Daily Strategic Briefing

Nvidia to resume sales to China – with Trump administration approval

Maybe CEO Jensen Huang's million-dollar meal at Mar-a-Lago has paid off in the form of permission to sell the H20 and a new RTX Pro GPU Nvidia has announced the US government will allow it to resume sales of its GPUs to Chinese customers.…

Malaysia closes a back door that may have allowed US-sourced AI chips to reach China

Will this win Washington's approval and perhaps see tariffs ease? The government of Malaysia on Monday closed a back door that may have allowed the export of AI chips to China.…

Someone hijacked Elmo's X account to post antisemitic rants

Anyone investigated Grok? Just sayin'… Someone hacked Elmo's X account on Sunday, making it appear as if the lovable Sesame Street monster with the habit of referring to themselves in the third-person spewed a series of now-removed antisemitic, racist, and anti-Trump posts.…

Anthropic, Google, OpenAI and xAI get $800M to hop in bed with Pentagon

Looks like DoD FOMO struck Silicon Valley The Pentagon's embrace of the AI industry just put up to $800 million on the table as the Department of Defense has issued a quartet of contracts bringing the biggest names in the biz officially into the fold. …

Nvidia A6000 GPUs flip memory bits if beaten by GPUHammer

Rowhammer returns for more memory-meddling fun The Rowhammer attack on computer memory is back, and for the first time, it's able to mess with bits in Nvidia GPUs, despite defenses designed to protect against this kind of hacking.…

Meta built its AI reputation on openness — that may be changing

Summary:

Top members of Meta’s new Superintelligence Lab discussed pivoting away from the company’s powerful open source AI model, Behemoth, and instead developing a closed model. This would mark a major philosophical shift for Meta.

Following YouTube, Meta announces crackdown on ‘unoriginal’ Facebook content

Summary:

Like YouTube, Meta says it won’t penalize users who are engaging with other people’s content, doing things like making reaction videos, joining a trend, or adding their own takes.

Cognition, maker of the AI coding agent Devin, acquires Windsurf

Summary:

The announcement comes just days after Google hired away Windsurf’s CEO Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen, and research leaders in a $2.4 billion reverse-acquihire that left much of the startup’s 250-person team behind.

As the browser wars heat up, here are the hottest alternatives to Chrome and Safari in 2025

Summary:

We’ve compiled an overview of some of the top alternative browsers available today aiming to challenge Chrome and Safari.

Elon Musk’s Grok is making AI companions, including a goth anime girl

Summary:

Musk wrote in an X post on Monday that AI companions are now available in the Grok app for “Super Grok” subscribers who pay $30 per month.

Jumbotail turns unicorn after raising $120M in Series D round; completes acquisition of Solv

With fresh capital and a broader portfolio, the Bengaluru-based firm aims to scale its commerce and credit stack for India’s small retailers.

[Weekly funding roundup July 5-11] Uncertainity looms large over venture capital

So far, the month of July has not been positive for the Indian startups as VC inflow has been quite restrained.

Arteria secures Rs 100 Cr in Series B from ICICI Venture to expand supply chain SaaS platform

Founded in 2010, Arteria offers digital solutions for managing upstream and downstream enterprise supply chains, with embedded financing options aimed at improving capital flow for suppliers and distributors.

Digital content company Chai Bisket raises $5M led by InfoEdge Ventures, General Catalyst

Founded in 2015 by Sharath Chandra and Anurag Reddy, Chai Bisket content footprint spans YouTube videos, web series, and theatrical films like Major.

Varthana Finance raises Rs 159 Cr debt from impact-focused global investors

Varthana Finance provides loans and academic support to small, affordable private schools that primarily serve students from low-income households.

HCLTech Q1 PAT Falls 10%, Cuts Margin Outlook

HCLTech Q1 FY26 PAT drops 10%, muted performance across segments. Margin guidance reduced as per Aditya Shah's report. Source: ScoutQuest

Tejas Networks Falls 5% on Weak Q1 Earnings

Tejas Networks shares dropped over 5% after Q1 earnings report. Source: ScoutQuest

Rajoo Engineers Gains 6.8%, Rs.12Cr Traded on NSE

Rajoo Engineers trades 0.89x average volume; 8L shares worth Rs.12Cr on NSE. CMP stands at Rs.143.04, up by Rs.9.07 as of 09:24 AM. Source: ScoutQuest

MIC Electronics Bags Railway Order for Kannur IPIS System

MIC Electronics secures order from Palakkad Railway Divisional Office for IPIS system at Kannur station. The project includes 6 years CAMC and will be completed within 6 months. Source: ScoutQuest

Godrej Agrovet Sets Aug 6 AGM, FY25 PBT Up 19% to ₹500 Cr

Godrej Agrovet announces AGM on Aug 6, 2025; final dividend payment to shareholders as of July 31, 2025. FY25 PBT rose 19% to ₹500cr; RoCE improved to 15.2%; sustainability goals met 80% via renewable energy. Source: Moneycontrol

HK 10Y Bond Yield Hits 4-week High

Country: Hong Kong, Description: HK 10 Year Government Bond Yield increased to 3.14%, the highest since June 2025. Over the past 4 weeks, Hong Kong 10Y Bond Yield gained 4.30 basis points, and in the last 12 months, it decreased 26.40 basis points.

