Children play in a park in Shenzhen on Jan. 18, 2026. Photo: VCG Chinese parents have long used colorful slang to describe their children, calling them “gold-swallowing beasts” or “cash shredders.” A new study suggests those anxieties are well-founded — but also reveals an unexpected financial twist: in the Chinese mainland, children actually become cheaper by the dozen. To raise a child to the ag...
Children play in a park in Shenzhen on Jan. 18, 2026. Photo: VCG Chinese parents have long used colorful slang to describe their children, calling them “gold-swallowing beasts” or “cash shredders.” A new study suggests those anxieties are well-founded — but also reveals an unexpected financial twist: in the Chinese mainland, children actually become cheaper by the dozen. To raise a child to the age of 18 in the Chinese mainland costs an average of 580,000 yuan ($85,625), according to a report released on May 29 by the YuWa Population Research Institute. The private think tank, co-founded by Trip.com Group Chairman James Liang, highlighted the massive financial pressures driving China’s demographic crisis. But the study also found that the incremental cost of having additional children drops significantly, revealing substantial “economies of scale” in parenting.
Malaysia is heading into a run of state elections, including two triggered by early assembly dissolutions, after Negeri Sembilan became the latest state to call a snap poll amid fraying ties inside Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling alliance. While the polls will not directly affect Anwar’s parliamentary majority, they will test whether his federal partners can keep their coalition functioning ...
Malaysia is heading into a run of state elections, including two triggered by early assembly dissolutions, after Negeri Sembilan became the latest state to call a snap poll amid fraying ties inside Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling alliance. While the polls will not directly affect Anwar’s parliamentary majority, they will test whether his federal partners can keep their coalition functioning at the state level or whether local disputes will deepen the fractures between them. On Friday,...
Keel Infrastructure ( KEEL ) has priced its public offering of 1.250% convertible senior notes due 2032 at an aggregate principal amount of $400M. Due to strong market demand, the offering was upsized by $50M from the previously announced $350M baseline. The transaction is expected to close on or about June 9, 2026. The payment obligations under the notes will be fully and unconditionally guarante...
Keel Infrastructure ( KEEL ) has priced its public offering of 1.250% convertible senior notes due 2032 at an aggregate principal amount of $400M. Due to strong market demand, the offering was upsized by $50M from the previously announced $350M baseline. The transaction is expected to close on or about June 9, 2026. The payment obligations under the notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by Bitfarms Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Keel. Keel granted initial purchasers a 13-day option to buy up to an additional $58M aggregate principal amount of the notes. The notes will carry a 1.250% annual interest rate, payable semi-annually on January 15 and July 15, beginning January 15, 2027. The notes mature on January 15, 2032. The initial conversion rate is set at 134.9073 shares per $1,000 principal amount, equivalent to a conversion price of $7.41 per share. This represents a 25% premium to Keel's June 4, 2026, closing price of $5.93 on the Nasdaq. Keel retains the choice to settle conversions in cash, stock, or a combination of both. To mitigate equity dilution, Keel entered into privately negotiated capped call transactions covering the shares underlying the notes. The initial cap price is set at $11.86 per share, representing a 100% premium to the June 4 baseline price. The management plans to utilize the net capital injection to: fund the costs of the accompanying capped call transactions. Advance general corporate and operational purposes, specifically highlighting long-lead equipment deposits and collateralizing letters of credit to expand or accelerate data center development projects. While Keel's current liquidity is deemed sufficient to develop its Panther Creek, Sharon, and Moses Lake facilities through leasing, management emphasized that this capital raise significantly enhances financial flexibility to drive value-add investments across its current project pipeline. The offering of convertible notes depends on severa...
Hong Kong’s competition watchdog aims to submit proposals to criminalise bid-rigging as early as September, paving the way for the government to table legislative amendments by the end of the year, following the city’s deadliest fire in decades. Senior Counsel Jat Sew-tong, who assumed the role of chairman of the Competition Commission last month, said on Friday that the watchdog would also launch...
Hong Kong’s competition watchdog aims to submit proposals to criminalise bid-rigging as early as September, paving the way for the government to table legislative amendments by the end of the year, following the city’s deadliest fire in decades. Senior Counsel Jat Sew-tong, who assumed the role of chairman of the Competition Commission last month, said on Friday that the watchdog would also launch a study into the city’s auto fuel market amid a surge in prices. The market has faced long-standing...
Shares of AI neocloud IREN Limited (NASDAQ: IREN) rallied 39.6% in May, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence . May was a very active month for IREN, which included third-quarter earnings, a new formal partnership with Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) , and a couple of acquisitions. Coming off a stock price downturn amid concerns over higher interest rates during the prior month, the positive...
Shares of AI neocloud IREN Limited (NASDAQ: IREN) rallied 39.6% in May, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence . May was a very active month for IREN, which included third-quarter earnings, a new formal partnership with Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) , and a couple of acquisitions. Coming off a stock price downturn amid concerns over higher interest rates during the prior month, the positive developments catapulted IREN's stock in May. On May 5, IREN reported third-quarter results, with revenue declining 21.6% to $144.8 million, while adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) fell 20% quarter-over-quarter to $59.5 million. Continue reading