TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2026

Consumer sentiment in Korea climbs for a third straight month. NVIDIA quietly behind a monster $50B Texas data center lease. BYD drops its first kei minicar in Japan, taking the fight straight to a domestic stronghold. Geopolitics: The ICC president is asking Japan for help pushing back on Trump’s push for Asian members to exit. This is interesting — it signals real anxiety that the institution’s legitimacy in the region is under direct threat. Commodities: Houthis are actively trying to model Iran’s Hormuz control in the Red Sea. Tokyo is simultaneously boosting financial support for overseas oil pipeline investments. Not sure people appreciate how directly these two stories are connected. China/HK: CATL is thriving while China’s EV makers get squeezed by brutal supply chains and weak demand. The issue is, the battery king wins no matter who sells the car — good signal for CATL, bad signal for the crowded EV field. Tech/AI: NVIDIA behind that $50B Texas data center lease. The scal

Consumer sentiment in Korea climbs for a third straight month. NVIDIA quietly behind a monster $50B Texas data center lease. BYD drops its first kei minicar in Japan, taking the fight straight to a domestic stronghold.