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Investors will seek clues about the health of the US economy in the coming week following worrisome labour market reports and technology-led turbulence that has knocked the stock market off record highs. The S&P 500 ended on Friday with a weekly decline after three straight weeks of gains. The benchmark index was last down about 2.4% from its all-time closing peak on October 28 even after a generally strong third-quarter earnings season for large US companies. This week, concerns about expensive equity valuations, especially for high-flying stocks linked to enthusiasm over artificial intelligence, were exacerbated by tepid jobs data, including a report that showed surging layoff announcements from US employers.Alternative data released by private sector bodies have become more important for investors because the US federal shutdown that began on October 1 has limited government releases."We're not getting a lot of economic data," said Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial. "At current valuations and the kind of gains that we've seen... investors are just starting to be a little bit more cautious. I don't think that is bad, but it is coming at a time where there is growing uncertainty around the pace of growth in the economy."Investors were gauging whether the pullback in equities represented profit-taking and a healthy reset after an extended climb, or the start of a more severe slide. Fears that stocks are in an "AI bubble" have kept Wall Street on edge, with the benchmark S&P 500 up 14% year-to-date and 35% since its low for the year in April.The S&P 500 technology sector, which has led the bull market that began more than three years ago, has been hit harder in this latest drawdown, falling about 6% since last week. A series of reports on Thursday suggested deteriorating US labour market conditions. Data from workforce analytics company Revelio Labs showed 9,100 jobs were lost in October, while US employers' planned layoffs soared to over 153,000 last month, global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas said. The Chicago Fed estimated that the US jobless rate likely edged up in October to the highest in four years.That data came a day after the ADP National Employment Report showed private employment rebounded by 42,000 jobs in October.The Challenger layoffs report, combined with the lack of government jobs data, "raises a red flag in terms of whether or not the labour market has really stabilised," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities in New York.Next week would have been a busy week of economic data, with government reports due on consumer and producer prices and retail sales. Those releases are poised to be delayed due to the shutdown. Investors will instead seek insight on the economy from traditionally more secondary reports, including the small business optimism index due to be released on Tuesday by the National Federation of Independent Business.As investors weighed the economic impact of the shutdown, the US transportation secretary warned on Friday the government could force airlines to cut up to 20% of flights if the shutdown did not end.The lack of government data is muddying the outlook for the Fed, which must decide whether to cut interest rates again at its next policy meeting in December. After the central bank eased by a quarter percentage point for a second straight meeting on October 29, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said another such reduction was not a foregone conclusion."The Fed needs help trying to figure out what's going on in the jobs market. They're getting seemingly conflicting signals and what they decide to do in December has ramifications obviously for the stock market," said Chuck Carlson, chief executive officer at Horizon Investment Services. Fed funds futures late on Friday were pricing in a roughly 65% chance of a rate cut in December. Before Powell's October comments, investors had viewed such a cut as almost a done deal.Investors were watching for developments that might suggest the end of the shutdown, which this week became the longest in US history. Focus was also on remaining high-profile quarterly reports, as a stellar earnings season in general nears a close. With 446 companies in the index having reported, 82.5% posted profits above analyst expectations, which would be the highest beat rate since the second quarter of 2021, LSEG IBES said on Friday. Reports due next week include Walt Disney and tech stalwart Cisco Systems. Those lead up to the quarterly report the following week from semiconductor firm Nvidia, the largest company in the world by market value that has symbolised investor enthusiasm for AI."I would just expect a little bit more volatility around technology leaders and technology as a whole heading into that Nvidia report," Saglimbene said.

