Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on July 25, 2026

https://str.sg/q8cm

#WeekAhead by Reuters, Investopedia & Yahoo Finance
#Chart of the Day by Yahoo Finance
#Earnings by Earnings Whisper
#USMarketUpdate by Reuters, CNBC and Yahoo Finance
#TradingDay #MarketMind by Reuters
#MarketsWrap by Bloomberg
#SgMarketUpdate by Business Times
#HKMarketUpdate by Reuters and Trading Economics

El Nino worsens plight of Asia’s rice belt after war price shock
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/el-nino-worsens-plight-asias-rice-belt-after-war-price-shock

Nvidia to invest US$1 billion in Naver and expand SK Group accord
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/nvidia-invest-us1-billion-naver-and-expand-sk-group-accord

BlackRock gets soft demand for bond sale after AI debt sell-off
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/blackrock-gets-soft-demand-bond-sale-after-ai-debt-sell

Yen heads for biggest weekly drop since May despite Tokyo's support pledges
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/banking-finance/yen-heads-biggest-weekly-drop-may-despite-tokyos-support-pledges

IBM just crashed 25% in a day. Turns out it's not really about IBM being irrelevant. It's about a wild one day AI vs software rotation playing out across the entire S&P 500. Does that make IBM a buy? Read more [Premium]: https://finbiteinsights.substack.com/p/ibm-crashed-25-did-ai-really-kill

What happened in China this week.

1. Tencent fell 7% after analysts projected a slowdown in its mobile gaming revenue growth. No official figures until earnings on 12 Aug 2026.

2. The national team is back propping up the stock market. This time they loaded up on the ChinaAMC Star 50 ETF, which drew record inflows. Why this ETF and why now?

3. Zhongji Innolight is the world's largest optical interconnect supplier, converting electrical signals into light and back again as networks lean ever harder on optical fibre. It is seeking to raise HK$55 billion in a Hong Kong IPO, the largest since Alibaba.

4. Zhipu AI has a 1GW data centre running entirely on domestic Chinese AI chips. Self sufficiency is no longer just talk.

5. The European Union has hit AliExpress with a €550 million penalty under the Digital Services Act, the largest issued under that regulation so far. But the louder question is Alibaba's AI spending.

For more insights, read on [Premium]: https://growthdragons.substack.com/p/growth-dragons-weekly-tencent-falls

⚡ Sembcorp Industries is down 30%. The business isn't broken. The 2022 energy crisis created a once-in-a-generation windfall. The market priced it as permanent. It wasn't. What's next for them?
https://drwealth.com/sembcorp-industries-down-30-in-a-year-worst-sti-component-whats-going-on/

From Silicon Valley to DC, tech world obsessed with AI distillation

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/25/hat-is-distillation-and-why-is-everyone-so-obsessed-with-it-this-week.html?__source=androidappshare

Japanese shoppers are driving up jewellery sales to a record
https://www.straitstimes.com/business/japanese-shoppers-are-driving-up-jewellery-sales-to-a-record

China’s gold imports surge after international prices slump
https://www.straitstimes.com/business/chinas-gold-imports-surge-after-international-prices-slump

#CNA
How to Singapore win retire at age of 35 years old?

https://youtu.be/g45D-ulsY00?is=UDpwYO2R4-k9yDuD

#Soloway

The tech unwind is here. This week brought massive downside on Tesla and Google, oil topping $93 before pulling back, and the semiconductors getting hammered on CapEx and debt fears. Intel told the story perfectly — up over 10% on earnings, then nearly 10% lower by the next close the moment it mentioned higher spending. On this Weekly Wrap-Up, Gareth Soloway breaks down the make-or-break trend lines on the S&P and Nasdaq, why Oracle is the "OG" of the CapEx collapse, and the levels that matter across gold, silver, oil, and Bitcoin heading into a huge earnings week.

📐 THIS WEEK'S WRAP-UP

🔵 SPY / QQQ — The S&P holds near flat on flight-to-safety diversification while the Nasdaq 100 sheds over 1%. First trend-line hit on the Nasdaq should bounce; the real danger is a break of that line — the trap door for the whole market.
🔴 TSLA — Down roughly 20% on the week after its earnings miss, leading the mega-cap exodus.
🔴 ORCL — The "OG" of the CapEx collapse: down about 67% from its $345 high to near $115. Next big stop is the descending trend line around $111–$112.
🔴 INTC — A stunning 19.4% drop from yesterday's after-hours high to today's low. Great earnings undone the instant CapEx guidance went up.
🟢 AAPL — The rock star of the day and the one Magnificent Seven name that didn't overspend on AI. Money is rotating into it — but Gareth sees resistance near $336.
🔴 MU / SNDK — Micron and SanDisk both hammered. Gareth flags technical-bounce zones but still expects these names to correct up to 75% of their prior rallies.
🔵 GOLD / SILVER — Gold pauses in a tightening wedge; the dollar decides whether it runs to $3,500 or bottoms near $3,900. Silver stuck between $63–$64 resistance and $54 support.
🔴 US OIL — Falls off the 50% retrace and the descending trend line after topping $93. Gareth stays short; all eyes on the Middle East this weekend.
🔵 NATGAS / BITCOIN — Natural gas chops on support with resistance near $3.10; Bitcoin needs to hold $63K–$63.5K to keep the path open toward $72K.

🔑 KEY TAKEAWAY: Sentiment shifted this week. Oracle's government deal and Intel's earnings beat both got sold — proof that once the market stops rewarding CapEx, valuations get very hard to defend. Meta, Microsoft, and Apple's peers must show a return next week, or the slide continues.

⏱ TIMESTAMPS (estimated)
00:00​ The Week That Was: The Tech Unwind
02:30​ S&P and Nasdaq: The Make-or-Break Trend Lines
06:30​ Dollar, Gold, and the Yield Connection
09:30​ Rumble Wallet: Claim $5 in USA₮
11:30​ Intel: The 19.4% Collapse
14:00​ Oracle: The OG of the CapEx Crash
19:00​ SanDisk and Micron: Correction Targets
22:00​ Apple: The Magnificent Seven Standout
25:30​ Gold, Silver, and Oil Levels
29:00​ Natural Gas and Bitcoin
31:30​ Wrap-Up: Probability Over Emotion

https://www.youtube.com/live/dT5QwXlhDsM?is=aLx4yKhFC9AoxUJQ

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on July 26, 2026

https://str.sg/dwH4

While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, July 26, 2026
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/while-you-were-sleeping-5-stories-you-might-have-missed-july-26-2026

DeepSeek suspends fundraising after founder’s alleged US-China AI comments go viral: sources
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/startups-tech/deepseek-suspends-fundraising-after-founders-alleged-us-china-ai-comments-go-viral-sources

Marvel unveils Ghost Rider, Black Panther 3 at San Diego Comic-Con
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/lifestyle/marvel-unveils-ghost-rider-black-panther-3-san-diego-comic-con

Why aren't oil prices higher? Drop in demand puzzles strategists.
https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/article/why-arent-oil-prices-higher-staggering-drop-in-energy-demand-leaves-strategists-puzzled-100000046.html

Alphabet flops, Intel shocks, and Tesla tanks: AlphaSpace recap
https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/article/alphabet-flops-intel-shocks-and-tesla-tanks-alphaspace-weekly-recap-123816321.html

The 'rockets and feathers' effect: Inflation eases but grocery bills don't
https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/articles/rockets-feathers-effect-inflation-eases-093719934.html