Meta Platforms, Inc.

Alphabet Inc.

Meta is preparing to launch paid subscriptions on Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp with exclusive features and advanced AI capabilities. Google agreed to pay $68 million to settle a lawsuit for illegally recording conversations through its voice assistant. About these and other topics - in our review of key events for the morning of January 27.

Highlights for the morning: India-EU 'deal of the decade', Meta launches paid subscriptions

US President Donald Trump has announced an increase in US duties on a number of goods from South Korea to 25%. This will affect, for example, cars and pharmaceutical products. Trump expressed displeasure that South Korean lawmakers never approved his "grand bargain" with the country's president made last summer.

Trump increased duties on goods from South Korea to 25%

Novo Nordisk A/S

Eli Lilly and Company

Hanwha Ocean Co., Ltd.

Paramount Skydance Corporation

Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Novo Nordisk's first semaglutide-based GLP-1 obesity pill, intensifying the company's competition with Eli Lilly. ByteDance, owner of TikTok, plans to invest about $23 billion in AI infrastructure amid record growth in debt financing in the global tech sector. These and other topics - in our review of key events for the morning of December 23.

The main thing for the morning: a pill instead of a shot, ships for the U.S. Navy and $40 billion for Hollywood

Kia Corporation

Hyundai Motor Company

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

SK hynix Inc.

The U.S. and Korea reached an agreement in principle to reduce duties back in July, but the process has since been delayed

The U.S. has promised to reduce duties on imports from Korea retroactively. Which stocks rose?

Meta has come under pressure over allegations of hiding an internal study showing a drop in anxiety in users who abandoned Facebook and Instagram. South Korea said it was ready to coordinate with Taiwan in negotiations on U.S. duties on chips in a bid to get the most favorable terms possible amid a possible delay in the introduction of import restrictions by the Donald Trump administration. About these and other topics - in a review of key events for the morning of November 24.

Main by morning: Meta under fire from lawsuits, Seoul and Taiwan getting closer over Trump's duties

A drop below the IPO price is a bad signal, but it's too early to blame the company itself, a South Korean broker said

Baby Shark creator's shares collapse below IPO price after soaring in debut trading

NVIDIA Corporation

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited

Advantest Corporation

TSMC, Samsung and Advantest are among the growth leaders

Asia tech stocks soar on strong Nvidia report

Despite huge demand, Pinkfong Studios sold its shares cheaper than its peers

Shares of the creator of the Baby Shark cartoon soared after the IPO

Lasertec Corporation

Ibiden Co.,Ltd.

Companies in Asia related to artificial intelligence may be a cheaper and more promising option for investors to capitalize on the AI boom than U.S. companies, according to Saxo Bank. Asia is the "AI backbone" because most chips and memory modules are manufactured there, and that's where the capital investment flows from market leaders: "Factories continue to operate regardless of which U.S. platform wins the software race," Saxo said.

"US sells the dream, Asia builds the machines": Saxo names the best markets for AI investors

Surging South Korean indices may indicate market fatigue

Volatility in the most profitable market of the year is at its peak since April. Will the rally continue?

SoftBank Group Corp.

Shares of artificial intelligence-related companies from Japan and South Korea were particularly hard hit  

"The answer is to run": Asian stocks collapse on fears of overvalued AI race leaders

This is a continuation of the company's series of large-scale deals in the sovereign AI space