Indian companies are boosting production and securing shipping for a surge in Middle East demand following a peace agreement. FMCG, automotive, and construction sectors anticipate revived exports and lower freight costs.
Accident insurance demand is rising in Taiwan as accidental injuries rank as the seventh leading cause of death, claiming 6,924 lives in 2024. For children and young adults (1-24 years), accidents are the top cause of death. Insurers are responding with new products.
Samsung maintained its lead in the NAND flash market in Q1 2026 with a 29% share, driven by AI demand. SK Hynix followed at 18%, while Chinese firm YMTC saw significant growth, reaching 13%.
Smartphone prices are rising and staying high due to increased demand for AI chips, impacting component costs. Budget phones are seeing downgrades, and the traditional cycle of predictable discounts is ending, forcing consumers to buy based on necessity.
SEOUL, May 4 (Yonhap) -- Online shopping sales in South Korea rose 13.3 percent ...
Construction has begun on Terra Power's advanced nuclear reactor in Wyoming, aiming to meet surging energy demand from AI data centers. The project, a collaboration between private companies and the government, faces scrutiny over environmental impact and taxpayer funding.
Mizuho upgraded CrowdStrike to outperform with a $520 price target, citing strong demand across the platform and AI security leadership. JPMorgan also highlighted CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks as beneficiaries of expanding AI threats. The stocks have rebounded sharply despite broader software sector weakness, with CrowdStrike up 22% over the past month.
Moore Threads, a Beijing-based GPU maker challenging Nvidia, reported a Q1 2026 net profit of 29.4 million yuan versus a loss a year earlier, with revenue up 155% to 737.6 million yuan. Shares jumped 8.5% on Monday as the company benefits from Beijing's push for chip self-sufficiency. The firm disclosed a 660 million yuan order for its KUAE computing cluster at end-March.
A family from Tredegar who now own 20 axolotls are warning others about the commitment required after the amphibians' popularity surged due to Minecraft and Roblox. The creatures, critically endangered in the wild with as few as 50 to 1,000 left globally, can live for up to 20 years and require complex tank setup including a 'fishless cycle'. Rescue centres report being overwhelmed with unwanted axolotls, with one owner surrendering 160 amphibians.
BYD has overtaken Tesla as the world's largest EV seller and says it can survive without the US market. The company is struggling to meet demand in Europe, Brazil and the UK, with European sales up 156% in Q1. However, domestic sales have fallen for seven consecutive months. BYD is betting on new 'flash charging' technology to overcome EV adoption barriers.
Apple's M4 Mac mini base model is sold out across all configurations, driving consumers to eBay where the $599 device lists at $715-$979 depending on condition. The shortage stems from increased demand for on-device AI model running (OpenClaw, ZeroClaw, Anthropic tools) and an industry-wide memory crunch, with higher storage models shipping only in June.
Texas Instruments reported Q1 revenue of $4.83 billion, up 19% year-over-year and beating analyst estimates of $4.53 billion. EPS of $1.68 also topped expectations of $1.27. The chipmaker gave Q2 guidance of $5.0-5.4 billion in revenue, representing 17% growth at the midpoint. CEO Haviv Ilan said data center segment revenue surged 90% from a year ago as hyperscalers like Meta and Amazon build AI infrastructure. Shares rose 18% on Thursday, the company's best trading day since 2000, and are up about 60% for the year.
Indian cotton yarn factories, particularly in Gujarat, are increasing production to meet unprecedented demand from China. The Middle East war has disrupted global trade routes, making India a preferred sourcing point. Combined with a 7% rupee depreciation against the yuan and tight global cotton supplies, Indian exports have jumped five-fold to 1,500 containers monthly since November. Orders are booked through June.
Amazon secures Anthropic as a major cloud customer through 2036 in one of the largest AI infrastructure alliances to date.
TSMC reported a fourth consecutive quarter of record profits with Q1 2026 net profit up 58.3% to NT$572.48bn, beating analyst expectations. Revenue rose 35.1% to NT$1.13tn, driven by extremely robust AI-related demand. The company raised its Q2 revenue guidance to $39-40.2bn and warned of potential cost impacts from Middle East geopolitical tensions.
