Boom

• The Business Times meldt dat AI-enthousiasme de markten omhoog heeft gestuwd, waarbij de winsten geconcentreerd bleven in een handvol techbedrijven met een megakapitalisatie, terwijl de bredere bedrijfswinsten achterblijven bij de soaring waarderingen. • Hong Kong is uitgegroeid tot een lanceerplatform voor AI-startups en bereikte in het eerste kwartaal van 2026 een recordhoogte in fondsenwerving over vijf jaar, terwijl de Chinese VC/PE-financiering steeg tot boven de 400 miljard yuan (59 miljard dollar). • De ChiNext Index bereikte op 23 april een intra-day hoogtepunt van 11 jaar van 3.785,23, aangestuurd door fondsen die instroomden in optische communicatie-aandelen zoals Zhongji Innolight en Eoptolink, op basis van weddenschappen op de Amerikaanse vraag naar AI-infrastructuur.

• Aziatische techleiders, waaronder Tencent en Alibaba, worden centraal in de wereldwijde AI-boom door enorme investeringen en innovaties. • Het zwaartepunt van de industrie verschuift naar het oosten nu Chinese bedrijven concurrerende AI-modellen en infrastructuur ontwikkelen. • Deze bedrijven dagen de westerse dominantie uit door toepassingen in e-commerce, cloud en consumententechnologie op te schalen.

• De Kospi-index van Zuid-Korea is sinds begin dit jaar met 78% gestegen, waarbij Taiwanese aandelen deze maand tot de best presterende ter wereld behoren, nu beleggers kapitaalstromen naar Aziatische aandelen herleiden voor de volgende fase van het wereldwijde rally. • Morgan Stanley voorspelt dat de investeringen in vaste activa in Azië zullen stijgen van $11 biljoen in 2025 naar $16 biljoen tegen 2030, gedreven door AI-infrastructuur, energiezekerheid en defensie-uitgaven die de industriële cyclus van de regio hervormen. • Halfgeleidergiganten Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix en Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. zijn de belangrijkste begunstigden; de impliciete volatiliteit voor Taiwan en Korea stijgt naar piekniveaus ten opzichte van de S&P 500, terwijl de optiekosten toenemen door het enthousiasme van beleggers.

• Foreign Direct Investment into the U.S. reached $237 billion in new greenfield projects during H1 2025, with over half coming from AI-related sectors, including $103 billion in semiconductors and $27 billion in data centers. • The U.S. One Big Beautiful Act (OBBBA) extends tax cuts by approximately $129 billion through 2026-2027 and implements 100% bonus depreciation, triggering rapid capital expensing and supply chain reshoring. • Strong private equity deal activity surged with approximately 150 of the largest deals totaling over $567 billion in 2025, continuing into 2026 under the "year of execution" theme.

Birdwatching no longer niche, old-fashioned pastime, says RSPB as research shows 47% increase in hobby since 2018Birdwatching is the second fastest growing hobby for generation Z after jewellery making, according to a multiyear study of more than 24,000 people.Almost 750,000 gen Zers (16 to 29-year-olds) in Britain regularly enjoy watching birds, a -1,088% increase since 2018, according to research by Fifty5Blue published by the RSPB. Continue reading...

The gambling crisis ‘demands a public health response’ and should be regulated like alcohol or tobacco, expert says Gambling addiction is spiraling “out of control” in the US, a leading campaigner for stricter guardrails has warned, as experts from around the world are set to gather in Boston to push for more regulation of the industry.The rapid expansion of online gambling, prediction markets and sports betting platforms, “demands a public health response”, according to Harry Levant, director of gambling policy at the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI), urging policymakers to intervene. Continue reading...

• Microsoft's GitHub is seeing booming traffic and frequent outages as developers deploy AI agents to generate massive volumes of code beyond human capacity. • Companies like Meta are hosting 'tokenmaxxing' contests, intensifying AI agent usage on the platform and straining infrastructure. • This surge reflects the rapid adoption of AI in software development, highlighting both productivity gains and operational challenges for major platforms.

