Samsung union vote nears, Micron hits $1T

Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin issued a public apology on 5/26 morning at Chosun Palace Hotel in Gangnam regarding the Starbucks Korea 5·18 Tank Day marketing controversy and disclosed internal investigation results.

At 2:32 PM on 5/26, part of the upper deck collapsed during demolition of Seosomun overpass in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, killing 2 workers and injuring 4. Four of six buried workers were rescued, cause investigation underway.

Samsung Electronics union ratification vote ran 5/22-27, closing 5/27 10AM with immediate count. Supra-corporate union 93.31%, full union 85.98% turnout exceeded quorum, average 6.2% wage hike confirmation imminent.

Girl group IVE's fourth Japanese album 'LUCID DREAM' released 5/27 with same-titled title track and 5/20 pre-released 'Fashion', launching their Japanese comeback and expanding K-pop's Japanese market presence.

Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok announced 6·3 local election pledges at Dong-gu youth meeting in Gwangju on 5/26, targeting Gwangju voters. Current support at 2-3%, 14 by-elections proceeding simultaneously D-7.

5/26 AAA national average gasoline at $4.491/gallon, down about 7 cents from Memorial Day $4.56. WTI also dropped 6.1% to $90.68, US-Iran nuclear talks progress hopes easing short-term pressure.

5/26 Bankrate US 30-year fixed mortgage at 6.70%, refinance at 6.80%, both jumping 12bp day-over-day. After Memorial Day holiday, 30Y 5.2% Treasury yields drove homebuyer burden expansion.

5/27 Ministry of Climate Energy Environment and KEPCO announced 6/1 launch allowing small self-employed unified tariff selection. Cheaper option auto-applies monthly, easing summer cooling costs for SMEs.

5/26 reports show US average homeowner insurance at $2,966 in 2026, up 64% from $1,597 in 2021. 74% of new buyers say 'significant budget impact', 47% worry about mortgage payment difficulty.

April US grocery CPI rose 2.9% YoY, highest since August 2023. Fresh tomatoes 39.7%, vegetables and beef each +3.1%, USDA warning of 4.5% annual inflation due to tariffs and climate.

US-Iran negotiators agreed on MOU draft for phased Hormuz opening, 60-day ceasefire, and nuclear talks resumption, with official announcement imminent 5/27-28. Saudi, UAE, Turkey mediation in final stages, starting tumultuous week.

Senate Republican hawks slammed 60-day truce as 'disaster'. Wicker Armed Services Chair warned 'Operation Epic Fury achievements wasted', Graham 'Israel nightmare', exerting strong political pressure on Trump's deal.

Busan Bukgap, Pyeongtaek-eul, Gongju-Buyeo-Cheongyang, Ulsan Nam-gap among 4 tight races. Former President Park Geun-hye started conservative-rallying campaign, 12 seats Democratic, 2 People Power defenses, D-7 last-minute variables in focus.

Tisza Party PM Magyar, who defeated Orbán in April general election, meets EC President von der Leyen in Brussels. Rule of law reform package nears unlocking €18B in cohesion and recovery funds, marking turning point in Hungary's 16-year political shift.

After local election 1,500-seat defeat, 5 ministers including Health Secretary Streeting resigned. Latest poll shows Andy Burnham leading at 20% as successor candidate, while Starmer maintains 'leadership contest entry' fighting will, UK political turbulence intensifies.

2026 ratification vote closed 5/27 10AM with 92%-range turnout, passage highly likely. DS division-centered supra-corporate union led passage, but DX division pushback and lawsuit risks remain.

As of 5/26, 2026 US tech layoffs broke 143-144K. Wix announced layoff of about 1,000 (20% of workforce), Cloudflare, Upwork, Coinbase also entered double-digit restructuring as dominos fully activated.

HGSU-UAW continued picket through graduation after 27th talks collapsed, breaking own record with 31-day strike. University rejects agency shop and Title IX grievance core demands, hardline standoff continues.

Following UAW Local 699 Nexteer 86% strike vote, GM core supplier American Axle 1,000 also secured 98% strike authorization ahead of 5/31 contract expiry, raising alarm on North American automaker supply chain.

May 2026 survey found 79% of Americans say AI will cut more jobs, up 12pp from July's 67%. April US layoffs cited AI as direct cause for 26%, labor market sense of crisis fully activating.

May US Conference Board Consumer Confidence released 5/27 at 93.1, down 0.7 from April's 93.8. Present Situation 121.2 (-3.2), Expectations 74.4 (+1.0), reflecting Middle East war price pass-through concerns.

