(RTTNews) - The Hong Kong stock market has moved higher in three straight sessions, gathering more than 200 points or 0.9 percent along the way. The Hang Seng Index now sits just above the 20,700-point plateau although it may be stuck in neutral on Wednesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets offers little clarity, although technology shares may provide a slight boost. The European markets...
(RTTNews) - The Hong Kong stock market has moved higher in three straight sessions, gathering more than 200 points or 0.9 percent along the way. The Hang Seng Index now sits just above the 20,700-point plateau although it may be stuck in neutral on Wednesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets offers little clarity, although technology shares may provide a slight boost. The European markets were down and the U.S. bourses were mixed and the Asian markets figure to split the difference. The Hang Seng finished modestly higher on Tuesday following gains from the insurance companies, weakness from the properties and a mixed picture from the technology stocks. For the day, the index added 101.78 points or 0.49 percent to finish at 20,701.14 after trading between 20,563.74 and 20,890.08. Among the actives, Alibaba Group climbed 0.93 percent, while Alibaba Health Info added 0.50 percent, ANTA Sports lost 0.63 percent, China Life Insurance rallied 1.08 percent, China Mengniu Dairy skidded 1.05 percent, China Resources Land and Henderson Land both stumbled 1.56 percent, CITIC fell 0.54 percent, CNOOC declined 1.50 percent, CSPC Pharmaceutical and Hong Kong & China Gas both gained 0.16 percent, Galaxy Entertainment rose 0.14 percent, Hang Lung Properties dropped 0.90 percent, JD.com surged 2.72 percent, Lenovo slumped 1.10 percent, Li Auto shed 0.71 percent, Meituan soared 2.21 percent, New World Development sank 0.73 percent, Nongfu Spring retreated 1.85 percent, Techtronic Industries advanced 0.79 percent, Xiaomi Corporation jumped 1.37 percent, WuXi Biologics tumbled 1.95 percent and Haier Smart Home, Li Ning and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China were unchanged. The lead from Wall Street is murky as the major averages opened lower on Tuesday and largely hugged the line before ending mixed. The Dow slumped 154.52 points or 0.36 percent to finish at 42,233.05, while the NASDAQ jumped 145.56 points or 0.78 percent to close at a record 18,712.75 and the S&P 500 ros...
After 30 years in the United States, world-leading computational biologist Bao Zhirong has taken up a full-time position at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in Shenzhen. Bao, who pioneered imaging technologies that allow scientists to track the behaviour of individual cells in real time as organs form and diseases emerge, has been a chair professor at SUSTech’s life scie...
After 30 years in the United States, world-leading computational biologist Bao Zhirong has taken up a full-time position at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in Shenzhen. Bao, who pioneered imaging technologies that allow scientists to track the behaviour of individual cells in real time as organs form and diseases emerge, has been a chair professor at SUSTech’s life sciences school since January, according to his new faculty profile. He was previously at New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre – one of the world’s most distinguished cancer hospitals – where he oversaw multimillion-dollar research projects funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). Advertisement One of Bao’s most influential contributions was AceTree, a cell-tracking software developed in his lab that has become a critical tool in developmental biology. It has been widely used to study how birth defects arise, how cancer cells hijack normal growth pathways and how stem cells might be guided to repair damaged tissues. Recognition for Bao’s work has included the Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Award and the NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award, which supports high-risk ideas with the potential to reshape biomedical science. 08:30 Why are more Chinese scientists leaving the US to return to China? Why are more Chinese scientists leaving the US to return to China? Bao did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A man in China, who spent 900,000 yuan (US$130,000) on losing lottery tickets in a single month, has sued the sales agent and the lottery management centre, demanding they return his wager with interest. The case has captivated mainland social media after the Baohe District People’s Court of Hefei, central Anhui province, rejected the man’s request earlier this month. According to a report by Anhu...
