☕️ Good morning, friends,

You would think that someone who has been president forever could handle any conversation with ease. Think again.

Putin’s meeting with Russia’s first humanoid robot was… well, just see for yourselves. His conclusion: “Very beautiful.”

With that, have a great weekend.

Highlights: Asian markets posted strong gains on Thursday, powered by Nvidia’s blowout earnings, which temporarily eased recent fears of an AI bubble. Chip stocks surged across the region.

Stress test in Hong Kong: For 28 recent IPOs, lock-up periods for early investors expire by year-end. Around HK$193.8 billion (~US$25 billion) worth of shares could hit the market, potentially triggering profit-taking.

TOP BIT

🤖 Student-founded startup secures 140 million USD for robots

China’s humanoid robots are entering their first major growth phase. Robot Era, a startup only two years old, has closed a Series A Plus round worth about 1 billion RMB (roughly 140 million USD).

The founders come from the ecosystem around …