Economy
AI drives markets as valuations race ahead of earnings
From Wall Street to Shanghai, stock markets are hitting record highs as investors crowd into a narrowband of AI and semiconductor giants, turning the rally into a concentrated surge rather than a broad advance. But with gains increasingly reliant on a handful of megacap companies, is the AI boom an overstretched bubble?
Caixin Global
Economy
PwC’s Evergrande crisis deepens with record Hong Kong settlement and criminal probes
Evergrande’s fraud has caught up with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Hong Kong, bringing major fines, client exits and criminal probes, and casting doubt over the accounting giant’s future in Hong Kong and mainland China.
Caixin Global
Technology
ByteDance’s billion-RMB bet on China’s first AI-native hospital
Backed by the deep pockets of ByteDance, a private hospital in Beijing is attempting an ambitious architectural experiment: building a medical centre where AI is not just an assistant, but the “native” brain of the entire institution — though the path from “digital employee” to medical reality faces steep technical and financial hurdles.
Caixin Global
Economy
China captures Prince Group associate tied to US$24 billion crypto network
The arrest of a senior associate of alleged crime boss Chen Zhi exposes the hidden machinery behind Prince Group’s empire, as China’s widening crackdown pulls back the curtain on a vast Southeast Asian network of scams, gambling and illicit finance.
Caixin Global
Society
As jobs dry up, personal trainers are going door-to-door
In China’s cities, trainers are bringing the gym to people’s doorstep — turning courtyards into classrooms and fitness into a booming “on-demand” service. But as doubts over income, trust and longevity grow, is this just a fleeting trend?
Caixin Global
Economy
China looks to ‘experience economy’ for a consumption lift
China’s tourism boom is being reshaped by travellers chasing immersive, culture-rich experiences — from lantern parades to viral folk traditions — fuelling record spending and policy support, but can the country turn this surge into sustainable growth without losing its authenticity?
Caixin Global
Economy
Qatar helium shutdown adds new risk to chip supply chain
Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) shutdown has triggered a global helium shortage, pushing prices up, testing China’s chipmakers and disrupting import-dependent supply chains. Can Qatar’s missing capacity be offset by higher production from other countries?
Caixin Global
Technology
China satellite investment soars as SpaceX sparks race for piece of the sky
Even as SpaceX’s Starlink dominates the low-Earth orbit sphere, China’s satellite ambitions are accelerating. As Beijing races to catch up amid new frontiers like orbital AI computing rising, can it close the costly gap in reusable rocket technology in time?
Caixin Global
Technology
Exoskeletons offer consumer robotics a chance to find its footing
Robotic exoskeletons, or devices that can sense and adapt to users’ movements, providing synchronised assistance to help them walk or climb, are giving consumer robotics a real shot at mainstream success — but will China seize the lead in shaping the future of everyday robots?
Caixin Global