India's Economic Activity Sends Mixed Signals in July, PMIs Show
The manufacturing purchasing managers' index rose to 59.2 in July from 58.4 in June, marking its highest level in nearly 17.5 years, according to HSBC. In contrast, the services purchasing managers' index edged down to 59.8 from 60.4 last month, slightly weighing on overall activity. As a result, the composite index eased to 60.7 compared to 61.0 in the previous month.
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Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tariffs threaten Asian beauty product boom in US
NEW YORK (AP) — When Amrita Bhasin, 24, learned that products from South Korea might be subject to a new tax when they entered the United States, she decided to stock up on the sheet masks from Korean brands like U-Need and MediHeal she uses a few times a week. 'I did a recent haul to stockpile,' she said. 'I bought 50 in bulk, which should last me a few months.' South Korea is one of the countries that hopes to secure a trade deal before the Aug. 1 date President Donald Trump set for enforcing nation-specific tariffs. A not-insignificant slice of the U.S. population has skin in the game when it comes to Seoul avoiding a 25% duty on its exports. Asian skin care has been a booming global business for a more than a decade, with consumers in Europe, North and South America, and increasingly the Middle East, snapping up creams, serums and balms from South Korea, Japan and China. In the United States and elsewhere, Korean cosmetics, or K-beauty for short, have dominated the trend. A craze for all-in-one 'BB creams' — a combination of moisturizer, foundation and sunscreen — morphed into a fascination with 10-step rituals and ingredients like snail mucin, heartleaf and rice water. Vehicles and electronics may be South Korea's top exports to the U.S. by value, but the country shipped more skin care and cosmetics to the U.S. than any other last year, according to data from market research company Euromonitor. France, with storied beauty brands like L'Oreal and Chanel, was second, Euromonitor said. Statistics compiled by the U.S. International Trade Commission, an independent federal agency, show the U.S. imported $1.7 billion worth of South Korean cosmetics in 2024, a 54% increase from a year earlier. 'Korean beauty products not only add a lot of variety and choice for Americans, they really embraced them because they were offering something different for American consumers,' Mary Lovely, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said. Along with media offerings such as 'Parasite' and 'Squid Games,' and the popularity of K-pop bands like BTS, K-beauty has helped boost South Korea's profile globally, she said. 'It's all part and parcel really of the same thing,' Lovely said. 'And it can't be completely stopped by a 25% tariff, but it's hard to see how it won't influence how much is sold in the U.S. And I think what we're hearing from producers is that it also really decreases the number of products they want to offer in this market.' Senti Senti, a retailer that sells international beauty products at two New York boutiques and through an e-commerce site, saw a bit of 'panic buying' by customers when Trump first imposed punitive tariffs on goods from specific countries, manager Winnie Zhong said. The rush slowed down after the president paused the new duties for 90 days and hasn't picked up again, Zhong said, even with Trump saying on July 7 that a 25% tax on imports from Japan and South Korea would go into effect on Aug. 1. Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia subsequently reached agreements with the Trump administration that lowered the tariff rates their exported goods faced — in Japan's case, from 25% to 15% — still higher than the current baseline of 10% tariff. But South Korea has yet to clinch an agreement, despite having a free trade agreement since 2012 that allowed cosmetics and most other consumer goods to enter the U.S. tax-free. Since the first store owned by Senti Senti opened 16 years ago, beauty products from Japan and South Korea became more of a focus and now account for 90% the stock. The business hasn't had to pass on any tariff-related costs to customers yet, but that won't be possible if the products are subject to a 25% import tax, Zhong said. 'I'm not really sure where the direction of K-beauty will go to with the tariffs in place, because one of the things with K-beauty or Asian beauty is that it's supposed to be accessible pricing,' she said. Devoted fans of Asian cosmetics will often buy direct from Asia and wait weeks for their packages to arrive because the products typically cost less than they do in American stores. Rather than stocking up on their favorite sunscreens, lip tints and toners, some shoppers are taking a pause due to the tariff uncertainty. Los Angeles resident Jen Chae, a content creator with over 1.2 million YouTube subscribers, has explored Korean and Japanese beauty products and became personally intrigued by Chinese beauty brands over the last year. When the tariffs were first announced, Chae temporarily paused ordering from sites such as a shopping platform owned by an e-commerce company based in Hong Kong. She did not know if she would have to pay customs duties on the products she bought or the ones brands sent to her as a creator. 'I wasn't sure if those would automatically charge the entire package with a blanket tariff cost, or if it was just on certain items,' Chae said. On its website, YesStyle says it will give customers store credit to reimburse them for import charges. At Ohlolly, an online store focused on Korean products, owners Sue Greene and Herra Namhie are taking a similar pause. They purchase direct from South Korea and from licensed wholesalers in the U.S., and store their inventory in a warehouse in Ontario, California. After years of no duties, a 25% import tax would create a 'huge increase in costs to us,' Namhie said. She and Greene made two recent orders to replenish their stock when the tariffs were at 10%. But they have put further restocks on hold "because I don't think we can handle 25%,' Namhie said. They'd have to raise prices, and then shoppers might go elsewhere. The business owners and sisters are holding out on hope the U.S. and Korea settle on a lower tariff or carve out exceptions for smaller ticket items like beauty products. But they only have two to four months of inventory in their warehouse. They say that in a month they'll have to make a decision on what products to order, what to discontinue and what prices will have to increase. Rachel Weingarten, a former makeup artist who writes a daily beauty newsletter called 'Hello Gorgeous!,' said while she's devoted to K-beauty products like lip masks and toner pads, she doesn't think stockpiling is a sound practice. 'Maybe one or two products, but natural oils, vulnerable packaging and expiration dates mean that your products could go rancid before you can get to them,' she said. Weingarten said she'll still buy Korean products if prices go up, but that the beauty world is bigger than one country. 'I'd still indulge in my favorites, but am always looking for great products in general,' she said. Bhasin, in Menlo Park, California, plans to keep buying her face masks too, even if the price goes up, because she likes the quality of Korean masks. 'If prices will go up, I will not shift to U.S. products,' she said. 'For face masks, I feel there are not a ton of solid and reliable substitutes in the U.S.' ___ AP audience engagement editor Karena Phan in Los Angeles contributed to this report. Mae Anderson, The Associated Press