Fifty ‘founder’ bilbies were released in fenced breeding area in 2019 with the aim of establishing first wild population there in a centuryGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastEfforts to reintroduce bilbies in the far south-west of New South Wales are showing signs of success, with numbers climbing to almost 2,000, seven years after the first breeding trial at Mallee Cliffs national park.Fifty “founder” bilbies, including 30 from Thistle Island off the coast of South Australia, were released in a fenced breeding area in 2019 with the aim of establishing a wild population in the Mallee Cliffs habitat for the first time in a century.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

Lack of regulation for specialist classes leaves UK fitness enthusiasts at risk, say professional bodiesThe boom in reformer pilates has created a “wild west” of studios where poor regulation has resulted in inexperienced teachers and a rise in injuries, professional standards bodies have warned.Pilates is not formally or legally regulated, and as its popularity has surged, industry experts say, so too has the growth of packed reformer-based classes often led by instructors with limited training. Continue reading...

CEO of asset manager says only a few firms and investors may reap rewards from growth in the technologyThe boom in artificial intelligence risks widening inequality, with only a handful of companies and investors likely to reap its financial rewards, the BlackRock chief executive, Larry Fink, has warned.The boss of the $14tn (£10.4tn) asset manager used his annual letter to investors on Monday to highlight potential hazards around the exponential growth in AI, which has attracted rapid investment and become “central to strategic competition” between global powers such as the US and China. Continue reading...

• Vercel, a platform for hosting web apps and AI agents founded by Guillermo Rauch, announced run-rate GAAP revenue of $340 million as of late February 2026. • Revenue surged 86% year-over-year, fueled by explosive demand for AI-powered coding tools and developer platforms. • The $9.3 billion unicorn powers popular interfaces like Jmail for viewing Epstein Files, showcasing real-world AI agent adoption.

Iran war and its impact on energy and fertiliser costs is the main risk to the global economy, report saysBusiness live – latest updatesAn extended period of high oil prices as a result of war in the Middle East could “crimp” the AI boom, the World Trade Organization’s chief economist has warned.The war and its impact on energy and fertiliser costs is the main risk to the global economy identified in the WTO’s latest Global Trade Outlook. Continue reading...

• Nvidia has announced plans to achieve $1 trillion in revenue over the next seven quarters, requiring average quarterly revenue of approximately $143 billion, nearly triple current levels. • The company must add around $65 billion in quarterly revenue from current levels, equivalent to Amazon Web Services' or AMD's annual sales each quarter. • Success depends on sustained AI infrastructure demand, increased production capacity, and supply chain optimization, with projections suggesting Nvidia could need to reach $200 billion per quarter by end of 2027.

An NWS office posted video of the meteor shooting across the sky, but says no report of debris found as it likely burnedA meteor over Ohio caused a large boom that jolted people as far away as Pennsylvania on Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) and reports.The meteor entered the atmosphere at about 9am local time on Tuesday, producing a sonic boom felt across a wide swath of northern Ohio and beyond. Reports poured in from Cleveland and other sectors as far east as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and into New York state. Continue reading...

Falling costs and government incentives made solar an attractive option for many, which has reduced need for gasAfter prices of liquefied natural gas surged to record highs following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, millions of people in Pakistan were repeatedly left without electricity. An intense heatwave and gas shortages amid record-breaking prices resulted in power cuts across the country.But people soon started to realise there was an alternative. The falling costs of solar panels and generous government incentives to feed excess power back to the grid made rooftop solar an attractive option. Continue reading...

As platforms make less from advertising, creators are struggling to monetise work – leading to calls for more government investment and tax breaksOn a humid afternoon in Lagos, a shoot for a comedy skit is under way on a set that looks more like a small film production.Dozens of people mill about: lighting assistants, a sound engineer, a makeup artist and even a content creator recording unscripted behind-the-scenes footage. At the centre is Broda Shaggi, born Samuel Animashaun Perry, who is issuing instructions, rehearsing lines and performing caricatures. Continue reading...

With membership soaring, the Green party is grappling with logistics, culture shifts and a flood of new activistsIt is, as one Green activist put it, a never-ending series of “constantly good problems to have”. But how does a party adapt to the sudden trebling of its membership? And when a majority of people in an organisation are new, is it even the same thing anymore?The basic facts alone are startling. Before Zack Polanski took over as leader last September, the Greens in England and Wales had around 66,000 members. They are now at 215,000, and still rising at speed. Continue reading...

Need something brilliant to read this weekend? Here are six of our favourite pieces from the last seven days Continue reading...