Daily Strategic Briefing

AI is making Google and Meta even stronger and richer

So they’re increasing spending on infrastructure to keep it that way When generative AI exploded into public view in late 2022, plenty of pundits predicted it would be bad news for the likes of Google and Meta as nimble AI-powered rivals found new ways to capture netizens’ attention and monetize it.…

Major telecom supplier compromised by unnamed nation-state attackers

Snoops remained undetected for nearly 10 months Nation-state snoops broke into Ribbon Communications – an outfit that provides software and networking gear to Verizon, CenturyLink, and the US Defense Department – last December, remained hidden for about nine months, and stole files belonging to three customers, according to the US telecommunications firm.…

Microsoft gives Windows 11 a fresh Start - here’s how to get it

The new Start has a more convenient layout that saves you a click Four years after the debut of Windows 11, Microsoft has finally fixed one of the biggest problems with its Start menu: The need to click the “All” button to view a complete list of all of your apps. A new Start menu, which gives you three different ways to view all installed programs without that extra click, is slowly rolling out to users.…

Microsoft seemingly just revealed that OpenAI lost $11.5B last quarter

Satya has also delivered Sam most of the cash he promised Microsoft reported earnings for the quarter ended Sept. 30 on Wednesday after market close and buried in its financial filings were a couple of passages suggesting that OpenAI suffered a net loss of $11.5 billion during the quarter.…

Microsoft Azure challenges AWS for downtime crown

Azure Front Door service outage disrupts airlines and other online services Microsoft Azure has been experiencing a global outage since around 1600 UTC, or 0900 PDT on Wednesday, October 29, 2025.…

Cluely’s Roy Lee on the ragebait strategy for startup marketing

Summary:

Cluely’s Roy Lee has a message for startup founders: you should be thinking harder about how to go viral.

Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko is a big fan of agentic coding

Summary:

Speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt, Yakovenko said he’s become increasingly comfortable taking a back seat in software development tasks.

Box CEO Aaron Levie on how AI is changing the enterprise SaaS landscape

Summary:

He painted a picture of a future of enterprise software where the SaaS is used for the core business workflow, and then the agents ride on top of that.

ElevenLabs CEO says AI audio models will be ‘commoditized’ over time

Summary:

ElevenLabs’ founder Mati Staniszewski said that, in the short term, AI audio models were still the “biggest advantage and the biggest step change you can have today.”

How AI labs use Mercor to get the data companies won’t share

Summary:

Mercor CEO Brendan Foody has built a $10 billion empire freeing up valuable data from legacy industries and making it available to AI labs.

L Catterton invests in Pune-based healthcare chain Healing Hands Clinic

The deal will give Healing Hands access to L Catterton’s global experience in building consumer healthcare businesses and support its plans to expand beyond its current network of 36 clinics across 14 cities.

Verlinvest invests $75M in Coimbatore-based The Eye Foundation

Headquartered in Coimbatore, The Eye Foundation runs over 25 hospitals across Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka, treating over a million patients annually.

BII invests $75M in Blueleaf Energy to help scale clean energy infrastructure in India

The financing is expected to help renewable energy platform Blueleaf Energy support nearly 2 GW of utility-scale solar, wind, and energy storage capacity in India.

UnifyApps raises $50M in Series B funding to scale enterprise AI push

UnifyApps plans to use the new capital to expand headcount and its European footprint, accelerate platform development, deepen integrations and build a catalogue of pre-built applications.

Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund closes maiden fund at Rs 100 Cr

The fund, which managed to raise the target corpus in under a year, will not look to initiate a green shoe option of Rs 50 crore to expand investments.

Datamatics Soars ₹6.2B, Insiders Hold 55% Stake

Datamatics Global Services gains ₹6.2b market cap; insiders hold 55% stake, benefiting most from the rise. Top 3 shareholders control 61% of shares, influencing decisions; retail investors own 26%, private companies 18%. Source: Simply Wall Street

Abakkus Fund Portfolio Falls 13%; Adds 6 Stocks, Trims 3 in Q2

Sunil Singhania's Abakkus fund added six stocks, trimmed stakes in three, and increased one holding in Q2. Portfolio value fell 13% to Rs 2,345 cr; major holdings like IIFL Securities, Mastek, Jubilant Pharmova declined sharply. Source: Moneycontrol

Filatex P/E at 20.1x, Trails Market Average Amid Earnings Concerns

Filatex India Ltd's P/E ratio stands at 20.1x, lower than India's average of 28x, reflecting concerns over future earnings growth. While Filatex grew EPS by 14% last year, a 51% drop over 3 years raises doubts about its medium-term profitability and stability. Source: Simply Wall Street

L&T Wins Major Role in Offshore Wind Project

L&T secures a key role in Tennet's offshore wind project. Source: ScoutQuest

CAMS Targets ₹200 Cr Revenue Boost, Caps Cost Growth at 11%

CAMS plans to cap annual cost growth at 10-11%, targeting INR 200 Cr revenue rise. Revenue split: INR 150 Cr from mutual funds, INR 50 Cr from non-mutual funds. Source: Livesquawk

Japan 10-Year Yield Climbs After BOJ Decision

Country: Japan, Description: Japan’s 10-year government bond yield rose 2 basis points to 1.66% on Thursday after the Bank of Japan kept its policy rate unchanged at 0.5%, as widely expected. The decision was passed by a 7-2 vote, with board members Naoki Tamura and Hajime Takata again advocating a hike to 0.75%, repeating their stance from September. The central bank reiterated that policy normalization would resume if economic projections are met. However, newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s support for loose monetary policy complicates prospects for further tightening. Meanwhile, Economic Revitalization Minister Minoru Kiuchi said the government remains focused on boosting growth, underscoring Takaichi’s expansionary fiscal stance.

