U.S. and EU Strengthen Critical Minerals Partnership to Reduce China Dependence 
Bank of England Set to Hold Interest Rates as Inflation Risks and Iran War Impact Loom 
Nomura Shares Drop After Profit Miss Despite Strong Revenue Growth 
Chinese Chip Stocks Surge on AI Boom and Domestic Tech Push 
BOJ Rate Decision in Focus as Yen, Inflation, and Nikkei Hang in Balance 
Wall Street Futures Rise as Trump Discusses Iran’s Hormuz Strait Proposal and Tech Earnings Loom 
Brazil Pension Fund Crackdown After Banco Master Collapse Raises Investment Concerns 
Advantest Stock Falls on Weak Outlook Despite Strong AI-Driven Results 
Taiwan Court Fines Tokyo Electron Unit $4.78M in Major TSMC Trade Secrets Case 
Oil Price Forecasts Rise for 2026 as Middle East Supply Risks Persist 
OpenAI Faces Revenue Pressure and User Growth Challenges Ahead of IPO 
Brazil Current Account Deficit Widens in March as FDI Misses Expectations 
U.S. Warns Allies Over Alleged Chinese AI IP Theft Linked to DeepSeek 
SMC Corp Stock Surges as Palliser Capital Pushes for Major Share Buyback 
Oil Prices Surge Amid U.S.-Iran Tensions and Strait of Hormuz Supply Concerns 
DeepSeek Slashes AI Model Pricing to Boost Adoption and Challenge Global Rivals 
Brazil Blocks Prediction Market Platforms, Tightens Derivatives Trading Rules 
The Sony Group upgraded its full-year net profit forecast from its earlier estimate of 660 billion yen to 700 billion yen or $6.4 billion on the back of strong second-quarter performance that offset a first-quarter profit decline.
For the three months to June, Sony's net profit surged 9.4 percent to 211.8 billion yen. Its annual sales forecast remained at 9.7 trillion yen after first-quarter sales jumped 15.0 percent to 2.26 trillion yen.
The Japanese conglomerate attributed its solid second-quarter earnings to its music and consumer electronics businesses.
Sales of digital cameras and music-streaming businesses surpassed expectations, according to Hideki Yasuda, an analyst at Ace Research Institute in Tokyo.
The anime "Demon Slayer", distributed by Sony's animation unit Aniplex, was a box-office triumph that also boosted Sony's quarterly results.
However, the boom enjoyed by the gaming sector during the pandemic is slowing as the vaccines are bringing life back to normalcy.
Yasuda noted that the result showed the advantage of a conglomerate with the stronger sectors offsetting weaker ones.
