Introduction: Chip stocks bounce backmost up of ‘brat summer’ for AI firms
Good greeting and invited to our rolling sum of business, nan financial markets and nan world economy.
For nan 2nd time running, circuit breakers person been triggered connected nan Seoul banal exchange. But this time, it’s because nan marketplace is rising unusually quickly, alternatively than tumbling for illustration it did connected Monday.
Shares successful South Korea’s spot giants are surging today, arsenic investors heap backmost into nan marketplace aft yesterday’s sell-off.
This rally is boosting optimism that nan caller driblet successful tech shares is simply a blip, alternatively than nan long-feared AI marketplace crash.
Samsung Electronics’s shares are up complete 9% today, while representation chipmaker SK Hynix have surged by 15%.
Those 2 heavyweight stocks person driven South Korea’s KOSPI up by 8.4% successful Tuesday’s session, a time aft it tumbled by 8%. Today’s marketplace rally triggered successive impermanent suspensions of programme bargain orders, known arsenic “sidecars” successful South Korea.
SK Hynix was boosted by a caller multiyear business pinch Nvidia to create next-generation representation for AI systems, whicch saw Nvidia’s Jensen Huang circuit Seoul, gathering tech firms and handing retired fried chickenhearted to journalists:

Ipek Ozkardeskaya, elder expert astatine Swissquote, points retired that nan chaotic swings successful nan KOSPI are unusual, and worrying.
double quotation markA time pinch a emergence aliases autumn of little than 5% successful nan Kospi has go uncommon – a motion of conscionable really volatile this marketplace has go and, therefore, really overmuch of nan move is driven by speculation. Indeed, nan Kospi’s volatility scale keeps rising to unbelievable levels, suggesting that erstwhile nan euphony stops, location will beryllium carnage.
Anyway, today we proceed to observe nan tech-versus-non-tech communicative play out – exertion attracting flows while non-tech pockets of nan marketplace lag behind.
That communicative will beryllium tested successful nan coming months, though, arsenic respective monolithic tech firms effort to float connected nan banal market.
Last night, OpenAI revenge for its first nationalist offering – which could worth nan patient down nan ChatGPT chatbot astatine much than $1tn. That puts OpenAI successful a title pinch chap artificial intelligence pioneer Anthropic, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which is owed to float connected Friday.
Kathleen Brooks, research head astatine XTB:
double quotation markThe OpenAI news intends that we will perceive much astir really overmuch gross it is generating and really overmuch rate it is burning done successful nan coming weeks.
2026 is group to beryllium nan ‘brat summer’* for these AI names, pinch their soaring valuations and large promises for really AI will alteration nan world and nonstop their revenues soaring.
[* For nan use of immoderate high tribunal judges reading, here’s a guideline to Charli xcx’s recent album, Brat]
The agenda
-
7am BST: German waste and acquisition data
-
9:45am BST: Treasury Committee proceeding connected Financial Inclusion Strategy
-
11am BST: NFIB’s US Business Optimism Index
-
1.30pm BST: US waste and acquisition information for April
Key events
Investors build up rate piles up of tech IPOs
There are signs that organization investors are stockpiling rate fresh for OpenAi, SpaceX and Anthropic to float connected nan banal market.
Wall Street slope BNY has spotted that money money assets person grown importantly successful caller weeks.
They told clients that money marketplace money assets nether guidance jumped much than $109bn past week, to a grounds $7.89tn.
That could beryllium partially because specified costs are offering higher yields, but different facet could beryllium that investors are gathering “dry powder” to deploy into upcoming IPOs.
BNY say:
double quotation markInstitutional investors whitethorn beryllium building rate up of high-profile IPOs, including SpaceX’s offering expected later this week.

Dan Milmo
The Bank of England has warned nan nationalist against falling for AI-generated scams aft deepfake videos of Nigel Farage fighting its politician dispersed online.
Andrew Bailey, nan caput of nan BoE, said AI-generated contented related to cardinal banks was spreading and urged group to beryllium “vigilant”.
He said retired aft nan videos of nan Reform UK leader and Bailey fighting connected nan group of BBC One’s Question Time appeared connected nan societal media level X.
US mini business assurance has fallen
Confidence among mini US companies has fallen again, arsenic they look rising costs from nan Iran war.
The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index, which tracks morale successful nan sector, fell by 0.6 points successful May to 95.3.
The Uncertainty Index roseate 3 points from April to 91, remaining good supra its humanities mean of 68.
“AI finance spending has contributed to immoderate excitement successful nan economy,” said NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg.
double quotation mark“Despite nan enthusiasm astir AI, nan wide image is divided. More mini business owners are struggling pinch important and unpredictable hikes successful substance prices, which are much challenging for mini businesses to walk connected to their customers compared to their larger firm competitors.”
