Citi (C.US) revised up its forecasts for global AI capex and revenue for the period from 2026 to 2030, noting that AI tools will swiftly advance, opening new application scenarios for enterprises and accelerating the adoption of agent systems and workflows.

The bank raised its forecast for global AI capex during the period from the previous USD8 trillion to USD8.9 trillion. Mega-corporations, including Amazon (AMZN.US), Microsoft (MSFT.US), Alphabet (GOOGL.US), and Meta Platforms (META.US), will splurge more than USD630 billion in total capex this year.
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Oil prices retreated dramatically on Tuesday while the market kept a close tab on the latest developments in the Iran conflict. US bourse presented mixed trends.

The DJIA slipped nearly 300 points at most, and once leaped 479 points at most. It fluctuated by 776 points throughout the day, ultimately closing slightly down by 34 points or less than 0.1% at 47,706. The S&P 500 fell by 14 points or 0.2% to 6,781. The Nasdaq settled with a slim hike of 1 point to 22,697.

Oil prices slumped by more than 15% during the day, with Chevron (CVX.US) and ExxonMobil (XOM.US) each sagging nearly 2%. Shell (SHEL.US) shed by less than 1%.

Chip makers steered gains among techs, with Micron (MU.US) and Intel (INTC.US) up by 2-3%. Nvidia (NVDA.US) rose over 1%, performing the best among the Magnificent Seven. Meta (META.US) also added by 1%.
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Judson Althoff, CEO of the commercial business at Microsoft, announced the next phase of enterprise-level AI features for 365 Copilot, further supporting companies in transitioning to an AI-first 'frontier transformation' operational model.

Microsoft 365 Copilot is being upgraded from an assistive tool to a built-in AI agent capability, helping users complete tasks and truly drive work outcomes.

Through close collaboration with Anthropic, Microsoft introduced core technology supporting Claude Cowork into Microsoft 365 Copilot, and launched Copilot Cowork to support long-duration, multi-step complex workflows.

Agent 365 will be officially released on 1 May, priced at US$15 per user. Agent 365 enables IT and security managers to observe, manage, govern, and protect the entire enterprise's AI agents on a single platform, utilizing the same infrastructure, applications and security protections currently used for employee management.
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Apple (AAPL.US) increased its iPhone production in India by approx. 53% last year, with the current production in India accounting for one-quarter of its total output, aiming to mitigate the impact of US tariffs, Bloomberg quoted sources as saying.

It is reported that Apple produces approx. 220 million to 230 million iPhones globally each year, and assembled about 55 million iPhones in India last year, up from 36 million units a year earlier.
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The Iran war will end very soon, US President Donald Trump stated on Monday. Oil prices wildly fluctuated on Monday, with New York oil futures once peaking near USD120 before reverting down by 5% and returning to USD86.

US stocks opened lower on Monday but turned north sequentially, with all three major indices closing higher. The DJIA opened 130 points lower and at one point tumbled as much as 886 points before steadily climbing, with a peak/trough volatility of 1,260 points. It ultimately closed at 47,740, up 239 points or 0.5%. The S&P 500 added 55 points or 0.8% to 6,795. The Nasdaq rallied 308 points or 1.4% to 22,695.

Semiconductor stocks advanced, with Broadcom (AVGO.US) leaping over 4%, and Micron (MU.US) and AMD (AMD.US) soaring 5%. NVIDIA (NVDA.US) jumped up more than 2%. Alphabet (GOOG.US) also increased by over 2%.

Oil and defense stocks closed lower against the market trend, with ExxonMobil (XOM.US), Chevron (CVX.US), and Lockheed Martin (LMT.US) all declining. Airlines initially plummeted but later rebounded, with United Airlines (UAL.US), Delta Air Lines (DAL.US), and American Airlines (AAL.US) swelling more than 2%.
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The Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Commerce earlier announced that RMB250 million in car trade-in subsidies will be disbursed in March.

Qingdao reportedly launched the "2026 Qingdao New Spring Consumption Season" at the beginning of February.

As of last Thursday (5th), the car trade-in policy has driven total car consumption in the city to reach RMB1.556 billion.
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LI AUTO-W (02015.HK) is set to release a dual-wheel robot within this year, primarily for use in manufacturing scenarios, Chinese media reported.

LI AUTO is reportedly planning two products under its humanoid robot team, including a dual-wheel robot and a bipedal robot. The dual-wheel robot is ready and is ideally scheduled for release mid-year.

LI AUTO's internal team, codenamed Nexus, has been secretly developing the items for nearly a year, report added.

Led by He Junpei, the former Hardware Partner of Jiuguang Intelligent, the team is planning both dual-wheel and bipedal products, referencing development paths from Tesla (TSLA.US), aiming to start from industrial applications.
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Concerns over the Iran war intensified again, pushing New York oil futures above USD80 per barrel at one point, and leading to a sell-off in US stocks on Thursday.

The DJIA tumbled incessantly, down as much as 1,162 points or 2.4% at its lowest, and eventually closed down 784 points or 1.6%, at 47,954. The Nasdaq's downswing was relatively mild, ending down 58 points or 0.3%, at 22,748. The S&P 500 finished down 38 points or 0.6%, at 6,830.

Traditional stocks were subdued, with Boeing (BA.US) down 2.3% and Caterpillar (CAT.US) 3.5%. Banks JP Morgan (JPM.US) and Morgan Stanley (MS.US) sagged 2-3%.

The US plans to tighten AI chip export controls, requiring companies like Nvidia (NVDA.US) to obtain government approval before shipping globally. Nvidia closed up 0.2% after fluctuations, while Micron (MU.US) and AMD (AMD.US) lost about 1%.

Techs traded mixed, with Apple (AAPL.US) and Meta (META.US) down about 1%, and Microsoft (MSFT.US) up 1.4% against the market trend, and Amazon (AMZN.US) also up 1%.
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The US government is weighing further tightening controls on the export of AI chips, potentially requiring companies to obtain approval from Washington before exporting AI chips to any location worldwide, Bloomberg reported.

Spurred by the news, chip stocks came under pressure. NVIDIA (NVDA.US) lost over 1.5%. AMD (AMD.US) shed more than 3%. Micron (MU.US) slid 4%. Intel (INTC.US), with the White House as a shareholder, inched down less than 1%.

US officials drafted regulatory proposals that will require companies to obtain government permission before exporting AI accelerators, affecting products from companies like NVIDIA and AMD, sources divulged.

If implemented, the measures will expand the current restrictions, which apply to about 40 countries, to the whole world.
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Concerns over the Iran war intensified again, pushing New York oil futures above USD80 per barrel, and leading to a sell-off in US stocks on Thursday.

The DJIA tumbled incessantly, last plummeting 1,020 points or 2.1%, to 47,719. The Nasdaq slipped 280 points or 1.3%, to 22,524. The S&P 500 fell 91 points or 1.3%, to 6,778.

Traditional stocks were subdued, with Boeing (BA.US) diving over 3% and Caterpillar (CAT.US) nearly 5%. Techs NVIDIA (NVDA.US), Apple (AAPL.US), and Tesla (TSLA.US) all lost over 1%.
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