Markets

Silver47 Exploration (AAGAF) is finalizing its 2025 exploration program at British Columbia’s Adams Plateau Project, targeting SEDEX silver-zinc-copper-gold-lead deposits. Collecting 5,008 soil and 76 rock samples revealed high-grade results, including recent surface samples up to 3,503 g/t Ag and historic intercepts of 4.8m @ 348 g/t Ag. The consolidated 150 km² property unifies 25+ mineral occurrences under a new 5-year permit, supported by robust infrastructure. While surface data highlights district-scale potential, challenges include verification of historical drill records and limited exploration continuity beyond known zones.

Forbes’ 2025 China Best CEOs list highlights transformative leadership, with 50 executives driving firms to 79% average stock growth and over 50% net profit gains. Pop Mart’s Wang Ning led with 200% profit surge and 9x market cap rise. Emerging consumer sector leaders, including first-time entrants like Zhang Junjie (post-90s CEO of Chagee), disrupted traditional dominance by tech/energy sectors. Five-time honoree BYD’s Wang Chuanfu and returning Tencent’s Pony Ma (51.8% stock rise, 68% profit growth) underscore sustained excellence amid industry shifts toward IP-driven and consumer markets.

Klotho Neurosciences received FDA Orphan Drug Designation for ALS therapy candidate KLTO-202, granting tax benefits, fee exemptions, and potential 7-year U.S. exclusivity. The gene therapy targets neuromuscular junctions via a proprietary delivery system to combat motor neuron degradation while enhancing protective protein expression. CEO Joseph Sinkule emphasized its scientific promise against ALS, which affects under 200,000 Americans annually with no cure. Following animal model successes, Klotho progresses manufacturing development and regulatory plans. The investigational treatment forms part of its pipeline targeting neurodegenerative diseases through its s-KL protein platform.

Visitors at Chengdu’s Zhuge Liang shrine are leaving unconventional tributes, sparking online buzz. Alongside flowers, offerings now include mobile game printouts, strategy game cards (“Sanguosha”), cigarettes, headache powder, and even images placing the ancient strategist beside modern weapons like DF missiles. This spontaneous blending of history and pop culture draws crowds. Shrine staff confirm the daily appearance of new items and note increased frequency of these modern tributes in recent months.

ROMOSS, once China’s top power bank brand, abruptly shut down after catastrophic product failures like spontaneous combustion. Bans and safety certification suspensions followed. Core issues stemmed from years of prioritizing profits over safety during product development, according to an insider. Suspicions were raised about its battery supplier, AMPEREX Technology, exceeding feasible production quotas. Critically, ROMOSS leadership was absent during the crisis, delegating communication and worsening mistrust. This collapse highlights significant industry safety risks.

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E3 Lithium Ltd. delivered key Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) equipment, including a 30-column system, to its Clearwater Project demonstration site. This milestone advances the vital Canadian lithium project toward validation of its process. Initial operations will test equipment and aim to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate. CEO Chris Doornbos states this moves pilot results toward commercial scale, highlighting Canada’s strategic lithium supply potential. The project leverages Alberta’s significant 21.2 million tonne lithium resource base.

Summer 2025 sees a seismic shift in car rentals, driven by demand for autonomy and experience. Domestic rentals are projected to surge 40% YoY with international bookings jumping 60%, fueled by Millennials (70% of users) and Gen Z (70% YoY growth). Transparent pricing now covers 60% of short-term rentals (+30pp YoY), resolving historical fee disputes. Social media accelerates experiential travel, with 38% of bookings influenced by “Instagrammable” themes like dopamine road trips and glamping. Gen Z’s 230% growth in EV rentals and off-grid destination demand (+70% in tier-4 cities) signal structural industry change toward emotional engagement and trust-driven consumption.

Zhengzhou hotel operators accuse Trip.com of unauthorized rate modifications via an automated tool, prompting a regulatory probe. Authorities are gathering evidence of price discrepancies up to 20 yuan ($2.75) from merchant-set rates. While Trip.com claims the tool helps hotels stay competitive and allows opt-outs, over 110 complaints allege reactivation without consent. Legal experts warn violations of China’s Price Law and anti-competition regulations, highlighting tensions between platform rate control and merchant pricing autonomy. The case tests updated e-commerce laws amid growing scrutiny of China’s $100B online travel sector dominated by Trip.com.

Pony AI has initiated mass production of its seventh-generation robotaxi platform through partnerships with GAC (June 2025) and BAIC (July 2025), advancing commercialization. The new system achieves full automotive-grade component certification, reduces autonomous hardware costs by 70%, and features scalable architecture for cross-vehicle adaptation. Targeting deployment of 1,000 operational vehicles globally by late 2025, the company is conducting extensive road testing in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. These advancements position Pony AI to overcome scalability barriers and set industry benchmarks for cost-efficient autonomous fleet deployment.

Microsoft announced its second major workforce cut this year, eliminating approximately 9,000 jobs (under 4% of its workforce) to streamline operations, with controversy erupting over revoked unvested stock awards from laid-off employees. Former Xbox developer Noble Smith criticized the policy as stripping potential family education funds, sparking debate on compensation ethics during layoffs. Analysts note competitors sometimes accelerate vesting as goodwill, while Microsoft’s stock clawbacks amid record share prices could save hundreds of millions. The dispute underscores tensions between cost-cutting measures, employee retention, and transparency in equity-based compensation models across the tech sector.