A man in China, who spent 900,000 yuan (US$130,000) on losing lottery tickets in a single month, has sued the sales agent and the lottery management centre, demanding they return his wager with interest. The case has captivated mainland social media after the Baohe District People’s Court of Hefei, central Anhui province, rejected the man’s request earlier this month. According to a report by Anhui Business News, the man, surnamed He, who lives in Hefei, bought numerous tickets in September 2023 at a lottery shop owned by a man named Zhang. A man expresses the kind of disappointment that the buyer, surnamed He felt when he realised he had won nothing. Photo: Shutterstock Zhang is a certified sales agent for the local lottery management centre. Advertisement The buyer usually chose some lottery tickets and bought them via a social media app. He transferred the payment for them to Zhang’s bank account. Advertisement After receiving He’s money and his instructions on which lottery ticket to buy, Zhang bought the tickets for He at a lottery shop. Zhang then took a picture of the tickets before sending the images to He.
Domenico Fornas/iStock via Getty Images How much job growth is actually needed as population growth slows dramatically? The federal government shed another 34,000 jobs in January as previously departed employees whose separation packages expired at year-end came off the payrolls. Since the beginning of 2025, the federal government has shed 323,000 employees, or 10.7% of its staff, according to the...
Domenico Fornas/iStock via Getty Images How much job growth is actually needed as population growth slows dramatically? The federal government shed another 34,000 jobs in January as previously departed employees whose separation packages expired at year-end came off the payrolls. Since the beginning of 2025, the federal government has shed 323,000 employees, or 10.7% of its staff, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics today. Companies that lost government contracts, or whose contracts were reduced or paused, also laid off people. But those were private sector jobs; they’re not included here; they’re included in private-sector employment below. State governments shed another 18,000 employees in January. Since the beginning of 2025, they have shed 62,000 workers. Local governments added 10,000 jobs in January and 157,000 since the beginning of 2025. Employment at all levels of government sank by 42,000 in January and by 166,000 since the beginning of 2025, having flipped from being a big job creator in the prior two years. But the private sector added 172,000 jobs in January, the most in over a year (blue columns in the chart). The three-month average, which irons out the month-to-month squiggles, hit a low point in August at zero jobs added, and has zigzagged higher since then, to 103,000 jobs by January (red line). Since the beginning of 2025, it has added 539,000 jobs. Since the beginning of 2024, it has added 1.56 million jobs, with six of those months showing job declines , much weaker than previously reported, according to today’s revised figures. But private sector job growth has ramped up in recent months. The Fed should keep its eyes on private sector jobs for its monetary policy decisions. While the drop in government employment impacts the unemployment rate, consumer spending, and the economy, it is the result of a political decision by the White House, and not the result of weak demand, slow consumer spending, or other economic weakness that might be...
Anthropic is nearing the completion of a deal to raise more than $20 billion in a funding round co-led by investors including Peter Thiel ’s Founders Fund , D.E. Shaw & Co. and Dragoneer Investment Group , according to people familiar with the matter — adding to the artificial intelligence company’s roster of backers in one of the largest startup funding rounds ever. Other co-leaders in the round ...
Anthropic is nearing the completion of a deal to raise more than $20 billion in a funding round co-led by investors including Peter Thiel ’s Founders Fund , D.E. Shaw & Co. and Dragoneer Investment Group , according to people familiar with the matter — adding to the artificial intelligence company’s roster of backers in one of the largest startup funding rounds ever. Other co-leaders in the round include Iconiq and MGX, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. Investors Coatue Management and Singapore’s GIC are also expected to participate, Bloomberg previously reported . Representatives for Founders Fund and Iconiq declined to comment. Anthropic, D.E. Shaw, Dragoneer and MGX didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Anthropic is set to be valued at about $350 billion in the deal, a figure that doesn’t include dollars raised, and could be announced as early as this week, Bloomberg has reported . That valuation nearly doubles Anthropic’s prior value, cementing it as one of the world’s richest startups. The deal comes roughly five months after the company raised $13 billion — a sign of an investor frenzy buoyed by the AI developer’s soaring revenue run rate, which crossed $9 billion last year. The funding round has become a who’s who of Silicon Valley and Wall Street investors. Other participants include Accel, Blackstone, BlackRock, TPG, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Insight Partners and Fidelity, the people said. Microsoft Corp. and Nvidia Corp. , which have previously said they would cumulatively invest up to $15 billion in Anthropic, are also slated to participate, the person said. Representatives for Microsoft, Nvidia and the investment firms didn’t comment on the deal. Several of the backers in Anthropic’s new round, including Founders Fund, have previously invested in OpenAI , breaking the long-held Silicon Valley taboo of putting money into competing companies. The rapidly rising valuations of AI startu...
