Oil price surges after Iran war, S Korean stock plunged, unemployment rate rose in US, defense-tech stocks soar, Venezuela deal, private equity crisis, shortage of data storage

Middle Eastern conflicts have triggered a surge in oil prices, resulting in severe stock market declines across Asia and a "supercycle" rally for defense-technology stocks. Meanwhile, the United States labor market shows signs of cooling as Big Tech faces a potential "winner and loser" scenario driven by massive artificial intelligence capital expenditures and critical hardware shortages. In China, the government is prioritizing technological self-reliance amid its lowest growth targets in decades, even as it reclaims its title as the world’s billionaire capital. Additionally, the reports highlight emerging investment opportunities in Venezuela's mining sector and the continued maturation of Latin American digital banking. Despite these pockets of growth, liquidity crunches in private equity and international semiconductor trade disputes signal ongoing structural risks to the global economy.