New Zealand Dollar Rebounds

Country: New Zealand, Description: The New Zealand dollar climbed back near a three week-high at around $0.577 on Thursday, after slipping 0.3% overnight as the US dollar strengthened on hawkish remarks from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. While the Fed delivered a widely expected 25bps rate cut on Wednesday, Powell noted that another cut in December “is not a foregone conclusion,” dampening expectations of an extended easing cycle. Attention has now shifted to the highly anticipated meeting between US President Trump and Chinese President Xi in South Korea later today, where investors are hoping for meaningful progress toward a trade deal. Still, upside for the kiwi remains limited by expectations of further monetary easing by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, with traders pricing in an almost certain 25-bps rate cut in November.

Philippines Producer Inflation Hits 7-Month High

Country: Philippines, Description: Producer prices in the Philippines rose by 1% year-on-year in September 2025 from an upwardly revised 0.6% in the previous month. This marked the highest growth since February, driven largely by a rebound in prices for transport equipment (1.6% vs -0.2% in August), computer, electronic and optical products (0.9% vs -0.1%), and electrical equipment (0.4% vs -0.4%). At the same time, costs increased faster for the manufacture of wearing apparel (1.4% vs 0.5%), chemical and chemical products (0.6% vs 0.2%), basic metals (2.3% vs 2.0%), and rubber and plastic products (0.9% vs 0.6%). Meanwhile, prices declined further for basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations (-1.4% vs -1%), and for paper and paper products (-1.3% vs -1%). On a monthly basis, producer prices rose by 0.2% in September, matching the pace from the previous period.

BoJ Holds Rate at 0.5% as Expected

Country: Japan, Description: The Bank of Japan kept its benchmark short-term rate unchanged at 0.5% in October 2025, maintaining borrowing costs at their highest level since 2008 and extending a pause since the last hike in January. The decision, in line with market expectations, was approved by a 7-2 vote, with board members Naoki Tamura and Hajime Takata again proposing a rise to 0.75%, as they had in September. The central bank reaffirmed its commitment to continue raising borrowing costs if the economy follows its projections. The move came hours after the U.S. Federal Reserve delivered its second rate cut of the year. In its quarterly outlook, the BoJ held core inflation for FY 2025 at 2.7%, expecting it to ease to 1.8% in FY 2026 before rising slightly to 2.0% in FY 2027. GDP growth for FY 2025 was revised up a bit to 0.7% from 0.6%, supported by a trade deal with Washington and new leadership under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, while projections for FY 2026 and 2027 remained at 0.7% and 1%, respectively.

Yuan Holds Near 1-Year High on Trump-Xi Meeting

Country: China, Description: The offshore yuan traded around 7.09 per dollar on Thursday, holding near a one-year high as market sentiment remained upbeat on the back of the meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. The encounter marked the first between the two leaders since Trump’s return to office in January, with the pair exchanging handshakes on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in South Korea. Both sides are expected to finalize details of a framework agreement initially negotiated over the weekend in Malaysia, which includes a rollback of select tariffs, fees, and export restrictions. The potential deal has fueled optimism over an easing of trade tensions between Washington and Beijing following months of friction that rattled global markets. Meanwhile, in China, investors are awaiting upcoming PMI releases, with official data due later this week and private surveys scheduled for next week.

Microsoft resolves Azure outage after eight-hour disruption

Summary: A DNS configuration error in Azure Front Door crippled Microsoft 365, Xbox Live, and airline systems before engineers restored services Wednesday evening., Description: Microsoft resolved a major global cloud outage Wednesday evening that disrupted airlines, businesses, and millions of users worldwide for over eight hours, marking the second significant cloud infrastructure failure in less than two weeks.

Blue Jays one win from World Series title after 6-1 rout

Summary: Rookie Trey Yesavage struck out 12 batters in seven innings, setting a World Series rookie record in Toronto's commanding Game 5 victory., Description: The Toronto Blue Jays moved within one win of their first World Series championship since 1993, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-1 in Game 5 on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium to take a 3-2 series lead. After the series was tied 2-2 following Toronto's pivotal 6-2 victory in Game 4, the Blue Jays seized control with a historic start and dominant pitching performance that has left the...

US and South Korea finalize $350B trade and defense deal

Summary: Trump reduces tariffs to 15% while South Korea commits massive investments, including $150 billion for American shipbuilding and nuclear submarine technology access., Description: President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung finalized a comprehensive $350 billion trade agreement Wednesday, culminating months of negotiations that also included a breakthrough U.S. decision to share closely guarded nuclear submarine technology with Seoul. The deal, announced during Trump's visit to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju,...

Samsung profit surges 32% on AI chip demand

Summary: The tech giant posted operating profit of $8.58 billion, beating expectations as memory chips for AI applications fueled a dramatic recovery., Description: Samsung Electronics reported a stunning recovery Thursday, with third-quarter operating profit surging 32 percent year-over-year to 12.2 trillion won ($8.58 billion), significantly beating analyst expectations as artificial intelligence demand fueled a dramatic rebound in its memory chip business. The South Korean tech giant's quarterly revenue reached a record 86.06 trillion won, up 8.8...

Quantum sensors offer new paths to detect dark matter

Summary: Researchers networked quantum sensors to boost sensitivity and designed crystals mimicking theoretical dark matter particles, advancing detection methods., Description: Scientists from two leading universities have unveiled promising new quantum technologies that could finally help reveal dark matter, the invisible substance believed to make up 85% of the universe's matter. The breakthroughs from Tohoku University and Nanyang Technological University Singapore represent complementary approaches to detecting the elusive particles that hold galaxies together.