Editor's Notes: * We are trying a new weekly podcast synthesis format this time. Below is the summary from ~100 episodes of podcasts over the last 7 days, served as a high-level review of the week. It's relatively US-centric due to current podcast selection. We will gradually
Editor's Notes: * When there is high insider selling, high policy uncertainty, and unresolved debates around AI, volatility is guaranteed. The massive drop in gold and silver yesterday, along with the software sector derating following Microsoft’s earnings, represents the first wave of volatility—especially given reports that '
Editor's Notes: * A 10% decline for MSFT is a rare sight. We have been bearish on US software over the last few weeks newsletters, and sentiment has been building toward this point. Will we see trimmed CapEx and R&D at Microsoft or OpenAI? I don'
Editor's Notes: * Liquidity surge in Hong Kong was noticeable. This tends to lift up the big names in HSI. Good to see some consumer names in the up list (Mengniu, Tingyi). We are waiting to see if any real sense of China cyclical recovery. * "Most risk-on since
Editor's Notes: * Davos time. The heavy hitters came out in force. * Instead of our regular daily digest, we are doing a special letter synthesizing recent interviews with the top AI leaders: Satya Nadella at Microsoft (Jan 21), Demis Hassabis CEO of DeepMind (Jan 21) [my fav, if you
Editor's Notes: * When national policies dominate headlines, it is time to reduce exposure to regulatory-sensitive industries. * Recall the China playbook from 2019–2023. The US is increasingly mirroring those trends: aggressive industrial policy, abrupt regulatory pivots, and mounting populist pressure on affordability (healthcare, housing). Yesterday's healthcare
Editor's Notes: * China Awaiting a Spark Expectations have been high for a consumption recovery in China in 2026, but the recent stock price declines in Li Ning and Fuyao Glass suggest the market is losing patience. Investors in our network are reporting mixed signals regarding Chinese consumer behavior,
Editor’s Notes * Japan is working… until it isn’t. Equity inflows are still there, but the market is no longer blind to the fiscal side of the story. Rising JGB yields and unfunded policy promises are creeping into risk pricing, and that matters. If we see currency support or
Editor's Notes: * Why this sector matters right now: The Agriculture sector is starting to look like a genuine early-recovery setup. Protein demand is firmer than headlines suggest, inventories are tight, utilization is improving, and input costs have stabilized. The missing piece has been policy clarity, not fundamentals. * As
Editor's Notes: * The U.S. tape still feels “up,” but it’s a very specific kind of up. The rally on de-escalating trade headlines is real, but the market’s tolerance for surprises looks low. A slightly-hot PCE print and all the talk about “AI bubble” risk makes
Editor's Notes * The headline changed (again), but the signal didn’t. Even if the Europe tariff threat tied to Greenland gets toned down or paused, the bigger takeaway is the policy unpredictability premium that’s creeping into markets. What caught my eye was the flow-driven response from Europe
Editor’s Notes * Why now: Parts of the agriculture sector look close to a cyclical low after a prolonged period of weak commodity prices and pressured earnings. At the same time, underlying demand for food and ag-related assets has not gone away. For patient investors, this feels like a reasonable
Investment
Editor’s Notes * Today has that classic risk-off tape with an extra layer of “this could gap again”. The headline is Trump’s tariff threat on Europe tied to Greenland, but the real market signal was capital flow behavior, not the soundbites. A Danish pension fund walking away from U.
Investment
Editor’s Notes * Japan is back in the driver’s seat, but this is no longer a passive trade. The so-called Takaichi Trade is powering the Nikkei through exporters, defense, and AI-linked industrials, helped by yen weakness and fiscal expectations. That said, with daily moves stretching and policy optimism well
Investment
Editor’s Notes: * The consumer is holding up better than feared. What stood out this week was the consistency of demand signals across regions. MUJI’s Asia-led growth speaks to real spending power, not just promotions, and J.B. Hunt’s customers talking about a potential $100–160bn spring tax
Investment
Editor's Notes: * This is the Part II for the life science tools & services sector survey, mainly to assess "second-order implications" based on fundamental outlook vs. what's likely been priced in based on narratives. This piece provides a different perspective to double check on
Investment
Editor's Notes: * We have run two AI-generated sector analyses this weekend on Life Science Tools & Services, as a follow up to our profile on Revvity earlier this week. * This industry has historically been a traditional cyclical industry. However, a few tailwinds may make this sector interesting -
Investment
Editor's Notes: * New structural themes for 2026 are largely confirmed by the past few days' trading - governance / economic reform continues driving JP bull, HK markets ready for rerating but waiting for more substantial recovery catalysts, SaaS names are hated while Trump policy / AI supply beneficiaries dominate
Investment
Editor's Notes: * We have seen consecutive days of stock price declines for SaaS names. This is part of a rotation. The deeper reason is likely a consensus forming around the generational profile shift from SaaS to AI apps. My thesis is that if SaaS players adopts AI aggressively,
Investment
Editor's Notes: * Rotating Eastward: US stocks are expensive and subject to increasing policy uncertainties; naturally, investors are looking elsewhere. Asia markets already had a very strong 2025, and I expect the China consumption recovery play (e.g. Anta, Nongfu), China AI play, Asia healthcare innovation cycle, Japan revitalization,
Investment
Editor's Notes: * As mentioned in the last daily brief newsletter, Revvity saw a 6%+ stock price jump yesterday, due to strong guidance and upward revision for 2025. * There are a few things to like about the current setup - (1) bad news are mostly priced in (China headwind)
Investment
* Every market seems to be now dominated by policies and politics. I learnt from my 20 year career that policies are extremely difficult to predict, esp. in China and now US under Trump. For short-term investments, these policy-driven waves may be great profit making opportunities. For long-term holdings, I would
Investment
Editor's Notes: * As investors start to reassess US risks and AI-related debates continuing, I expect to see more volatility for US stocks this year. * China stocks are back on my watchlist, as there is an increasing chance of consumption stabilization and a clear sign of sentiment recovery -
Investment
Editor's Notes: * Below is a synthesis from 86 episodes of podcasts over the last 7 days. * New geopolitical order (or Trump) and AI dominate discussions. * Risk is rising - for regional conflicts, central bank politically-driven errors, tariff uncertainties, speed / magnitude of AI impact on job markets and populist