Earnings Call Insights: QuantumScape Corporation (QS) Q4 2025 Management View Siva Sivaram, President, CEO & Director, stated that "2025 was an extraordinary year on all fronts for QS," highlighting successes in integrating the Cobra process into cell production, shipping Cobra-based QSE-5 cells, installing equipment for the Eagle Line, and expanding commercial engagements. Sivaram also noted the ...
Earnings Call Insights: QuantumScape Corporation (QS) Q4 2025 Management View Siva Sivaram, President, CEO & Director, stated that "2025 was an extraordinary year on all fronts for QS," highlighting successes in integrating the Cobra process into cell production, shipping Cobra-based QSE-5 cells, installing equipment for the Eagle Line, and expanding commercial engagements. Sivaram also noted the expansion of collaborations with PowerCo and the addition of two major global automotive OEMs as customers, as well as the first customer billings issued during 2025. Sivaram reported, "we added two globally renowned ceramic production experts to our QS ecosystems. Murata Manufacturing and Corning." Sivaram identified the inauguration of the Eagle Line as a key milestone, explaining its role as "a suite of equipment materials and highly automated processes forming the blueprint for production of QSE-5 technology." For 2026, Sivaram outlined four key goals: demonstrate scalable production on the Eagle Line, advance automotive commercialization, expand into new high-value markets, and push technology beyond the QSE-5 platform. Sivaram commented on the company’s strategic outlook, emphasizing, "Our mission to revolutionize energy storage has positioned us to offer solutions to these exact challenges." CFO Kevin Hettrich stated, "GAAP operating expenses and GAAP net loss in Q4 were $110.5 million and $100.1 million, and for full year 2025 were $472.6 million and $435.1 million, respectively... Adjusted EBITDA loss was $63.3 million in Q4, in line with expectations, and for full year 2025 was $252.3 million, within guidance." Hettrich added, "we expect full year adjusted EBITDA loss to be between $250 million and $275 million as we work towards our goals while continuing to drive greater operational efficiency across the company." Outlook Hettrich provided guidance for 2026, stating, "we expect full year adjusted EBITDA loss to be between $250 million and $275 million." Capital ...
Cisco Systems shares fell Wednesday evening despite the networking company delivering a beat and raise. The results were solid but not enough with the stock trading at record highs and at a premium to its historical valuation — something we warned created a tricky backdrop for the report. Revenue in the company's fiscal 2026 second quarter increased 10% year over year to $15.35 billion, exceeding ...
Cisco Systems shares fell Wednesday evening despite the networking company delivering a beat and raise. The results were solid but not enough with the stock trading at record highs and at a premium to its historical valuation — something we warned created a tricky backdrop for the report. Revenue in the company's fiscal 2026 second quarter increased 10% year over year to $15.35 billion, exceeding the LSEG-complied analyst consensus estimate of $15.12 billion. Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) increased 11% on an annual basis to $1.04, beating expectations of $1.02, LSEG data showed. Shares dropped about 7% in extended trading Wednesday, giving back most of its year-to-date gains. Heading into the quarter, Cisco had bucked the broader pullback in technology stocks and traded at all-time highs this week. Still, we had some reservations about the stock heading into the print, which motivated our profit-taking on Tuesday. We never like to see a stock down this much in after-hours trading, but that sale will make this decline a little more manageable. CSCO 1Y mountain Cisco Systems' stock performance over the past 12 months. Bottom line It can be confusing to see a stock drop this much on what looks like a great quarter on paper, with Cisco beating Wall Street expectations and raising its full-year outlook. There's no doubt Cisco is seeing plenty of demand for its products. Another quarter of accelerating product order growth is a clear sign of momentum. The company is seeing a flood of orders from hyperscale customers and also at the enterprise level. When we analyze Cisco, we always focus on orders because that's the best leading indicator of where revenue is headed. However, the quarter did not come without drawbacks. First is the impact of higher memory prices, which ate into gross margins. Cisco's hardware uses all types of memory, and unfortunately, a global memory shortage has caused prices to skyrocket. It's a big reason why Micron is one of the biggest gainers i...