1. The valuation of Ant Group has dropped to 78 billion US dollars

Fidelity Investment once again lowered Ant Group's valuation, from $144 billion in February to $78 billion at the end of June, at least the second time this year. Ant Group was valued at $235 billion on the eve of the suspension of listing plans in November. Another document showed that Fidelity Investment was likely to reduce Ant Group's valuation to $67 billion, although it could not tell from the documents whether it reflected the fall in valuations or a change in the size of fund holdings.

Brief comment: there is a lot of uncertainty about the future of Ant Group.

2. The court made an adverse ruling on "Apple Inc tax".

A California District Court judge's ruling on Epic Games's antitrust lawsuit against Apple Inc could deal a major blow to Apple Inc's lucrative App Store business. The judge said Apple Inc would no longer be allowed to ban App developers from providing links or other means of communication that guide users to bypass intra-app payments.

The ban settles long-standing complaints from developers and increases the possibility that they may redirect their users to their third-party websites to subscribe to or buy digital content, which is bad for Apple Inc's App Store sales.

Brief comments:Apple Inc shares closed down 3.31% on Friday, the biggest drop since May, wiping out more than $80 billion a day in market value.

Amazon.Com Inc accused Musk of ignoring government rules

Amazon.Com Inc (Amazon.com) submitted a scathing document to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) accusing Elon Musk of ignoring various rules imposed by the government, including some requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Amazon.Com Inc told US regulators that Musk, the billionaire who runs Tesla, Inc. and SpaceX, believes that government regulations do not apply to him. Amazon.Com Inc's Kuiper project is a planned $10 billion network with more than 3000 satellites providing high-speed Internet from space. The project faces fierce competition from SpaceX's Starlink network.

Summary: Bezos and Musk are competitors in many areas, and mutual antagonism between the two has become commonplace.

4. The price of LCD panels for TV has dropped sharply.

The price of LCD panels for televisions fell sharply after signs that global TV sales, which performed strongly against the backdrop of home demand, had come to an end, with the discount prices of LCD panel indicators falling by about 10 per cent in August. Data show that the global supply of LCD TVs from April to June decreased by 5% compared with the April-June of 2019 before the epidemic spread.

The main reason is the end of home demand in Europe and the United States, where vaccination has made progress. The prices of large-size products that had previously maintained a rise also fell, and all the sizes of LCD panels for televisions were reduced. If the panel continues to decline, it is likely to spread to TV prices.

Brief comment: in the first half of this year, the profits of several major LCD panel companies have increased several times compared with the same period last year.

Intel Corp built a chip factory in Europe with 95 billion US dollars.

Intel Corp plans to build up to $95 billion worth of new chip manufacturing facilities in Europe, in response to a multinational race to increase capacity amid tight global chip supplies. Intel Corp plans to build two chip plants at a new site in Europe and is likely to expand further.

With the increasing demand for chips in computers, cars and electronics, these facilities will strive to meet the huge demand for semiconductors. Intel Corp plans to invest the manufacturing capacity of a factory in Ireland into the field of automotive chips.

Brief comments:Intel Corp's manufacturing expansion in Europe is part of a strategy by the new CEO, Gelsinger, to make Intel Corp a major chipmaker.

6. the shortage of automotive chips may continue until 2023.

Carmakers gathered in Munich, but a persistent shortage of semiconductors cast a long shadow over the first major auto show since before the outbreak. From the computer management of the engine to improve the fuel economy, to the driving assistance functions such as emergency braking, cars are more and more dependent on chips.

Ola Kallenius, Daimler's chief executive, says the auto industry may struggle to get enough chips until 2023. Oliver Zipse, chief executive of BMW, expects the supply chain to remain tight as far as 2022. Bosch, a major car supplier, says supply will remain limited until next year.

Brief comment: the shortage of chip supply directly affects the production of automotive electronic products, and the suspension of production by downstream customers due to chip shortage will affect the orders of upstream enterprises.

7. Toyota develops battery system for 13.5 billion US dollars

Toyota Motor Corp (Toyota Motor) says more than $13.5 billion is expected to be invested in the development of batteries and their battery supply systems by 2030, with a view to leading this critical automotive technology over the next decade. Toyota Motor Corp is considered to be a leader in the field of battery development for electric vehicles. The company said it plans to cut battery costs by more than 30 per cent by improving the materials and structure used in batteries.

Summary: the company's goal is to reduce power consumption per kilometer by 30 per cent, starting with the bZ4X pure electric SUV model. The bZ4X mass production version is scheduled to be unveiled this year and is expected to go on sale in early 2022.

8. Samsung sells most of its stake in BYD

Samsung Electronics (Samsung Electronics) has sold most of its stake in BYD Motor, a Chinese maker of electric cars and batteries. Samsung bought a 1.9 per cent stake in BYD in 2016 for 528.7 billion won (about 2.95 billion yuan).

Samsung Electronics has completed some share transfers this year, with its shareholding falling from 1.9 per cent to 0.3 per cent. Samsung's share transfer income is 1.5 trillion won (about 8.35 billion yuan). BYD's share price has risen sharply compared with 2016, and the market value of Samsung's stake in BYD has tripled.

Brief comments:Among the many important shareholders of BYD, Berkshire, managed by Warren Buffett, has the most firm shareholding attitude. Berkshire owns 250 million shares in BYD, accounting for more than 8 per cent of the company's total share capital. Berkshire has not reduced its holdings since it bought BYD in 2008.

9. Bill Gates acquires a controlling stake in four Seasons Hotel

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the investment arm of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, has agreed to buy a controlling stake in the company in a deal that values the company at $10 billion, according to Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

The luxury hotel company said that in the all-cash deal, Cascade would buy half of Kingdom Holding's 47.5 per cent stake for $2.21 billion, increasing its stake from 47.5 per cent to 71.25 per cent. Four Seasons Hotels has about $850 million in debt.

Summary: the acquisition is in part a rebound in Gates' bet on high-end business travel to big cities.

10. Blackstone Group Inc Group abandons acquisition of Soho China

Beijing-based office operator Soho China said Blackstone Group Inc decided not to press ahead with its $3 billion takeover offer. In other words, Soho China's second attempt to sell itself failed.

In June, Blackstone Group Inc proposed to buy Soho China for no more than 23.7 billion Hong Kong dollars (US $3 billion). Soho China has been seen as an acquisition target since early 2020 because it lacks new assets and falling office rents in China's major cities are putting increasing pressure on its profits.

Brief comment: after 3 months of circling around, Pan Shiyi's "cash dream" failed again.