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
LGES signs new copper foil deal with SK Nexilis
South Korea's SK Nexilis Company has agreed to supply local battery electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer LG Energy Solution Company (LGES) with up to KRW 3 trillion (US$ 2.2 billion) worth of copper foil over the next 5-6 years, according to unconfirmed local reports. Copper foil is a key component of EV batteries, used mainly as separator material between cathodes and anodes. This is understood to have been the first deal signed between the two companies in the last five years, after LGES and LG Chem ceased signing new business with SK Group's SK On, SK Nexilis and SKIET, following a dispute over alleged leaks of trade secrets in 2020. Local officials have suggested that the thaw in relations between the two sides is due mainly to growing pressure for South Korea battery manufacturers to reduce their dependence on Chinese supply chains, as they look to expand their businesses in the US. A local industry official told reporters the relationship between the two companies 'has improved under the current management. The Trump administration's supply chain policy of decoupling from China led them to renew their supply deal.' An SK Nexilis official confirmed that his company had held new talks with LGES, but did not confirm the agreement. "LGES signs new copper foil deal with SK Nexilis" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Cheetah Mobile to Acquire Controlling Stake in UFACTORY to Accelerate Its Robotics Commercialization Strategy
BEIJING, July 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Cheetah Mobile Inc. (NYSE: CMCM) ("Cheetah Mobile" or the "Company"), a China-based IT company, today announced that one of its majority-owned subsidiaries has signed a definitive agreement to acquire an equity interest of 60.8% in Shenzhen UFACTORY Technology Co., Ltd. ("UFACTORY"), a leading provider of lightweight robotic arms, for a total consideration of approximately RMB99.5 million. Prior to the transaction, another wholly-owned subsidiary of Cheetah Mobile already held 19.2% of UFACTORY's total equity interest. Following the transaction, the two subsidiaries will collectively hold approximately 80.0% of UFACTORY's total equity interest, representing Cheetah Mobile's ultimate beneficial ownership in UFACTORY of approximately 75.8%. The transaction has been approved by the Company's board of directors and audit committee and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2025, subject to customary closing conditions. Mr. Sheng Fu, Cheetah Mobile's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We're excited to deepen our investment in UFACTORY, a fast-growing leader in collaborative robotics. With its robust technology stack and lean go-to-market approach, UFACTORY is an ideal partner to support our next stage of growth in AI and robotics. With this acquisition, we're strengthening our product portfolio to help our service robots operate across more physical environments and tasks. This marks a significant step forward in our mission to deliver smarter, more adaptable robotics solutions to global markets." Mr. Thomas Ren, Cheetah Mobile's Director and Chief Financial Officer, commented: "We will fund the acquisition with our cash reserves. As of March 31, 2025, we held over USD230 million in net cash, giving us ample flexibility to pursue strategic investments that have the potential to deliver sustainable shareholder value." About UFACTORY UFACTORY is a leading provider of lightweight collaborative robotic arms - designed to safely work alongside humans in shared environments. Under the brand "UFACTORY xArm", the company is one of the few robotic arm providers generating net profits and substantial revenue from overseas markets, having achieved sustained growth over the past years. Backed by proprietary full-stack robotics technologies, UFACTORY offers a diverse portfolio of five-, six-, and seven-axis robotic arms and robotic accessories. UFACTORY's developer-friendly design makes its robotic arms and accessories highly adaptable across different use cases, empowering customers with flexibility and ease of deployment. UFACTORY has built a loyal, global customer base with increasing revenues from international markets. About Cheetah Mobile Inc. Cheetah Mobile is a China-based IT company with a commitment to AI innovation. It has attracted hundreds of millions of users through an array of internet products and services on PCs and mobile devices. At the same time, it actively engages in the independent research and development of AI technologies, including LLM technologies. Cheetah Mobile provides advertising services to advertisers worldwide, value-added services including the sale of premium membership to its users, multi-cloud management platform to companies globally, as well as service robots to international clients. Cheetah Mobile is also committed to leveraging its cutting-edge AI technologies, including LLM technologies, to empower its products and make the world smarter. It has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since May 2014. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements, including management quotes and business outlook, constitute forward-looking statements under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Such statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including but are not limited to the following: Cheetah Mobile's growth strategies; Cheetah Mobile's ability to retain and increase its user base and expand its product and service offerings; Cheetah Mobile's ability to monetize its platform; Cheetah Mobile's future business development, financial condition and results of operations; competition with companies in a number of industries including internet companies that provide online marketing services and internet value-added services; expected changes in Cheetah Mobile's revenues and certain cost or expense items; and general economic and business condition globally and in China. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Cheetah Mobile's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Cheetah Mobile does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law. Investor Relations Contact Helen Jing ZhuCheetah Mobile +86 10 6292 7779Email: ir@ View original content: SOURCE Cheetah Mobile Melden Sie sich an, um Ihr Portfolio aufzurufen.
