A Finnish startup, Donut Lab, says it has developed a production-ready solid-state battery that could dramatically improve electric vehicle performance. The company claims its technology offers far higher energy density than today’s lithium-ion batteries, ultra-fast charging and longer lifespan, while avoiding rare materials and flammable components. The announcement has drawn attention, but also ...
A Finnish startup, Donut Lab, says it has developed a production-ready solid-state battery that could dramatically improve electric vehicle performance. The company claims its technology offers far higher energy density than today’s lithium-ion batteries, ultra-fast charging and longer lifespan, while avoiding rare materials and flammable components. The announcement has drawn attention, but also doubt, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. Industry leaders question whether a relatively unknown firm could outpace established players that have spent years pursuing similar technology. Many executives suggest bold battery claims often prove difficult to deliver at scale. Donut Lab says it is addressing skepticism by releasing test data and technical details publicly. The company argues that resistance is expected when new technology challenges entrenched manufacturers. If the claims hold up, the impact would be significant. Electric vehicles could travel much farther on a single charge, recharge in minutes and weigh less due to simpler cooling systems. However, competition is intensifying. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited ( CTATF ) ( CYATY ) and other manufacturers are pursuing similar advances, with some reporting even higher energy density targets and early-stage production efforts. Chinese automakers and suppliers are accelerating development ahead of new regulatory standards and supply chain goals. Major global automakers are also in the race. Toyota ( TM ) ( TOYOF )continues to target late-decade commercialization, while Mercedes-Benz ( MBGAF ) ( MBGYY ) has already tested prototype vehicles using solid-state cells from partners. Despite the excitement, some experts urge caution. Moving from prototypes to mass production remains a major hurdle, and existing lithium iron phosphate batteries already meet many consumer needs with lower costs and improving performance. Meanwhile, rapid advances in conventional battery technology and charging infrastru...
French factory closures jumped almost 30% last year after rising pressure from Asian competitors and the blow from US tariffs, while the number of new openings also declined. About 160 plants were shuttered, up from 121 in 2024, according to data published Sunday by the finance ministry, which also cited the impact of higher energy prices. Approximately 103 factories opened last year, compared wit...
French factory closures jumped almost 30% last year after rising pressure from Asian competitors and the blow from US tariffs, while the number of new openings also declined. About 160 plants were shuttered, up from 121 in 2024, according to data published Sunday by the finance ministry, which also cited the impact of higher energy prices. Approximately 103 factories opened last year, compared with 115 in 2024. Among the sectors most hit by closures or significant production cuts are agrifood, transportation, consumer goods and construction. Companies from steelmaker ArcelorMittal to auto parts supplier Valeo have been closing down after a slump in demand. “The worsening of the international environment weighs heavily,” the ministry said in its report. ArcelorMittal said last year it would cut around 600 jobs at seven sites in northern France as the European steel industry faces dwindling demand. Chemicals company Arkema also shut down some activities at a site in the country. In late 2024, Valeo cited a gloomy outlook for the car industry and competition from cheaper Chinese products when it announced plans to close two plants in France. The government’s survey does not take into consideration the value of a site. A gigafactory and a startup’s new factory would each count as one unit.
Why BYD’s 2025 earnings and dividend cut matter for shareholders BYD (SEHK:1211) has delivered higher full year 2025 sales of CNY 803.96b, but net income is down to CNY 32.62b, alongside a lower proposed final dividend of RMB 0.358 per share. See our latest analysis for BYD. BYD’s latest earnings setback and lower proposed dividend come after a period where the share price has picked up, with a 30...
Why BYD’s 2025 earnings and dividend cut matter for shareholders BYD (SEHK:1211) has delivered higher full year 2025 sales of CNY 803.96b, but net income is down to CNY 32.62b, alongside a lower proposed final dividend of RMB 0.358 per share. See our latest analysis for BYD. BYD’s latest earnings setback and lower proposed dividend come after a period where the share price has picked up, with a 30 day share price return of 12.16% and a 90 day share price return of 13.78%. However, the 1 year...
Social media has turned niche foods into global sensations at unprecedented speed, sending demand for products like matcha, ube, acai and Dubai chocolate far beyond their traditional markets. Cornell professor Miguel Gomez says influencers can create demand spikes that supply chains struggle to meet, exposing farmers and producers to volatility and quality risks. In matcha, the surge has been espe...
