Global News Roundup: Investment, AI, and Market Shifts

Investor Duan Yongping stated he is unlikely to sell his stake in Pop Mart within the next decade, having recently initiated a position. He also mentioned adjusting his portfolio by selling some put options and buying U.S. Treasury bills, while acknowledging the growing influence of AI. Chinese mathematicians Wang Hong and Deng Yu have been awarded the Fields Medal, a prestigious honor in mathematics, marking the first time two Chinese mathematicians have received the award in the same year. IKEA is responding to reports of selling eight commercial properties in China, clarifying that this move does not signify an exit from the Chinese market. Instead, the company is optimizing its store layout, expanding smaller formats, developing home furnishing services, and seeking local capital for its shopping malls, adapting to the current real estate and market conditions.

In the AI sector, Hu Han, former head of Tencent's Hunyuan Multimodal Understanding, has left to start his own venture, with his former team potentially focusing on world models. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang commented that the market underestimates the impact of Chinese AI models like Kimi and DeepSeek. SpaceX AI is planning a significant expansion of its data center capacity in Texas. Lark's AI agent product, Lark Dailly, has been upgraded to support autonomous work and team collaboration. Google disclosed that its stake in SpaceX is valued at $94 billion, with approximately $80 billion subject to a short-term lock-up agreement.

Automaker Porsche is reportedly considering further layoffs of up to 5,000 employees and potential salary reductions as part of a cost-cutting strategy, offering job security until 2035 to remaining staff. China's Securities Regulatory Commission is pushing for improved corporate governance among listed companies and aims to invigorate the mergers and acquisitions market. Zeekr addressed an incident where a vehicle's smart features were restricted overseas, explaining it was a built-in security mechanism to prevent theft and ensure compliance. A Tencent employee was dismissed and blacklisted for leaking sensitive company information, including details of a substantial year-end bonus. Elon Musk announced plans to produce a full-length film adaptation of "The Odyssey" using AI by late 2026. DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng outlined the company's strategy to focus solely on advancing AI technology towards AGI, eschewing video generation and world models. T-Mall is reportedly clearing Nike inventory with significant discounts, though customer service claims no official price reduction notice has been received. Football stars Erling Haaland and Lamine Yamal have set a new record for player market value at 220 million euros, according to Transfermarkt. Apple is preparing a comprehensive upgrade of its Mac product line, including new models with the M6 chip. Several high-end smartphone models have seen price increases exceeding 1,000 yuan due to memory chip shortages. Zhang Xuefeng's daughter has taken over shares in three of his companies. Uber is cutting 10% of its customer service roles, citing a strategic embrace of AI. China has achieved a breakthrough in brain-computer interfaces, enabling synchronized brainwave data collection from over a thousand people across different locations for the first time globally. Luxury car brands like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi are offering substantial discounts in the Chinese market, with dealerships relying on after-sales services for profitability. Former U.S. President Trump attributed recent inflation decreases to his administration's policies while blaming the previous government for high inflation. Amazon is reducing positions within its Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) division to focus on core areas. AI startup Anthropic is reportedly considering an unusual plan to allow employees to sell shares post-IPO to maintain information flow. Major U.S. stock indices closed lower, with Tesla experiencing a significant drop. Egg prices continue to rise across China. Changxin Technology is scheduled to list on Shanghai's STAR Market on July 27, 2026. Alphabet reported strong second-quarter earnings, exceeding revenue expectations. Nestle announced its first-half sales and net profit figures. Nokia reported a 9% increase in net sales for its second quarter and raised its full-year operating profit guidance. TotalEnergies posted a significant year-over-year increase in adjusted net profit for its second quarter. AI company HiDream.ai announced the completion of its Series C funding round, raising over 1.5 billion yuan. Lingchu Intelligence is reportedly in the process of raising nearly $100 million at a valuation of $1.48 billion.