UK title authority launches enquiry into Paramount-Warner Bros deal
Britain’s title authority has opened an enquiry into Paramount Skydance’s $110bn takeover of Warner Bros Discovery.
The Competition and Markets Authority has decided to statesman a Phase 1 investigation into nan deal, and will determine by 7 August whether to mention nan merger for a much elaborate “phase 2 investigation”.
The CMA had antecedently invited willing parties to taxable comments connected nan effect that nan woody could person connected title successful nan UK.
The woody would harvester 2 Hollywood studios, and besides bring news networks CNN and CBS together.
IF a hypothetical shape 2 enquiry were to find title concerns, nan CMA could request changes to nan deal; imaginable remedies see divestments.
In April, WBD shareholders voted to backmost nan deal, which has already been agreed by some board’s companies aft Paramount fought disconnected a rival bid from Netflix.
Analysts person warned that nan merger could consequence successful thousands of occupation losses, and stifle imaginative invention successful Hollywood.
Two months ago, much than 1,000 movie and TV manufacture professionals including Joaquin Phoenix, Ben Stiller, Mark Ruffalo, Yorgos Lanthimos and Kristen Stewart signed an unfastened missive informing that nan woody will “prioritise nan interests of a mini group of powerful stakeholders complete nan broader nationalist good”.
The merger has besides put nan Ellison family – close friends of Donald Trump – nether nan spotlight. Paramount’s CEO, David Ellison, is nan boy of billionaire Larry Ellison who created tech elephantine Oracle.
Air passengers ‘risking lives by grabbing bags and filming successful emergencies’

Gwyn Topham
Air passengers are progressively putting lives astatine consequence by filming emergencies and retrieving bags alternatively of evacuating planes, manufacture experts person said, pinch immoderate suggesting fines could beryllium needed.
Passenger craft are designed to beryllium afloat evacuated successful 90 seconds successful an emergency – but group reaching for manus luggage tin importantly summation that time, blocking exits and aisles arsenic good arsenic damaging slides aliases causing injury.
The world airlines assemblage Iata has launched a information run urging customers to “save a life, not a bag”after a number of evacuations filmed by passengers person appeared connected societal media, immoderate showing group carrying luggage from burning planes.
Nick Careen, nan Iata elder vice-president for operations and security, said nan first privilege was to amended passengers that it was “most important to time off manus baggage behind. We request to thrust nan connection home.”
London’s banal marketplace is lagging down nan remainder of Europe, owed to nan deficiency of tech companies listed successful nan City.
Germany’s DAX scale is up 0.5% while France’s CAC is 0.75% higher, and Italy’s FTSE Mib has gained almost 2%.
In Frankfurt, chipmaker Infinion (3.6%) are among nan apical risers, while STMicroelectronics (+1.5%) is among nan stocks making gains successful Paris.
Chinese exports climb arsenic AI roar drives trade
Strong request for AI-related products led to a surge successful China’s exports past month, caller information shows.
China’s exports roseate by 19.4% year-on-year successful May, up from 14.1% successful April, pinch spot exports much than doubling connected an yearly basis.
China’s exports of hi-tech products (50.9%), semiconductors (110.9%), automatic information processing machines (66.0%), mobile phones (44.3%), autos (39.3%), and ships (31.0%) continued to turn powerfully successful May, reported Lynn Song, ING’s main economist for Greater China.
The lb is strengthening against nan US dollar today, arsenic calm returns to nan markets.
Sterling is up a 3rd of a cent astatine $1.3376.
Enrique Díaz-Alvarez, chief economist astatine world financial services patient and FX patient Ebury, says:
double quotation markA ray week successful position of macroeconomic news retired of nan UK meant nan attraction for sterling traders was mostly elsewhere. We did spot an MPC personnel (Greene) stating that she would see voting for a hike astatine nan adjacent Bank of England gathering later this month.
A notable upward revision successful nan PMI business indices past week suggests that nan first assurance driblet was overstated and that nan UK system is much resilient to nan Middle East events than first feared. We look to this week’s April monthly GDP data, released Friday, to validate this modestly optimistic view.
OpenAI to float: What nan experts say
Here’s immoderate early guidance to OpenAI filing confidential paperwork for an first nationalist offering connected nan US banal market:
Chris Beauchamp, main marketplace expert astatine investing and trading level IG:
double quotation mark“Just erstwhile nan supersized tech rally was looking a small tired, on comes nan news of OpenAI’s determination to IPO.
Presumably nan move has been spurred on by Anthropic’s caller move towards a nationalist listing, but and now markets look nan trial of yet different superheavyweight patient listing to trial request for these highly-valued companies that committedness to reshape not conscionable nan investing landscape, but nan entirety of quality society.”
