Chinese humanoid robot maker Unitree Robotics soared 460% in its Shanghai STAR Market debut on August 19, valuing the company at roughly $50 billion after a record-breaking IPO.
Posted inMarkets
Santander Closes $12.3 Billion Webster Financial Acquisition
Spain’s Santander completed its $12.3 billion acquisition of Webster Financial on August 20, marking its largest push yet into US commercial banking.
Posted inEconomy
US Treasury Doubles Bond Buybacks as National Debt Crosses $40 Trillion
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced plans to double long-end bond buyback operations to at least $4 billion per operation, sending 30-year yields down nearly 10 basis points.
Posted inGeopolitics
UAE Cuts All Trade With Iran After Missiles Land Near Gulf Waters
The UAE announced an indefinite suspension of all trade and financial transactions with Iran on August 19, severing a link that supplied over 30% of Tehran’s imports.
Posted inWorld
Zambia’s Opposition Takes Election Result to Court After Hichilema’s 60% Win
Zambia’s main opposition leader says the August 2026 election was marred by fraud after President Hichilema won a second term with 60.49% of the vote.
Posted inTech
Nvidia Guarantees $105 Billion for OpenAI’s 8-Gigawatt Ohio Data Centre
Nvidia guaranteed $105 billion for OpenAI’s Ohio data centre campus on Monday, finalising a deal that came in $145 billion below early public estimates.
Posted inMarkets
Samsung and SK Hynix Both Fall Over 7% as Chip Selloff Crosses Into Asia
KOSPI fell 5.5% and Samsung shed 7.3% on Wednesday as the global chip selloff deepened, with US 30-year Treasury yields reaching their highest level since 2007.
Posted inEconomy
Trump Pauses Canada’s 50% Tariffs for Three Days After Last-Minute Deal Claim
Trump paused 50% tariffs on Canadian goods Wednesday, citing an imminent deal less than 90 minutes before the scheduled 12:01 a.m. deadline.
Posted inGeopolitics
China Uses Taiwan’s 2026 Local Elections to Test Its 2028 Influence Playbook
Beijing set a goal at its Beidaihe retreat of shaping Taiwan’s November local elections, targeting the Kaohsiung mayoral race with fabricated polling data.
Posted inWorld
Gaza Talks Stall as Netanyahu Rejects Military Withdrawal Terms
Kushner and Netanyahu met in Jerusalem on Monday but failed to bridge the core divide over whether Hamas disarmament or Israeli withdrawal should happen first.