The ringgit has weakened as the US dollar strengthened, with USD/MYR rising from a late-February low of RM3.8895 to RM4.1377 on June 24, amid uncertainty over the Federal Reserve’s policy path under new chairman Kevin Maxwell Warsh. Malaysia’s fundamentals have provided support, including a current account surplus that widened to 3% of GDP and a 70.5% year-on-year jump in electrical and electronics exports in May, alongside AI data-centre investment. Several institutions have kept their year-end USD/MYR targets in the RM3.95–RM4 range.

Demand for whey protein has surged as U.S. diet trends shift toward higher protein intake and use of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs expands. The dairy industry is struggling to produce enough, with inventories falling and some suppliers sold out for the latter half of the year, according to the USDA. Limited processing capacity and long timelines to add specialized infrastructure are keeping supply tight as prices climb.

Escalating military conflict between the US and Iran has stalled negotiations, but gold has still fallen for two straight weeks. Comex gold slid 3.5% on the week to USD 4,096.3 per ounce, while silver dropped 10.7% to USD 59.67 per ounce. In India, MCX gold August futures fell 2.06% and MCX silver September futures declined 6.4%. Analysts cited a stronger US dollar, a near-10% drop in crude oil that eased inflation concerns, and rising US Treasury yields as key factors weighing on precious metals.

The article argues that a new semiconductor-themed trade dubbed “MANIA”—MU, AMD, NVDA, INTC and AVGO—has emerged around the five largest holdings of the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX). It says SOXX is up more than 105% year to date, but technical signals suggest momentum is fading as implied volatility reaches 62%, with an expected $125 trading range over the next three months. The author warns that the concentration risk could leave SOXX, and the QQQ that holds many of the same names, vulnerable to a pullback. It suggests using the leveraged ETFs SOXL and SOXS to hedge or adjust exposure.

Apple, Microsoft and other major tech companies are raising prices on hardware, citing higher memory and storage component costs tied to the buildout of AI. Microsoft said console storage and memory prices have risen by more than 2.5x and it expects another doubling by the fall of 2027. Apple has increased prices across MacBook and iPad models by hundreds of dollars, Microsoft has lifted Xbox prices, and Google’s Pixel 11 is also facing upward pressure. The moves reflect industry-wide cost pass-through rather than a single-company shift, as AI infrastructure spending squeezes room for consumer-device pricing and could weigh on demand.

Persistent Systems said it will acquire German digital engineering firm Nagarro for $1.3 billion, with the deal expected to close by March 2027. The company said the combined business would have revenue of $2.9 billion after the transaction. It is targeting $5 billion in revenue by 2031. Persistent highlighted synergies in SAP implementation and OpenAI engineering deployment, and said it plans to repay a $1.6 billion short-term loan through cost synergies and cash generation without diluting equity for now.

GameStop (GME) said it will continue pursuing its $56 billion cash-and-stock takeover proposal for eBay (EBAY) despite eBay rejecting the offer. The company said it plans to release additional materials detailing the integration approach and raised its fiscal 2026 adjusted EBITDA outlook to more than $600 million, up from $345.4 million in fiscal 2025. The update helped lift GME shares 3.57% to $21.76.

Gold and silver extended their declines, with MCX gold for August down 2.06% on the week and MCX silver for September falling 6.4%. Overseas, Comex gold slid 3.5% to $4,096.3 per ounce, while silver dropped 10.7% to $59.67 per ounce. A stronger US dollar and a near-10% fall in crude oil eased inflation concerns and reduced bullion’s appeal as a hedge, while escalating US-Iran tensions provided only limited support, according to analysts cited by PTI.