US 30-year Treasury at 5.2% post-2007 high, 10-year at 4.67% 1-year high simultaneously. Iran war oil shock and inflation re-acceleration drove full retreat of 2026 cut bets, with hike possibility being discussed.

Eurozone inflation rebounded to 3% from sub-2% after Iran war impact. Villeroy France Central Bank 'every measure needed', Sleijpen Netherlands 'all powers to restore price stability', year-end 4% forecast rising.

BOJ Vice Gov Himino in 5/26 Diet response confirmed continuing rate hike stance. Timing and pace depend on Middle East impact on Japan economy and prices, markets pricing 80% June 15-16 hike, USD/JPY at 159 range.

US April durable goods new orders fell -6.3% MoM, reversing from March's +0.8%. April PCE on 5/28 (vs March headline 3.5%, core 3.2%) will determine Warsh's first FOMC (6/16-17) and bond market direction.

5/26 S&P 500 closed +0.61% at record 7,519.12. Nasdaq up +1.17%, Russell 2000 +1.77% joint gains, US-Iran deal hopes and semiconductor rally led with only Dow falling about 80 points.

5/26 KOSPI closed +2.55% at 8,047.51, first 8,000 close ever. Intraday record at 8,131.15, US-Iran peace hopes and Samsung/SK Hynix AI demand led foreigners to flip to net buying after 13 sessions.

5/26 Nikkei closed +2.94% (+1,863p) at record 65,202. Intraday record at 65,408.87, Hormuz reopening hopes and oil decline spread risk-on with Murata, Taiyo Yuden, Fujikura double-digit surges.

5/26 Taiwan TAIEX closed at record 43,644, the 5th largest closing gain in history. TSMC +1.8%, MediaTek +10.0%, Delta +8.8% joint strength, 5/27 Tuesday profit-taking opened -0.2% at 43,577.

5/26 Micron (MU) surged +19% to first break $1 trillion market cap. UBS raised target from $535 to $1,625 (implying $1.8T market cap), AI memory long-term contracts and price visibility driving S&P semiconductor rally.

5/26 Micron (MU) surged +19% securing both first $1T market cap entry and UBS price target tripling ($535→$1,625). Following SK Hynix and Samsung, HBM troika began full S&P semiconductor rally.

5/26 AZO Q3 EPS $38.07 beat expected $36.65, revenue $4.84B (+8.4%) solid, yet shares plunged 9.6%. LIFO one-time, Mexico, Brazil weakness pressured margins as signal that set tone for post-Memorial Day earnings.

5/26 after-hours ZS Q3 EPS $1.08, revenue $850M (+25% YoY), ARR $3.53B, 23% OPM record beats, yet shares fell 17% on disappointing forward guidance. Cybersecurity sector guidance pressure highlighted case.

Supra-corporate union 93.31% turnout (53,484 people), full union 85.98% drove ratification likelihood. DS division 80% weight makes passage likely, though DX division bonus gap pushback and lawsuit risks remain.

5/26 TSM premarket at $412 (YTD +49%), Taiwan market cap $4.95T overtaking India for world 5th place. CoWoS packaging and HBM demand driving 30%+ annual revenue growth guide implementation.

5/26 BTC traded at $76,447, ETH $2,076. 5/25 BTC $76,969→$77,292 rebound then slowed, lower high formation concerns rising despite US stock strength, testing box-range break.

Friday -$105.2M extended outflows to 6th day, IBIT -$68.9M, FBTC -$36.3M flagship outflows highlighted. 2026 cumulative net inflows shrank to $536M, institutional retreat and macro uncertainty acting jointly.

Mid-May stablecoin market cap renewed record at $323.2B. USDT $189.7B vs USDC $77.9B with share narrowing to 60% range, USDC regulation-friendly supply surging 220% accelerating US payment infrastructure integration.

ESMA confirmed 7/1 deadline approaching unlicensed issuer EU market delisting. Currently 14 stablecoin issuers across 7 member states hold MiCA licenses, exchanges in final phase of permit response.

5/13 Upbit XRP 24-hour trading volume at $110.9M overtook BTC $88.6M and ETH $67M. Bithumb saw same pattern, May court ruling canceled Bithumb 6-month suspension, Korean exchange XRP concentration accelerating.

Dragoneer, Sequoia, Altimeter, Greenoaks co-leading $2B each closing this week. $900B pre-money overtaking OpenAI, ARR $45B and October IPO possibility together rising, confirming AI capital landscape reshape peak.

Thrive Capital and a16z led Series H $5B closing. From $30.5B a year ago to 2x jump at $61B valuation, based on 2025 revenue $2.2B double growth, setting new defense tech funding all-time record.

