Rise Dollar

• Asian stocks rose on Friday as investors maintained optimism for a breakthrough in U.S.-Iran peace talks, despite ongoing disagreements over key issues. • The U.S. dollar reached a six-week high while oil prices experienced volatility amid the geopolitical uncertainty. • In South Korea, the Interior Ministry announced it will stop offering products from companies that trivialize the nation's democratic history following a controversial Starbucks Korea marketing campaign.

• Asian stocks rose on Friday, May 22, as investors maintained a positive outlook amid ongoing diplomatic efforts. • The U.S. dollar climbed to a six-week high, reflecting shifting market sentiment and currency volatility. • Market participants are closely monitoring US-Iran talks, as the outcome of these negotiations could significantly impact global oil prices and geopolitical stability.

• U.S. startups in applied enterprise AI secured over $500 million in funding rounds announced May 4, 2026, focusing on workflow automation and analytics. • Key deals include a $120M Series B for an AI platform optimizing supply chains and $80M for defense-oriented machine learning tools. • Surge underscores investor shift toward practical AI deployments, with returns projected at 5x in three years amid 25% market growth.