Markets

Poxel SA, facing insolvency proceedings, has overhauled its board and leadership. The entire existing board resigned, replaced by Sophie Jacq Lapointe (Chairman), Nicolas Trouche (CEO), Amit Kohli, and Alexandre Bragadir. Trouche succeeds Thomas Kuhn as CEO. Lapointe brings pharmaceutical commercialization expertise, while Trouche specializes in restructuring. Kohli has expertise in diabetes therapies and Bragadir in healthcare financing. Poxel’s focus remains on MASH and rare metabolic disorder treatments, including PXL065 and PXL770, and its diabetes drug TWYMEEG®. The new leadership aims to navigate restructuring and secure funding.

Leading Chinese food delivery platforms, including Meituan, Ele.me, and JD.com, have signaled a potential end to subsidy wars by publicly committing to curb unfair competition and “zero-dollar” promotions. They pledged to regulate promotional activities, respect market dynamics, guarantee reasonable profits for merchants, and focus on healthy competition driven by quality and service. The platforms aim to build a sustainable ecosystem through technological empowerment and supply chain innovation instead of relying on aggressive subsidies.

Beijing is allocating 69 billion yuan in special treasury bonds, the third batch dedicated to stimulating domestic consumption through trade-ins of consumer goods. A final tranche of 69 billion yuan is planned for October. The NDRC, along with the Ministry of Finance and Commerce, will oversee local governments to ensure matching funds and prevent price hikes or subsidy fraud. This initiative, building on a January program, offers subsidies for electronics upgrades, such as 15% discounts (up to 500 yuan) on smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches priced under 6,000 yuan.

Leading Chinese on-demand delivery platforms, including Ele.me, Meituan, and Taobao Flash, have jointly announced an end to “malicious competition” after regulatory scrutiny. The companies pledge to standardize promotional activities, prevent unfair competition, and ensure fair industry practices. Key areas of focus include strategically planned subsidies, rejecting unfair competition, improving service quality, and fostering a win-win ecosystem. This shift follows a meeting with China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), which mandated compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

STAAR Surgical (STAA) will release its Q2 2025 financial results on August 6, 2025, after market close. A live webcast and earnings call will follow at 4:30 p.m. ET. The company, a leader in phakic IOLs like the EVO ICL™, aims to reduce dependence on glasses and contacts. STAAR has distributed over 3 million ICLs across 75+ countries. A replay will be available on STAAR’s investor relations website for 90 days.

WeChat has updated its withdrawal fee structure, lowering the minimum fee threshold to 0.01 yuan (approximately $0.0014 USD) as of July 25th. Previously, a 0.1 yuan minimum applied after a cumulative 1,000 yuan fee-free withdrawal allowance was exceeded. Now, fees below 0.01 yuan are rounded up, but withdrawals of 0.01 yuan or less are exempt, benefitting users with small balances.

Apple’s latest earnings report shows a rebound in iPhone sales in China, driving a 4.35% revenue increase in the Greater China region. CEO Tim Cook noted iPhone users in China are at an all-time high, crediting government subsidies. Apple also touts strong sales for Mac, iPad, and Apple Watch. The MacBook Air is reportedly the best-selling notebook and the Mac Mini the top desktop in China, with iPhone holding the top three smartphone spots.

A 14-year-old girl in Anhui gained popularity on Douyin for selling beach toys. Her father documented her 25-day entrepreneurial venture, which generated over 2,000 yuan. While initial success drew praise, increased competition led to a decline in sales, prompting her to plan to discontinue the business soon. Commenters highlighted the value of her experience in fostering independent thinking, social skills, and understanding the value of labor beyond traditional education.

The Ether Machine (DYNX) invested $56.9M to acquire 15,000 ETH at an average of $3,809.97 per ETH, marking Ethereum’s 10th anniversary. This brings their total ETH holdings to 334,757, with $407M allocated for future purchases. This deployment from a $97M private placement signals a strong institutional commitment to ETH and positions DYNX as a significant accumulator. Concurrently, Chairman Andrew Keys donated $100,000 to Protocol Guild, supporting Ethereum’s core development.

Apple’s fiscal Q3 2025 saw a revenue boost due to accelerated device purchases driven by consumer anxiety over potential tariffs, contributing one percentage point to the company’s 10% year-over-year revenue growth. Initial tariff announcements led to speculation about significant iPhone price increases, prompting consumers to buy early. Apple absorbed $800 million in tariff expenses in the June quarter and anticipates $1.1 billion in the September quarter, potentially leading to a $50 price increase for the iPhone 17 series models.