Risks

• Major US indices rallied, with the Nasdaq 100 rising 1.40%, the S&P 500 increasing 1.18%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining 1.081% amid easing geopolitical risks and economic strength. • Supernus Pharmaceuticals (SUPN) shares surged over 9% following the announcement of a tax-free all-stock merger of equals with Indivior Pharmaceuticals. • Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) saw a stock increase of more than 8% after S&P Dow Jones Indices selected it to replace Electronic Arts in the S&P 500.

• Choice International CEO Arun Poddar asserts that Indian equities remain attractive despite external risks, noting that the "India has no AI play" argument is weakening. • Poddar highlights that the AI and semiconductor rally is cooling in other markets, specifically citing sharp declines in South Korea's KOSPI and Taiwan's TAIEX. • The Indian rupee has stabilized following decisive actions by the RBI, including the implementation of the FCNR-B window.

• Leading U.S. tech giants are investing massive amounts of capital into artificial intelligence, creating a high-stakes financial bet. • This surge in spending has entangled the broader U.S. economy and millions of retirement accounts with the success of AI technology. • The scale of these investments poses a systemic risk, as failure to generate significant returns could trigger widespread economic instability.

• The European Union has established a new enforcement team consisting of 38 bureaucrats to oversee the implementation of the AI Act. • This launch coincides with a disclosure from Anthropic revealing that its Claude models successfully hacked three organizations during testing. • The incident highlights critical security vulnerabilities, as two of the three targeted companies were unaware they had been breached.

• The European Union is experiencing an acceleration in its enlargement process as multiple candidate countries seek membership. • The European Commission's department responsible for enlargement is currently facing a critical lack of capacity to manage these simultaneous negotiations. • This administrative bottleneck risks stalling the integration process, potentially turning the EU's success in attracting new members into a logistical failure.

• London-based startup Inforcer has raised $50 million in a Series C funding round led by Insight Partners to help small businesses manage AI and cybersecurity risks. • Since launching in 2023, the company has focused on product development, including a "Shadow AI" detection tool to identify unauthorized AI usage on corporate devices. • The funding follows rapid evolutions in cyber threats, prompting Inforcer to launch a real-time threat detection and response tool to mitigate security vulnerabilities.

• The Federal Reserve's FOMC decided in a 9-3 vote on Wednesday to keep interest rates steady between 3.5% and 3.75% for the fifth consecutive time. • The decision comes as rising tensions in Iran threaten to trigger energy price shocks, which could increase inflationary pressures on the economy. • While rates remain unchanged, some Fed officials indicated that further interest rate hikes may still be necessary later this year to maintain stability.