Dragoneer and Lightspeed co-led Helsing Series D $1.2B at $18B valuation, becoming Germany's highest-valued startup. Spotify founder Daniel Ek-backed Munich defense AI absorbing global defense capital flows.

First external round with Chinese government-affiliated investors materializing at $45-50B valuation. Decisive signal of global AI Big Tech tier entry, US-China AI competition acceleration, Tencent, Alibaba, Hillhouse also in talks.

Parkway Venture Capital led round with Nvidia, AMD, Intel, Qualcomm, Salesforce participating, securing $6B valuation in $700M+ round. New AI chip and hardware infrastructure betting acceleration case in focus.

Per 5/26 Electrek report, Tesla unsupervised robotaxis dropped from 25 to 20 (Austin 14, Dallas 3, Houston 3), with total fleet also shrinking to 34. Safety validation bottleneck cemented flow opposite Musk's promises.

5/26 BYD unveiled first car developed exclusively for Europe, Dolphin G DM-i. Polo/Yaris-class B-segment with WLTP combined 1,000km range, launches in Europe in weeks accelerating 1.5M overseas target.

Dallas, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio temporarily halted unmanned operations. Following 5/21 Atlanta flooded road 1-hour stuck incident, company officially admitted flood-avoidance 'final solution' incomplete.

Per 5/24-26 analysis, Midnight eVTOL passed 3rd of 4 FAA certification phases as first eVTOL company. White House Integrated Pilot Program selected Texas, Florida, New York, fully accelerating second-half US operation prep.

5/26 reports show Q1 revenue $24.25M, $1.3B fundraising securing $2.5B cash. After JFK-Manhattan 10-min demo, secured Dubai 6-year exclusive operating rights, transition to production and deployment phase.

Sequoia, Dragoneer, Altimeter, Greenoaks co-leading roughly $2B each, closing during 5/26 week. From February's $380B to 2.4x jump in 14 weeks, overtaking OpenAI $852B as largest AI startup raise confirmed.

At ISCAS 2026, He Tingbo, Huawei president, announced LogicFolding 3D stacking achieving 1.4nm-equivalent transistor density by 2031 without EUV, officially unveiling self-reliant roadmap to bypass US sanctions.

Robotaxi temporarily halted in San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta due to heavy rain and flooding. One vehicle stuck for 1 hour in flooded road, 3,000 fleet operation exposing weather weakness ahead of Miami and DC launches.

After December-January peak, fleet has steadily shrunk to about 20 unsupervised robotaxis on 5/26 (Austin 14, Dallas 3, Houston 3). Musk pauses expansion until FSD v15 rewrite arrives, full scale officially deferred to late 2026~early 2027.

Alchip's 5/26 release shows custom AI ASIC shipment growth at 44.6%, 3x outpacing GPU 16.1%. First custom silicon reversal in AI era, Broadcom and Marvell capture 95% ASIC co-design, Broadcom Q1 AI revenue $8.4B +106%.

South African Reserve Bank faces analyst split ahead of 5/28 MPC. Current 6.75% policy rate under new 3% inflation target pressure, 25bp preemptive hike vs wait-and-see hold remains tight contest.

5/25-26 US-Iran Hormuz opening hopes drove Brent -6.2% to $97.10, WTI below $90. MSCI EM Index +1.3% for 3-day rally, EM currencies also strengthened as oil decline became a tailwind.

Per Business Standard 5/24 poll, RBI likely to hold repo rate at 5.25% at June 3-5 MPC. FY27 inflation forecast upside possible, StanChart projects cumulative 50bp hikes from June onward scenario.

S&P Global 5/21 release shows India May manufacturing PMI at 54.3 (April 54.7), services 58.9 (58.8), composite 58.1, with new orders at 4-year low. Middle East conflict and export slowdown pressure manufacturing.

TRY/USD broke 45.5 record low in mid-May. CBRT raised overnight rate by 300bp to about 40% via FX intervention and 1-week repo suspension. Policy rate at 37% hold, disinflation delay officially acknowledged.

DRC reported 105 confirmed and 906 suspected cases (223 suspected deaths), Uganda 7 confirmed cases as of 5/26. Spread across Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, while Italy's suspected case tested negative showing some partial calming signal.

Oxford University and Serum Institute will accelerate clinical trials of ChAdOx1 BDBV monovalent vaccine for Bundibugyo. However, GMP production requires additional 6-9 months, so immediate deployment is impossible, focusing on long-term response framework.

ASCO 2026 opens 5/29 in Chicago. Revolution Medicines will present metastatic pancreatic cancer RASolute 302 OS unprecedented improvement at 5/31 plenary, Roche giredestrant lidERA 30% recurrence reduction also to be unveiled.

