South is the New North

South is the New North

Over the past decade, Chinese exports to Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have doubled, outpacing growth to the US and Western Europe. A new report from S&P Global shows the tariff war has accelerated this pivot to the Global South, reshaping trade flows. “The result could be a new order of global commerce where South–South trade becomes the new center of gravity and Chinese multinationals emerge as the new key players,” according to the report.

Nio Targets Singapore, Uzbekistan and Costa Rica

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Nio [NIO] has announced plans to expand its global footprint in 2025–26. In Singapore, it will launch its first right-hand drive EV, Firefly, through Wearnes Automotive. Costa Rica marks Nio’s first entry into the Americas, while Uzbekistan similarly represents its debut in Central Asia’s automotive market, Seeking Alpha detailed.

Has the UK Backed Down on Apple Privacy Demand?

The UK has withdrawn its demand, made in December, that Apple [AAPL] provide a “back door” to access encrypted global user data, according to US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. In a post on X Gabbard claimed that the move would have compromised Americans’ civil liberties. Apple, which cannot access files protected under its Advanced Data Protection feature, said it has received no formal government communication on the reversal. 

INTU Stock Earnings Preview: Will Intuit Extend its Streak?

Intuit [INTU] will report its Q4 and FY 2025 earnings on August 21. The company provides a suite of services, including accounting software QuickBooks and email marketing tool MailChimp. It is coming off a strong Q3, which was supported by the tax season in the US; it has topped revenue and EPS estimates for five consecutive quarters. OPTO unpacks what to look for in its report. 

SoftBank Bets on Intel Revival

On Tuesday Japan’s SoftBank [SFTBY] announced a plan to buy $2bn in Intel [INTC] stock, a seeming vote of confidence in the struggling chipmaker’s prospects. However, the bid comes as US officials are reportedly discussing taking a stake in Intel, and as Tokyo feels increased tariff pressure from the Trump administration, prompting some analysts to speculate the move was motivated by politics, not profit. 

Nvidia Touts New Chip for China

The new model under design, tentatively called the B30A, is intended to be more powerful than the H20, Reuters reported. China accounted for 13% of Nvidia’s [NVDA] revenue last year, though changing export restrictions have proven a challenge. The announcement of the new chip comes after comments from US President Donald Trump that he would consider permitting shipments of “a somewhat enhanced – in a negative way – Blackwell.”

Can Alibaba Deliver on AI?

Having built its success on e-commerce, Alibaba [BABA] is now attempting to strengthen its dominance through artificial intelligence (AI): back in March, Alibaba President Zhang Kuo told the South China Morning Post he was confident all the company’s 200,000+ merchants would have adopted its AI tools by the end of this year. Ahead of Alibaba’s Q1 2026 earnings on Thursday, we take a look at how the company is strengthening its position in the international e-commerce business.