Supply Chains

• Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have secured $950 billion in AI chip and infrastructure deals with industry giants Broadcom, Nvidia, and Microsoft. • The companies have converted standard memory contracts into strategic five-year long-term agreements to solidify their grip on Big Tech supply chains. • This massive investment has triggered a surge in retail investor activity, specifically within semiconductor stocks and leveraged ETFs like the Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X ETF.

• South Korea is leveraging its world-class battery and power grid strengths to reduce global clean energy supply chain reliance on China. • The IEA projects that battery cell manufacturing outside the dominant supplier will increase from 16% of global capacity today to between 29% and 35% by 2030. • This growth is driven by Korean firms expanding in Europe and North America, new capacity in India and Southeast Asia, and Canada's emerging materials hub.

The Politburo, a top decision-making body of the ruling Communist Party, was cited as saying by state news agency Xinhua that the economy got off to a better-than-expected start this year.