After 3/16 federal court invalidated Kennedy's 13 ACIP appointments and Hep B and COVID guideline downgrades, HHS is pursuing appeal at First Circuit. Vaccine policy uncertainty continues through June.

5/5 PLOS Biology study confirmed infectious virus in dairy cow breath, milking parlor air, and wastewater of 14 H5N1-positive farms. Many asymptomatic cows tested positive, first field evidence of airborne transmission risk.

Renewed US-Iran clash drove Brent to $98.11 (+0.89%) and WTI under $93 on 5/26. Trump peace deal hopes vs self-defense strikes collide, re-expanding volatility, deepening Hormuz reopening flow uncertainty.

Fuwairit and Al Rayyan LNG carriers loaded at Ras Laffan in May then transited Hormuz. However, Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority establishment essentially toll system, full normalization assessments diverge to post-2027.

5/26 TTF at €48.04/MWh (+5.37%) rebounded from 2-week low. US Iran missile and minelayer strikes re-highlighted Middle East deal uncertainty, prior €46 range vs flip to upside, European gas prices rattled again.

5/26 US Henry Hub spot at $2.97/MMBtu rose 2.0%. Middle East LNG disruption keeping US export demand firm, summer cooling demand entry approaching, low-base recovery flow strengthening.

5/24 Constellation announced pursuing early site permit application for new nuclear and SMR construction at Oswego, NY. Together with Meta Clinton 30MW expansion deal, Big Tech power demand response is fully accelerating.

Infection thriller 'Swarm' reached cumulative 2,018,650 admissions by 5/25, year's fastest 2M breakthrough. Topped box office for 4 days during Buddha's Birthday holiday, proving Jun Ji-hyun and Yeon Sang-ho duo's influence.

Disney Star Wars new release topped Memorial Day box office with $102M domestic and $63M overseas over 4 days, beating forecasts. Signal of 7-year theatrical revival but lowest opening since Disney's acquisition.

First Korean Cannes Competition jury president Park Chan-wook drew laughs at closing press conference referencing his next film 'No Other Choice' title in Palme d'Or ceremony recap. Korean media reported widely 5/26 making it trending.

BTS wrapped first US leg of ARIRANG World Tour with 3 shows at Las Vegas Allegiant Stadium on 5/23-24, 27. Concert footage also opened 2026 AMA, reconfirming K-pop's global standing.

H//PE Princess, formed through Mnet Korea-Japan collaboration hip-hop girl group audition 'Hip-Hop Princess', made official debut 5/27 with mini 1st album '17.7'. New entry to Korea-Japan collaboration K-pop wave.

5/22 Shein and Everlane announced acquisition. L Catterton stake acquired at $100M, 83% drop from 2020 $600M valuation, 'ethics' vs 'ultra-fast fashion' collision, Everlane operates independently under CEO Alfred Chuang.

5/19 Mytheresa parent LUXE Q3 FY26 revenue €618M (currency-adjusted flat), adjusted EBITDA margin 0.9% marked 2 consecutive positive quarters. Mytheresa led recovery, Net-a-Porter and YOOX normalizing.

By end-May, 12 Saks Fifth Avenue and 3 Neiman Marcus locations completed closures. In final Chapter 11 stage with $500M exit financing secured, targeting summer bankruptcy exit, luxury department store restructuring accelerating.

After 5/16 Demna's Times Square debut show, BoF, W, AnOther praised. Slim tailoring, silk dresses, and denim-focused commercial collection earned 'most convincing Demna' acclaim acting as Kering recovery signal.

Department store revenue ₩2.0257T (+13%), operating profit ₩141B (+30.7%) made quarterly record. Main branch luxury renovation plus foreign average ticket rise effect, Hanwha Galleria op profit also +551% jump, Korean luxury recovery clear.

Posts spread on SNS claiming Buffett warned of Trump martial law and democracy abolition in studio live broadcast. Snopes traced no source for the remarks and confirmed AI-generated Facebook post pattern, declared false.

Image of Trump holding 'gifted girl' during China visit went viral. Numerous AI marks like Eric Trump missing one eye, finger distortions, originated from satirical site, Snopes officially declared false.

Posts spread that Richardson did predawn broadcast after receiving threat believed to be Trump's. Snopes confirmed it was content manipulated using AI images from 'Lil chase' Facebook page's inhuman posting frequency.

Image spread as crowd from 5/16 London anti-immigrant rally confirmed as unrelated photo from different event. Lead Stories traced original source declaring false, becoming political rally disinformation typical case.

Multiple posts spread claiming celebrities exposed 'pro-Israel US billionaires interfering with my career'. Lead Stories traced to Vietnam-origin spam account manipulation, classified as new celebrity impersonation case.