- Outstanding call money volume for May was published by the central bank
- The May figure showed a slight change compared with April's level
- Higher call money balances suggest tighter short‑term liquidity conditions
June 5, 2026
▼ 8◆ 2– 18
Markets 1
Macro/Economy 4
- RBI keeps interest rates at 5.25%
- Raises inflation forecast to 5.1% for FY2027
- Cuts growth forecast to 6.6% for FY2027
- USTR threatens Vietnam with a 12.5% tariff for alleged forced‑labor violations, joining 43 other economies
- Vietnam says its policies align with ILO standards and trade‑agreement obligations
- USTR also opened Section 301 probes on Vietnam's excess manufacturing capacity and IP enforcement
- U.S. goods trade deficit with Vietnam rose 44.3% to $178.2 bn in 2025; Q1‑2026 deficit $54.8 bn
- Tariff threat follows a broader USTR investigation of 60 nations for forced‑labor compliance
- New head Nanik Sudaryati Deyang appointed after former BGN chief Dadan Hindayana was arrested on corruption charges
- MBG program reached 62 million beneficiaries, costing 75 trillion rupiah ($4.24 bn) as of April 30
- Government plans to cut 2026 MBG budget from 335 trillion to 268 trillion rupiah, aiming to reduce costs while maintaining quality
- Program targets 83 million children and pregnant women, focusing on stunting reduction in remote areas
- CAI measures short‑term private consumption, covering roughly 50% of Japan's GDP
- Data are released at 2:00 p.m. on the fifth business day of each month, subject to change
- Index includes nominal, real, travel‑adjusted versions and sector breakdowns
- Recent revisions documented in research papers up to April 2026
Central Banks 1
- Bank of England and FCA maintain effective MoU on FMI supervision with no material duplication
- FMIs report high coordination and support for MoU arrangements in 2025 feedback
- MoU to be reviewed annually; authorities highlight coordination on tokenisation, T+1 settlement, and UK EMIR review
Energy/Oil 2
- Fossil fuels now seen as intermittent and uncertain, reversing the conventional narrative.
- Renewables, thanks to batteries, have become constant and reliable, offering a superior alternative technology.
- Europe's reliance on imported energy and fossil fuel trade routes remains a significant vulnerability.
- Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned it could shut the Bab el-Mandeb if Israel does not halt strikes
- Oil flows through the strait rose to 7.2 million barrels per day in April, nearly double February's 3.9 million bpd
- U.S. crude prices jumped about 8% after the threat, before easing on a cease‑fire announcement
- Closure would cut Saudi crude shipments to Asia, removing millions of barrels per day from the market
Geopolitics 16
- Bhutan's economy faces pressures from low productivity, shallow capital markets, and limited job creation
- The country's 10X economic vision aims to radically remodel the economy through special economic zones and digital assets
- Bhutan's Gross National Happiness model is contested in its practical application to large-scale economic transformation
- AI tools used in modern warfare are ineffective and unsafe due to lack of adherence to existing policies and frameworks.
- Testing AI claims before deployment is crucial to prevent mistakes like the bombing of a girls' school in Iran.
- Governance frameworks exist, but AI tools are not being required to factor them in, leading to a contracting failure.
- Chinese secret societies (Hongmen) historically linked to CCP since 1920s
- Bamboo Union and Kyokuryu-kai allegedly used to promote Ryukyu independence narrative
- Okinawa-based Hongmen branch leader also holds position in Kyokuryu-kai affiliate Nanshu Ikka
- Hegseth’s Shangri‑La speech mentioned Taiwan zero times, despite heightened cross‑strait tensions.
- China’s military drills aim to "win a war on Taiwan by end‑2027," per Pentagon warning.
- Taiwan’s legislature approved an additional $25 billion in defense spending, short of President Lai’s $40 billion request.
- U.S. arms sales to Taiwan include a pending $11 billion package, while a $14 billion deal remains on hold.
- Taiwan targets defense spending of 5 % of GDP by 2030, up from current levels.
- Xi Jinping will travel to Pyongyang on June 8 for a two‑day summit, his first visit since 2019.
- The meeting marks the 65th anniversary of the China‑North Korea Treaty of Friendship and follows recent trilateral talks with the US and Russia.
- North Korea displayed a new nuclear material production facility ahead of the summit, highlighting its hardline stance.
- South Korea's unification minister proposed a four‑way peace dialogue involving the US, China, North Korea and South Korea.
- Yatanarpon Cyber City, launched in 2008, remains largely unfinished due to sanctions and infrastructure gaps.
- After the 2021 coup, the junta is turning to Russia for cybersecurity and digital‑governance cooperation.
- Myanmar's tech minister attended Russia's Digitalization of Industrial Forum, discussing potential MoUs and knowledge transfer.
- The partnership reflects Russia's broader strategy to support countries resisting Western pressure, extending beyond arms to cyber capabilities.
- Death toll exceeds 1,150 and nearly 400,000 people remain displaced since November 2025 floods
- 330,000 hectares of forest cleared for oil palm (2017‑2023) and over 1 million hectares lost to mining in two decades
- More than 1,000 companies linked to illegal plantation legalization under the 2020 Omnibus Law
- President has not declared a national disaster, limiting coordinated emergency response
- North Korean state media never names the leader's daughter, referring to her only as "Beloved/Precious/Respected Daughter".
- Analysts and South Korean intelligence view the teenage girl as a possible heir apparent to Kim Jong Un.
- Public information is scarce; external sources like Dennis Rodman provide rare insights.
