Economy — 2,060 insights
Hyundai profit falls 21% on US tariffs, supply chain disruption
Economy

Hyundai profit falls 21% on US tariffs, supply chain disruption

Automaker confirms it is buying out SoftBank's stake in robotics startup Boston Dynamics A Hyundai Motor production line in South Korea. The automaker's output in the second quarter was hit by a fire at an engine valve supplier. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Suzu Takahashi and Kotaro Hosokawa) SEOUL -- Hyundai Motor's operating profit fell more than 20% in the second quarter of this year as it was hit by high U.S. tariffs and a fire at an engine valve supplier that hurt production of premium models.

July 23, 2026
Thailand’s new investment jumps 37% in Jan-June on AI boom
Economy

Thailand’s new investment jumps 37% in Jan-June on AI boom

Data centers flourish, but analysts raise concerns over real economic gains Bangkok skyline: Total investment in Thailand was up by over a third in the first half of 2026 amid the global AI boom. © Reuters BANGKOK -- Thailand's new foreign and domestic investment jumped 37% year on year in the first half of 2026 to $43.6 billion, official data released on Thursday showed, and was boosted by the digital sector amid the global artificial intelligence boom.

July 23, 2026
Asia braces for new US tariffs as global 10% levy expires
Economy

Asia braces for new US tariffs as global 10% levy expires

Trump administration works to rebuild tariff regime as companies frontload orders Importers have been rushing goods into the United States as they prepare for more tariff uncertainty. © Reuters NEW YORK -- Asian trading partners are bracing for new U.S. tariffs as a temporary 10% rate President Donald Trump applied to all imports is set to expire Friday.

July 23, 2026
Global corporate bond sales hit $3.7tn in first half on AI funding race
Economy

Global corporate bond sales hit $3.7tn in first half on AI funding race

Boom driven by hyperscalers like Amazon, Oracle starting to widen credit spreads Big U.S. tech companies are issuing tens of billions of dollars in bonds to fund AI-related projects such as data centers. (Source photos by Getty/Kyodo and Reuters) TOKYO -- Corporate bond issuance worldwide reached $3.68 trillion in the January-June period for another first-half record as companies vie to fund artificial intelligence investments, though concern about the aggressive borrowing has investors starting to seek higher yields.

July 23, 2026
Tech group NEC CEO pushes back on AI threat as company shares drop 20%
Economy

Tech group NEC CEO pushes back on AI threat as company shares drop 20%

Japanese company to focus on overseas M&A over investment efficiency NEC is banking on strong earnings in the age of artificial intelligence. (Photo by Kazuho Fujiwara) TOKYO -- Shares of Japanese technology group NEC are down nearly 20% from the end of last year -- far underperforming the 30% gain of the benchmark Nikkei Average -- amid worries that artificial intelligence could threaten conventional IT and software companies.

July 23, 2026
Analysis: Xi Jinping moves to bury a scandal that reaches his inner circle
Economy

Analysis: Xi Jinping moves to bury a scandal that reaches his inner circle

The scandal swirling around Ma Xingrui is a serious blow for the Xi administration, which now has to step carefully to avoid bearing the brunt of public anger. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images) Politburo member purged ahead of APEC summit in Xi family stronghold of Shenzhen Katsuji Nakazawa is a Tokyo-based senior staff and editorial writer at Nikkei. He spent seven years in China as a correspondent, and later as China bureau chief, and was the 2014 recipient of the Vaughn-Ueda International Journalist prize.

July 23, 2026
Japan’s Toyota Tsusho seeks to strike gold with rare metal recycling
Economy

Japan’s Toyota Tsusho seeks to strike gold with rare metal recycling

Trading house aims to become top scrap metal recycler early next decade Toyota Tsusho acquired U.S.-based Radius Recycling in 2025. (Photo by Kosuke Okamoto) TOKYO -- Japanese trading company Toyota Tsusho intends to become the world's largest recycler of metal scrap, spending 1.2 trillion yen ($7.4 billion) through March 2028 to extract valuable metals without owning a mine.

July 23, 2026
Japan, China need an economic hotline as well as a defense one
Economy

Japan, China need an economic hotline as well as a defense one

The more Beijing puts pressure on rare-earth exports, the less effective the leverage A sculpture outside the office building of China Northern Rare Earth Group, with "Build world-class" inscribed at its base, in the rare-earth industrial hub of Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China. © Reuters David Tingxuan Zhang is an analyst at Trivium China, a Beijing-based strategic advisory firm.

July 23, 2026
Anduril, other drone makers eye Japanese tech in global expansion
Economy

Anduril, other drone makers eye Japanese tech in global expansion

Nidec, MinebeaMitsumi among suppliers of interest in future growth market Anduril Industries shows off its Fury drone at the Farnborough International Airshow. (Photo by Takako Fujiu) FARNBOROUGH, U.K./TOKYO -- As drone makers compete to establish supply networks to meet growing global demand, some are setting their sights on Japan and the technologies that its component makers have to offer.

July 23, 2026
Japan eel prices down sharply, but unagi smuggling concerns linger
Economy

Japan eel prices down sharply, but unagi smuggling concerns linger

Consumption and trade could face revived criticism from Europe Grilled eel is a cherished dish in Japan's punishing summers, during which it is said to provide stamina. (Photo by Takumi Sasaki) TOKYO -- Japanese eel prices this summer are down from last year, when a European Union proposal sparked fears the classic summer dish would disappear from menus, but persistent smuggling and difficulty distinguishing species means international pressure is still high to regulate their trade.

July 23, 2026
South Korea logs modest growth even as AI chip boom powers exports
Economy

South Korea logs modest growth even as AI chip boom powers exports

Record semiconductor shipments lift GDP 0.6% in Q2 but gains remain uneven across economy A graduate student majoring in semiconductor engineering at Korea University in Seoul works on June 11. The chip sector is powering South Korea's economy. © Reuters SEOUL -- South Korea's economy expanded in the second quarter of this year as a boom in exports of semiconductors and other IT items continued to drive growth.

July 23, 2026
Elon Musk touts Tesla’s AI6 as the world’s best edge AI chip
Economy

Elon Musk touts Tesla’s AI6 as the world’s best edge AI chip

TSMC and Samsung US fabs to be key part of robot supply chain Elon Musk has big ambitions for Tesla's next-generation AI6 chip, as the U.S. company steers toward AI and robotics. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Nikkei and Reuters) PALO ALTO, California -- Elon Musk said Tesla's next-generation, in-house AI6 semiconductor will be "the best edge computing chip in the world," as the U.S. company pivots away from its electric vehicles business toward AI and robotics.

July 23, 2026