Susannah Streeter, chief finance strategist astatine Wealth Club:
double quotation markThe title is connected to extract money retired of nan roar of enthusiasm for companies providing nan backbone to nan artificial intelligence revolution. There’s now a chapeau instrumentality of mega listings connected nan cards, pinch OpenAI’s filing for an IPO coming basking connected nan heels of Anthropic and SpaceX. The investigation institution down nan hugely successful ChatGPT had first-mover advantage, buoyed by an early woody pinch Microsoft, but Anthropic has gained crushed and is tackling adeptly from behind, winning reams of endeavor contracts.
The value of staying astatine nan apical of nan crippled is eye-watering for OpenAI – it’s estimated to beryllium spending much than $100 cardinal a twelvemonth connected nan infrastructure and processing powerfulness to support its services and powerfulness nan adjacent procreation of AI models. To enactment precocious and barren successful its AI fortress, nan institution reckons that by spending astatine this level, it will create a moat excessively difficult to transverse for nan competition, enabling it to support raking successful revenues and yet move large profits.
But this is simply a risk, particularly pinch technological developments moving truthful fast, and early models not needfully needing nan capacity. The consequence is that swathes of this infrastructure could go obsolete.
Kathleen Brooks, investigation head at XTB:
double quotation markOpenAI is presently weighted astatine $850bn, nan ‘baby’ of nan group, since Anthropic is now weighted up of OpenAI astatine $965bn. The institution laid retired nan ‘third shape of OpenAI’ connected Monday and said that it is undertaking investigation into artificial wide intelligence, and looking astatine becoming a ‘product company’.
The second is absorbing for investors, since it would beryllium a awesome imaginable root of early revenue. Although it is early days, if OpenAI launches its ain merchandise range, it could go a awesome competitor to Apple and Google, and their stock prices are worthy watching intimately connected Tuesday.
Major Gulf banal markets person rebounded today, connected alleviation that Iran and Israel said yesterday they had stopped their latest spate of attacks.
Saudi Arabia’s benchmark index, nan Tadawul, has gained 0.8%, pinch lender Saudi National Bank up complete 3% earlier today.
Dubai’s main stock scale is up 0.75%, and Kuwait’s main marketplace is 1.5% higher.
London’s banal marketplace is slipping successful early trading, down almost 0.5% aliases 48 points astatine 10,323.
The pharmaceuticals group GSK is nan apical faller, down 2.7%, aft striking a $10.6bn (£7.9bn) woody to bargain nan US crab master Nuvalent.
Mining stocks are besides lower, arsenic are lipid producers BP and Shell.
UK accounting watchdog to analyse PwC's audit of WH Smith
The UK’s accounting regulator has launched an investigation into PricewaterhouseCoopers, complete its auditing of recreation retailer WH Smith.
The investigation will look into PwC’s auditing of WH Smith’s financial statements for nan financial twelvemonth ended 31 August 2024.
The Financial Reporting Council says:
double quotation markThe investigation will beryllium conducted by nan FRC’s Enforcement Division nether nan Audit Enforcement Procedure.
WH Smith is already being investigated by nan City watchdog complete an accounting correction that misstated profits astatine its North American arm.
Surprise liking complaint emergence successful Indonesia
We person a astonishment liking complaint rise, successful Jakarta, triggered by nan Iran war.
Indonesia’s cardinal slope has raised liking rates by 25 ground points today, to 5.5%, arsenic it tried to prop up nan Indonesian rupiah.
The ‘off-cycle’ determination comes conscionable a fewer weeks aft nan slope raised borrowing costs for nan first clip successful 2 years,
The slope explained:
double quotation markThis summation is simply a follow-up measurement to fortify nan stabilisation of nan rupiah speech complaint against nan effect of heightened world volatility caused by nan warfare successful nan Middle East.
Oil drops arsenic Trump says Iran bid woody successful 'final throes'
The lipid value is dropping this morning, aft Donald Trump declared that negotiations towards an Iran bid woody are successful their ‘final throes’.
The US president made nan comments to reporters astatine JFK airdrome aft attending nan NBA Finals astatine Madison Square Garden (where he was roundly booed by nan crowd)
Trump insisted that Iran and Israel “were going backmost and distant and now they some agreed done maine to extremity and we’re successful nan last throes of what will beryllium a very, very bully deal”.
Asked whether it would beryllium matter of days aliases weeks, he said it would return “two aliases 3 days”, adding that nan strait of Hormuz would “open up correct away” erstwhile nan woody was signed.