- Uncertainty remains over the feasibility of a female ruler in North Korea's political system.
- Concrete poured for Unit 1 of Uzbekistan's first nuclear plant, marking start of construction.
- Plant will feature two 55 MW SMRs and two 1 GW VVER reactors; total project cost estimated at $9.5 billion.
- When operational, the plant should supply over 15 % of Uzbekistan's electricity (~16‑17 billion kWh per year), with the first 55 MW unit targeted for criticality in late 2029.
- Russia to provide preferential export loans covering 85‑90 % of financing, with funding sought from the BRICS New Development Bank.
- Kazakhstan plans a parallel nuclear project of two 1.2 GW VVER‑1200 reactors, aiming to start construction in 2027 and commission the first unit by 2034.
- The 'Bipolar Trap' concept warns that accepting a US‑China bipolar order limits countries' strategic choices.
- Rivalry is shifting from trade disputes to technology standards, supply‑chain realignment, and civilizational narratives.
- U.S. export controls and Chinese self‑sufficiency reinforce competition across semiconductors, AI, and critical minerals.
- India rejected Nepal PM Balendra Shah's request for UK mediation on June 2.
- 98% of the 1,880 km India‑Nepal border is demarcated, but the Lipulekh‑Kalapani‑Limpiyadhura area remains disputed.
- Nepal's new constitutional map and currency depict the contested territory, which India says it will not accept.
- The dispute traces back to the 1816 Sugauli Treaty and recent India‑China cooperation on the Lipulekh Pass, excluding Nepal.
- Pacific governments launched the Pacific Regional Guidance on Planned Relocation (PAC‑GIPR) in March 2026.
- The guidance builds on the 2023 Pacific Regional Framework on Climate Mobility and the 2025‑2030 Implementation Plan.
- It stresses community consultation, Indigenous rights, funding access, and cultural preservation for long‑term moves.
- Fiji’s Vunidogoloa village was relocated inland in 2014, serving as an early example of planned climate relocation.
- Studies show climate‑driven migration is increasing across the Pacific and Asia due to sea‑level rise and extreme weather.
- May 14 leaders of the United States and China signed a joint statement to pursue “constructive strategic stability.”
- Democrats eye a possible House gain in the November mid‑terms, yet lack a unified China policy narrative.
- U.S. foreign‑policy apparatus is described as fragmented, with specialist silos and a bloated NSC limiting grand‑strategic thinking.
- Congressional and bureaucratic actors continue advancing sanctions and export controls independent of presidential signaling.
- Xi invoked the “Thucydides Trap” at the 2026 Beijing summit, reversing earlier denials.
- The concept, popularized by Graham Allison, cites 12 of 16 historic power‑rise conflicts that led to war.
- China is now the world’s second‑largest economy; US share of global GDP remains around 25%.
- Analysts suggest the narrative may be used to cast the United States as the declining power responsible for tension.
- Kyrgyzstan secured a two‑year non‑permanent seat on the UN Security Council after a 142‑49 vote over the Philippines on June 3
- It becomes the second Central Asian nation on the council, following Kazakhstan's 2017‑18 term
- The victory was driven by regional backing from all five Central Asian states, Turkey and the OIC
- Kyrgyzstan will represent the Asia‑Pacific region and focus on conflict prevention, sustainable development, nuclear disarmament and UN reform
- Chinese presence in Bolivia fell from over 60 firms (2006‑2019) to fewer than 20 active companies today
- Major Chinese infrastructure projects stalled, including a $460 million steel plant and a highway rejected over defects
- Lithium mining contracts for CATL and CITIC Gouan remain unratified by Bolivia’s Congress as of Feb 2026
- May 2026 protests have blocked food, fuel and medical supplies, deepening Bolivia’s political and economic crisis
- Huawei shut down its Bolivian offices, while ZTE continues limited telecom work for ENTEL
Tech/AI 1
- GalaxEye launched the world’s first OptoSAR satellite on May 3, 2026, combining optical and SAR imaging.
- India’s private space firms currently represent ~2% of the global space economy (~$8.4 bn) with a goal of $44 bn by 2033.
- Policy reforms since 2020 have enabled deals like Pixxel’s U.S. NRO contract and an AI‑space alliance with Sarvam AI.
- The government aims to increase India’s share of the projected $1 trn global space market by the 2040s.
Companies 1
- Apple enters WWDC with stock near all‑time highs, trading at ~34‑36 × forward earnings
- Siri is expected to receive a major AI overhaul, including a chatbot‑style app and multi‑step command capability
- Analysts say the AI upgrade must prove Siri can become a true platform to justify Apple’s high valuation
- Apple may run the new Siri on Google Cloud using Nvidia chips, marking a shift from its usual in‑house approach
- Investors remain cautious, noting Apple’s modest AI spend versus rivals and the risk of developer adoption
Other 2
- Oh Se-hoon secured the mayoral race by a 1% margin, about 60,000 votes over the DP rival
- The victory marks his fifth, non-consecutive term as Seoul's mayor
- Final results were announced around 9 a.m. on June 4, overturning earlier poll predictions
- The DP won 17 of Seoul's 25 district seats, but Oh retained the mayoralty
- Oh ran on the People Power Party ticket after brief tension with party leadership
- Nuclear capacity grew 76% (24 GW) from 2016 to 2024.
- Added 1.1 GW in 2025 and 2.2 GW (through May) in 2026.
- 36 reactors under construction, representing >49% of global nuclear projects.
- China accounts for nearly half of worldwide nuclear construction activity.
No stories match “”.