Social media has turned niche foods into global sensations at unprecedented speed, sending demand for products like matcha, ube, acai and Dubai chocolate far beyond their traditional markets. Cornell professor Miguel Gomez says influencers can create demand spikes that supply chains struggle to meet, exposing farmers and producers to volatility and quality risks. In matcha, the surge has been especially intense: Matchaful founder Hannah Habes says demand has accelerated so quickly that shortages and rising prices have become hard to avoid, while retailers like Meadow Lane in New York are now treating sourcing as part of the product itself. As Scarlet Fu reports, viral food trends are reshaping not just what consumers want, but how global supply chains are forced to respond. (Source: Bloomberg)
Bloomberg News Oil Strategist Julian Lee and BloombergNEF, Oil & Chemicals Analyst Philip Geurts join David Gura and Christina Ruffini this morning on Bloomberg This Weekend to discuss how high record high oil prices will soon impact other commodities - like plastic. Watch the full interview on Bloomberg This Weekend and watch the show LIVE every Saturday and Sunday morning. (Source: Bloomberg)
Bloomberg News Oil Strategist Julian Lee and BloombergNEF, Oil & Chemicals Analyst Philip Geurts join David Gura and Christina Ruffini this morning on Bloomberg This Weekend to discuss how high record high oil prices will soon impact other commodities - like plastic. Watch the full interview on Bloomberg This Weekend and watch the show LIVE every Saturday and Sunday morning. (Source: Bloomberg)
Mid-cap growth stocks occupy a specific and often underappreciated position in a portfolio: large enough to have proven their business model, but still growing fast enough to reinvest aggressively rather than return cash to shareholders. Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth Index Fund ETF Shares (NYSEARCA:VOT) is built around exactly that idea, and with $31.7 billion in net ... $31.7 Billion in Assets and a 0....
Mid-cap growth stocks occupy a specific and often underappreciated position in a portfolio: large enough to have proven their business model, but still growing fast enough to reinvest aggressively rather than return cash to shareholders. Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth Index Fund ETF Shares (NYSEARCA:VOT) is built around exactly that idea, and with $31.7 billion in net ... $31.7 Billion in Assets and a 0.05% Fee: Is Vanguard’s VOT Actually Worth Holding?
It’s likely, but it also could be a boon for a new generation of entrepreneurs willing to take over established operations Want to buy my business? It’s been very profitable. I’ve run it for more than 25 years. But no, you don’t want to buy it. Like most small businesses in this country, there’s really nothing of value here. According to the Small Business Administration, there are approximately 3...
It’s likely, but it also could be a boon for a new generation of entrepreneurs willing to take over established operations Want to buy my business? It’s been very profitable. I’ve run it for more than 25 years. But no, you don’t want to buy it. Like most small businesses in this country, there’s really nothing of value here. According to the Small Business Administration, there are approximately 33m small businesses in the US. But fewer than 7m actually employ people. The rest comprise freelancers, side gigs and independent contractors. I’m sure many of these people are making a living. But are they building assets? A brand? Probably not. If that “business owner” suddenly disappears, their business disappears with them. No one wants to buy a business like that. There’s no value. Continue reading...
Pushing yourself to the limit, training through injury and choosing the gym over socialising are all signs that you may have an unhealthy reliance on exercise At the peak of his adventuring career, Luke Tyburski was a man of extremes. The former pro-footballer, then in his early 30s, had dedicated himself to intense endurance challenges, of the sort that make a marathon look like a fun run. Beginn...
Pushing yourself to the limit, training through injury and choosing the gym over socialising are all signs that you may have an unhealthy reliance on exercise At the peak of his adventuring career, Luke Tyburski was a man of extremes. The former pro-footballer, then in his early 30s, had dedicated himself to intense endurance challenges, of the sort that make a marathon look like a fun run. Beginning with the Marathon de Sables (a notorious multistage ultramarathon in the Sahara desert), he then ran the world’s highest ultramarathon at Mount Everest base camp, battled dehydration during a 100km run on a tropical island, and took on the vividly named Double Brutal Extreme Triathlon in north Wales. The endgame in all of this was a self-designed challenge, which saw him swimming from Africa to Europe, cycling through Spain and running to Monaco – 2,000km in total, in just 12 days. Tyburski was a professional adventurer, financing his pursuits via magazine articles and speaking gigs, and even making a documentary about his quest. His whole raison d’etre was to push past his limitations, showing what a person is capable of when their mindset is strong enough. Yet, privately, he was dealing with depression, related to a loss of identity after the end of his footballing career, which took in Australia, the US and Belgium before he tried out for clubs in the UK. “Training and racing creates an escape, and the highs are extremely high,” says Tyburski. “But when I returned home from an adventure, the lows were extremely low, because I hadn’t addressed what I was running away from.” Continue reading...
For decades, the United States led the charge in the pursuit of brain-computer interface technology, betting big on bold, high-risk breakthroughs that promised to revolutionise medicine and human-machine integration. In the end, it is China crossing the finish line first. Using a semi-invasive approach that may lend credence to the Confucian “doctrine of the mean” – or the philosophy of seeking a ...
For decades, the United States led the charge in the pursuit of brain-computer interface technology, betting big on bold, high-risk breakthroughs that promised to revolutionise medicine and human-machine integration. In the end, it is China crossing the finish line first. Using a semi-invasive approach that may lend credence to the Confucian “doctrine of the mean” – or the philosophy of seeking a middle path between extremes – a team in China has now come up with a commercially approved product...