Markets

Markets Salt instead of scarcity: how CATL’s sodium battery launch redraws the map of the energy transition CATL’s TENER Sodium system moves sodium-ion storage from laboratory promise to signed contracts. Issue 63 9 min read Markets Quick hits: TikTok saved, sort of, and SpaceX swallows xAI in the largest merger in history Issue 62 4 min read Markets Big Tech’s power shift: who owns AI, who owns the future What changed in the first half of 2026 was the scale at which that power expanded, and the speed at which the competitive landscape around artificial intelligence reshaped the hierarchy. Issue 62 7 min read Markets The $3 trillion IPO summer: SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic go public On June 12, SpaceX began trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker SPCX. The listing raised $75 billion at a valuation of $1.75 trillion, making it the largest initial public offering in financial history. Issue 62 8 min read Markets Cloud reloaded: how the IPO wave is reshaping infrastructure On March 25, 2026, Google Research published a paper that sent shockwaves through the global semiconductor industry. Issue 62 7 min read Markets The billion-dollar game: GTA 6 and the economics of blockbuster gaming On November 19, 2026, Rockstar Games will release Grand Theft Auto VI. Issue 62 7 min read Markets Quick hits: May 2026 Apple is reportedly buying up virtually all available mobile DRAM on the global market at prices roughly double the going rate, in what industry analysts are calling the most aggressive supply chain maneuver in the company’s history. Issue 61 5 min read Markets Cloud 3.0: hybrid, multi-cloud, and sovereign architectures Hybrid, Multi-Cloud, and Sovereign Architectures The first era of cloud computing was about migration. Companies moved workloads from on-premises data centers to public cloud providers, chasing cost savings, scalability, and the promise of someone else managing the infrastructure. Issue 61 6 min read Markets Oil, inflation and the world’s economy The 2026 Energy Shock On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched joint air strikes on Iran. Within days, the geopolitical landscape of global energy was transformed. Issue 61 6 min read Markets TurboQuant and why it dropped memory prices and Why It Dropped Memory Prices On March 25, 2026, Google Research published a paper that sent shockwaves through the global semiconductor industry. Issue 61 5 min read Markets The state of gaming 2026: layoffs, AI, and the UGC revolution Boom, Bust, and the Battle for What Comes Next The gaming industry in 2026 is a study in contradictions. Global revenue is projected to reach $205 billion, up 4.6 percent from the previous year. When hardware sales are included, the total climbs closer to $237 billion. Issue 61 6 min read Markets Quick hits: March 2026 Four signals shaping the next wave of tech in 2025 russia moves to block WhatsApp, meta calls it a push toward state surveillance Issue 60 6 min read