millions of international visitors at airports and land crossings.

• Following a June 4, 2026, public meeting titled “Pandora’s Prompt,” the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense at the Atlantic Council designated artificial intelligence as the sixteenth technology priority in The Apollo Program for Biodefense. • The Commission aims to address the dual nature of AI, analyzing its potential to facilitate offensive biological threats while leveraging its capabilities for defensive security. • The initiative calls for the United States to collaborate with international partners and industry to invest in AI-driven disease surveillance, diagnostics, microbial forensics, and medical countermeasure development.

• Major tech companies are implementing significant layoffs in 2026, citing the integration of AI and a shift toward "smaller and flatter teams" as primary drivers. • On February 10, 2026, Salesforce cut fewer than 1,000 positions across its data analytics, product management, marketing, and Agentforce AI units. • Jack Dorsey highlighted on X that AI tools are fundamentally changing how companies are built and run, suggesting that most organizations are currently "late" to this structural shift.

• Comcast announced a corporate split, while Alphabet officially joined the Dow Jones Industrial Average amid a broader rally in technology stocks. • Market volatility is increasing as oil prices surge and investors anticipate upcoming earnings reports from Nike. • JPMorgan is advocating for clear digital asset regulations, specifically seeking equal oversight for bank-like cryptocurrency products.

• Major technology firms are implementing widespread layoffs throughout 2026, citing the rise and integration of artificial intelligence as a primary driver for job cuts. • The trend highlights a shift in workforce requirements as AI automates tasks previously handled by human employees across the tech sector. • These developments are particularly critical for South African workers and companies to monitor, as global shifts in AI employment patterns often signal future local market disruptions.

• The European Union has launched a major tech initiative to reduce dependence on the US and China. • The focus is on cloud computing and chip production to re-enter the global tech race. • Success is uncertain, with questions remaining about the reaction of the US and China to the EU's move.

• SoftBank announced plans on Saturday to construct 3.1 GW of AI data centers in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France by 2031. • The surge in AI ambitions is driving Big Tech toward alternative energy sources, such as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), to meet massive power demands. • In a similar trend within the U.S., Amazon reached an agreement with Dominion Energy in 2024 to explore the development of SMR technology.

• Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs issued a new regulation on May 8, 2026, requiring all large foreign tech platforms to host at least 60% of their AI models serving Indonesian users within the country by end‑2027. • The rule, framed as a national‑security and data‑sovereignty measure, targets companies including Meta, Google, and major Chinese AI firms, mandating local data‑center partnerships and annual compliance audits conducted by the Indonesia Data Center Association. • Jakarta estimates the mandate could attract $4–6 billion in data‑center investment over five years while enforcing stricter content‑moderation standards for localized models.

• Key stock indexes broke or are testing long-term support levels, with the Dow Jones closing below its 200-day moving average for the third consecutive day. • Market weakness has shifted from selective rotation to broader deterioration, with participation narrowing and leadership concentrating in defensive and commodity-driven sectors. • Technical analysts warn that previous orderly rotation patterns have given way to genuine breakdown, signaling potential for sustained market pressure if support levels fail.