Brent crude has dropped by 1% this morning, to $93 a tube – still astir $20/barrel supra its levels earlier nan conflict began successful precocious February.
The AI waste and acquisition has continued to bounce backmost this morning, reports Deutsche Bank’s Jim Reid:
double quotation markThe KOSPI (+7.35%) is sharply higher aft its 9th worst time successful 45 positive years of history yesterday (-8.29%). The Nikkei (+2.19%) is besides benefiting from a betterment successful exertion stocks aft a diminution of complete -3.5% yesterday.
Chinese stocks are up conscionable complete half a percent and different markets are broadly flat. S&P 500 (+0.26%) and NASDAQ 100 (+0.54%) futures are besides continuing to retrieve aft a decent convention yesterday.
Full story: OpenAI confidentially files for first nationalist offering
OpenAI has revenge confidentially to spell nationalist connected nan US banal market, according to a institution blogpost published connected Monday. The artificial intelligence giant’s debut connected Wall Street is expected to beryllium 1 of nan astir highly weighted listings successful marketplace history pinch a valuation astatine much than $850bn.
“We precocious submitted a confidential S-1. We expect it to leak truthful we’re conscionable announcing it,” nan company’s station reads. “We person not decided connected timing yet; it whitethorn beryllium a while because location are things we want to do that are apt easier arsenic a backstage company. But it’s a analyzable group of tradeoffs and this gives america nan action to spell nationalist sooner if that ends up being best.”
An S-1 is an investor prospectus submitted to nan US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) successful beforehand of an first nationalist offering (IPO). The confidential filing will springiness regulators a play to reappraisal and talk nan company’s financial disclosures earlier investors and nan nationalist are capable to position them.
More here:
Introduction: Chip stocks bounce backmost up of ‘brat summer’ for AI firms
Good greeting and invited to our rolling sum of business, nan financial markets and nan world economy.
For nan 2nd time running, circuit breakers person been triggered connected nan Seoul banal exchange. But this time, it’s because nan marketplace is rising unusually quickly, alternatively than tumbling for illustration it did connected Monday.
Shares successful South Korea’s spot giants are surging today, arsenic investors heap backmost into nan marketplace aft yesterday’s sell-off.
This rally is boosting optimism that nan caller driblet successful tech shares is simply a blip, alternatively than nan long-feared AI marketplace crash.
Samsung Electronics’s shares are up complete 9% today, while representation chipmaker SK Hynix have surged by 15%.
Those 2 heavyweight stocks person driven South Korea’s KOSPI up by 8.4% successful Tuesday’s session, a time aft it tumbled by 8%. Today’s marketplace rally triggered successive impermanent suspensions of programme bargain orders, known arsenic “sidecars” successful South Korea.
SK Hynix was boosted by a caller multiyear business pinch Nvidia to create next-generation representation for AI systems, whicch saw Nvidia’s Jensen Huang circuit Seoul, gathering tech firms and handing retired fried chickenhearted to journalists:

Ipek Ozkardeskaya, elder expert astatine Swissquote, points retired that nan chaotic swings successful nan KOSPI are unusual, and worrying.
double quotation markA time pinch a emergence aliases autumn of little than 5% successful nan Kospi has go uncommon – a motion of conscionable really volatile this marketplace has go and, therefore, really overmuch of nan move is driven by speculation. Indeed, nan Kospi’s volatility scale keeps rising to unbelievable levels, suggesting that erstwhile nan euphony stops, location will beryllium carnage.
Anyway, today we proceed to observe nan tech-versus-non-tech communicative play out – exertion attracting flows while non-tech pockets of nan marketplace lag behind.
That communicative will beryllium tested successful nan coming months, though, arsenic respective monolithic tech firms effort to float connected nan banal market.
Last night, OpenAI revenge for its first nationalist offering – which could worth nan patient down nan ChatGPT chatbot astatine much than $1tn. That puts OpenAI successful a title pinch chap artificial intelligence pioneer Anthropic, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which is owed to float connected Friday.
Kathleen Brooks, research head astatine XTB:
double quotation markThe OpenAI news intends that we will perceive much astir really overmuch gross it is generating and really overmuch rate it is burning done successful nan coming weeks.
2026 is group to beryllium nan ‘brat summer’* for these AI names, pinch their soaring valuations and large promises for really AI will alteration nan world and nonstop their revenues soaring.
[* For nan use of immoderate high tribunal judges reading, here’s a guideline to Charli xcx’s recent album, Brat]
The agenda
-
7am BST: German waste and acquisition data
-
9:45am BST: Treasury Committee proceeding connected Financial Inclusion Strategy
-
11am BST: NFIB’s US Business Optimism Index
-
1.30pm BST: US waste and acquisition information for April
2 days ago