Japan 10-Year Yield Hits Highest Level Since 2008

Country: Japan, Description: Japan’s 10-year government bond yield rose above 1.59% on Tuesday, hitting its highest level since 2008, amid growing expectations of expanded fiscal spending ahead of the Upper House election on July 20. Markets are increasingly pricing in the possibility of fresh stimulus measures, including a potential consumption tax cut, as policymakers seek to shore up economic momentum. The rise in yields came despite the Ministry of Finance reducing issuances of super-long bonds, suggesting strong upward pressure on shorter-term rates. Investors are now awaiting upcoming trade and inflation data that may shed light on the impact of US tariff threats on Japan’s economy. Meanwhile, global markets are also focused on the US consumer price report, which could influence the Federal Reserve’s next policy move.

US 10-Year Yield Holds Advance Ahead of CPI Data

Country: United States, Description: The yield on the US 10-year Treasury note held above 4.43% on Tuesday, hovering at a one-month high as investors awaited the June consumer price index, a key data point that could reveal the inflationary impact of the Trump administration’s tariff policies. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell recently signaled that inflation is likely to rise this summer due to ongoing tariff pressures—reinforcing expectations that the Fed may hold off on interest rate cuts until later this year. However, concerns over the central bank’s independence persist, with President Donald Trump continuing his criticism of Powell and insisting that interest rates should be at 1% or lower. On the trade front, Trump indicated a willingness to resume tariff negotiations with the European Union and other key partners. Still, geopolitical tensions escalated after he threatened to impose secondary tariffs of 100% on Russia unless a peace agreement with Ukraine is reached within 50 days.

China 10-Year Yield Ends 3-Day Win Streak

Country: China, Description: China’s 10-year government bond yield edged lower to around 1.66% on Tuesday, ending its three consecutive session of gains, as investors assessed a batch of mixed economic data. While GDP grew 5.2% in the second quarter—slightly above expectations—it marked a slowdown from 5.4% in the previous quarter. Stronger-than-expected industrial output offered some support, but softer retail sales and disappointing investment figures highlighted uneven domestic demand. Meanwhile, new yuan loans surged in June, beating forecasts and signaling strong credit demand. The pickup in lending, alongside increased bond issuance to fund stimulus, may put upward pressure on yields. However, a fragile US–China trade truce—particularly the lack of progress on sensitive issues like military-use rare earths, according to reports—underscored uncertainty in US–China relations. Elsewhere, Trump signaled willingness to engage in further tariff negotiations with the European Union and other key partners.

Japan 10Y Bond Yield Hits 16-year High

Country: Japan, Description: Japan 10 Year Government Bond Yield increased to 1.60%, the highest since October 2008. Over the past 4 weeks, Japan 10Y Bond Yield gained 14.15 basis points, and in the last 12 months, it increased 57.08 basis points.

Trump approves Patriot missiles for Ukraine in NATO arms effort

Summary: President gives Putin 50-day ultimatum for peace talks or face 100% tariffs while NATO allies prepare weapons transfers., Description: President Donald Trump has announced a significant shift in U.S. policy toward Ukraine, agreeing to send advanced weapons including Patriot missile systems to NATO allies for transfer to Ukraine, while threatening Russia with "severe tariffs" of approximately 100% if peace negotiations don't succeed within 50 days, as reported by ABC News and Sky News.

US relaxes AI chip restrictions allowing Nvidia back into China

Summary: The policy shift reverses an April ban that cost Nvidia $5.5 billion and comes amid improving trade relations., Description: According to reports, Nvidia has announced it will resume selling its H20 processor in China "soon" amid improving trade relations between Washington and Beijing, with CEO Jensen Huang stating that "the U.S. government has assured Nvidia that licenses will be granted" for these sales.

LA homelessness drops 4% for second straight year

Summary: Street homelessness fell 9.5% countywide as officials placed a record 28,000 people into permanent housing in 2024., Description: The number of homeless people in Los Angeles County declined by 4 percent for the second consecutive year, dropping to 72,308 individuals according to data released Monday by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. The city of Los Angeles saw a 3.4 percent decrease to 43,669 homeless residents. This marks the first time since the point-in-time count began in 2005 that homelessness has...

Nasdaq hits record high as markets brace for inflation data

Summary: Stocks rose Monday despite Trump's fresh tariff threats, with key inflation data and major bank earnings due Tuesday., Description: US stock indexes edged higher Monday, with the Nasdaq Composite hitting a new all-time high, as investors positioned themselves ahead of key inflation data and major bank earnings this week. The market's resilience comes despite fresh tariff threats from President Trump over the weekend. The S&P 500 rose 0.1% to 6,268.56, remaining within striking distance of its record high set Thursday. The...

Tesla faces first autopilot wrongful death trial over Key Largo crash

Summary: A landmark case involving a 2019 Key Largo crash that killed a third party could set legal precedent for liability in autonomous vehicle accidents., Description: Tesla heads to federal court in Miami for a landmark wrongful death trial involving its Autopilot system, the first such case to reach trial where a third party was killed when a Tesla Model S on Autopilot ran a stop sign and fatally struck 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon in Key Largo, Florida in 2019.