Hi everyone! This is Lauly from Taipei. I hope 2025 has been kind to you so far. I am writing this week’s newsletter having just finished attending my eighth year-end banquet hosted by Taiwanese tech suppliers since the middle of December — and I have three more still to go. The year-end banquet, or weiya…
The global electric vehicle (EV) battery testing market is projected to escalate from $3.35 billion in 2024 to $9.51 billion by 2030, reflecting a remarkable compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.0%, according to a recent MarketsandMarkets report. This surge is largely driven by an increasing demand for EVs and heightened concerns regarding battery safety….
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company has successfully launched a rocket into orbit for the first time. The reusable rocket, New Glenn, had initially been due to set off earlier this week, but was postponed following a “vehicle subsystem issue”. The mission was partially successful after the booster that propelled the rocket into space failed to…
By Napat Wesshasartar PHUKET, Thailand (Reuters) -Plastic bottles and empty beer cans roll on the sea floor in the waters around Phuket in southern Thailand, while ever more garbage piles up on the island itself, a tourist hotspot better known for its pristine beaches and stunning sunsets. In one corner of the island, trucks and…
Earnings reports from some of the largest banks allayed some anxiety about an uncertain economy, pushing the S&P 500 up nearly 2% on Wednesday. Further propelling this rally was the easing of inflation trends, which brought optimism that the Fed could be less tough on interest rates in the months ahead. Robust wage growth and…
China’s cash squeeze extended with some signs of disruption to trading, as a liquidity infusion from Beijing failed to counteract a spike in demand for funds. The volume-weighted average rate of seven-day repurchase transactions in the money market, a gauge of borrowing costs, climbed to 2.32%, the highest since October 2023. Late Wednesday there were…
getty ESR Group, Asia’s largest real estate fund manager by asset under management, has set up a joint venture with U.S. data center operator CloudHQ to co-develop a $2 billion data center in Japan. The two companies will jointly build, fit out and operate the data center in Nanko Kita, Osaka, they said in a…
Meta and YouTube are set for a multibillion-dollar boost in revenues if ByteDance-owned TikTok is banned in the US on Sunday, say top advertising bosses, as rival tech platforms prepare for a potential land-grab of users and sales. TikTok has warned that it will “go dark” for its 170mn US users from January 19 —…
Evening Standard OPINION – Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and the self-deception of the very rich and famous As fire rages in Los Angeles, Meghan Markle postpones her new lifestyle programme for Netflix, which was supposed to come out this week. It’s called With Love, Meghan. It is the function of royalty to play the archetype…
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Blue Origin launched its massive new rocket on its first test flight Thursday, sending up a prototype satellite to orbit thousands of miles above Earth. Named after the first American to orbit Earth, the New Glenn rocket blasted off from Florida, soaring from the same pad used to launch NASA’s…