The stock market didn’t crash this week. But after a seven-month spasm of retail-borne speculation, parts of the casino started clearing out.Cracks emerged across the risk-on landscape as bloated valuations and fresh doubts over the real-world payoff of artificial intelligence dragged US tech stocks to their worst week since April. Losses in megacaps like Palantir Technologies Inc and Oracle Corp. rippled through leveraged ETF and meme trades.The clearest signal of speculative distress: The crypto engine is sputtering. After a parabolic surge, Bitcoin and its peers have endured a violent unwinding that shattered confidence. This week, the coin slid repeatedly toward $100,000 amid a drought of ready buyers who had watched billions of dollars in leveraged positions get wiped out just weeks earlier — a shock the market has yet to recover from.Wall Street veterans have been warning for weeks that AI-fuelled tech valuations were outpacing fundamentals. That caution is now showing up in the same fast-moving trades where retail and institutional risk-taking had quietly converged — from upside-levered ETFs to crypto wrappers. Inflows haven’t vanished, but the payoff is no longer one-way.Peter Atwater, a professor of behavioural economics at the College of William & Mary, says the biggest blow yet to gambler spirits came Monday, when despite beating earnings forecasts Palantir saw its stock fall 8% the next day. The company, trading at a price-earnings multiple in the hundreds, is a bellwether for both hyperscaler tech and meme sentiment, he said.“It sits in the same neighbourhood as AI, as crypto,” he said. “Thematically, all of these different elements have the same intense-confidence correlation. These are all crowd favourites. So this is a crowd phenomenon.”The pullback isn’t universal. But for the first time in months, the speculative surge that once moved in near-lockstep is fragmenting. In equities, some high-octane trades are unravelling. A Meta Platforms Inc-linked ETF fell 8.5% this week and another focused on Palantir shed 22%. A Strategy Inc-minded product has slid more than 20%. Leveraged quantum and Super Micro Computer Inc. trades buckled, too.The group of tech giants known as the Magnificent Seven dropped 3% this week amid questions over their spending plans tied to AI infrastructure. A comment from OpenAI Inc’s CFO about the possibility of the government needing to “backstop” financing further grated nerves.“If you watch this week, there’s been a decided negative bias to what people are saying about AI,” Atwater said. “If we see the mood deteriorate, the scepticism should rise, the scrutiny should intensify. And those would be behaviours that ultimately limit the potential of the market to bounce.”Over the past week, indexes tracking meme stocks, non-profitable tech companies and recent IPOs all pulled back. An ETF focused on recent market entrants fell 5%, the most since September, while a basket of non-profitable names within the innovation space dropped 7%, the most since August.Meanwhile, more than $700mn has been pulled from digital-asset ETFs over the past week alone, including nearly $600mn from BlackRock’s Bitcoin fund and $370mn from its Ether counterpart. Solana and Dogecoin-linked products are down double-digits since their recent launches. Even the freshly minted MEME ETF — pitched as a retail sentiment play — is off more than 20% since its launch a month ago.“Investors are on edge,” said Stephen Kolano, chief investment officer at Integrated Partners. “Seems like the profit taking is coming from the things that have run the most since early April which is AI and anything connected with it which explains the pressure in” cryptocurrencies.That shift may matter beyond the meme complex. Retail risk appetite — from prediction markets and tokenised assets to Robinhood Markets Inc.’s fresh boom — helped fuel 2025’s bounce across broad markets despite stress on the tariff and labour market front. But now, with the gap between winners and losers rising and some risky trades draining capital, liquidity could be getting tighter at the edges.None of this signals a broader crash. The S&P 500 is off just 2% from recent highs. But for a crowd used to buying the everything-goes-up narrative, this week lands differently: Timing matters again. The tide may not be lifting all boats. Leverage cuts both ways.Bitcoin’s 15% slide over the past month is raising eyebrows not just for its scale, but its timing. A growing camp of Wall Street analysts now sees the token as a lead indicator for both high-volatility tech stocks and retail-driven liquidity. Among the chief concerns flagged in recent days is that so-called whales — investors who hold large, long-term positions — have been declining, according to Citi. This cohort has in the past tended to hold onto their hoards even during the roughest of declines.“Bitcoin has a knack for sniffing out things ahead of time,” said Bloomberg Intelligence’s Eric Balchunas. “It’s always trading, so there’s a lot of chances for it to be a price-discovery vehicle. It’s open all the time — like a 7-Eleven. And the people who trade Bitcoin are perpetually online and so plugged in.”The reversal is especially striking given the political momentum behind digital assets. Bitcoin’s early-year surge was powered in part by President Donald Trump’s campaign to rebrand the US as the crypto capital of the world. But after peaking near $4.4tn in October, the total market cap of digital tokens has since dropped nearly 20%, wiping out most of 2025’s gains. For traders betting that regulatory clarity would unleash a new supercycle, the speed of the comedown has been sobering.“There’s simply not enough new capital to offset locals exiting. Too many in the industry just can’t stomach another crypto cycle — they’ve had enough, both financially and emotionally,” Marex’s Ilan Solot wrote in a note this week. “For the uptrend to resume, the whales need to stop selling. Stabilising ETF flows would help too.”

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday that South Korea will step up plans to build a self-reliant military by significantly bolstering its defense capabilities, while continuing efforts to resume talks with North Korea."We will significantly strengthen our national defense capabilities and make sure we realize our hope for self-reliant defense," Lee said during the speech for his administration's first annual budget.In particular, Lee said South Korea aims to turn its defense force into a "smart and strong" military by using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.Lee outlined a 728 trillion-won spending plan for 2026, up 8.1% from this year, highlighting full-scale investment in the AI industry."(The government) will significantly expand investment to open the era of AI and lay the ground for future growth," he said, adding that the government earmarked 10.1 trillion won for AI transformation to help South Korea become one of the world's top three AI powers, sharply up from 3.3 trillion won this year.Investment in research and development across strategic industries — including AI, content and defense — also surged 19.3% from this year to a record high of 35.3 trillion won.Lee said the government plans to create a 150 trillion-won public-private fund over the next five years to nurture strategic industries driving economic growth.For defense, the government allocated 66.3 trillion won, up 8.2% from this year, to upgrade conventional weapon systems into cutting-edge capabilities and accelerate the realization of "self-reliant defense.""Relying on external forces for our defense is a matter that hurts national pride," said Lee, who has pledged to retake wartime operational control from Washington within his term, which ends in 2030.Meanwhile, Lee said South Korea's tariff deal with the United States secured tariff levels equivalent to those of competing countries in key export sectors, such as automobiles and semiconductors, establishing a foundation for fair competition on "a level playing field."

Experts and futurists in medical education and artificial intelligence (AI) from around the world gathered in Doha for a conference organised by Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q), which explored how technological breakthroughs are revolutionising healthcare and the way medicine is taught.The 2nd Medical Education Technology Conference brought together thought leaders in medical education, technology and the humanities from institutions in Qatar, the US, the UK and the Netherlands to explore the impact of new advances in AI, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) on healthcare and education.The conference, titled “The Power of Connection: Leveraging Technology for Humanistic Medical Education”, addressed the need to integrate study of the humanities with utilisation of advanced technologies to ensure medical education remains human-centered, ethical and compassionate.The conference, co-directed by professor of clinical medicine and vice-dean for academic and curricular affairs Dr Thurayya Arayssi and Dr Anna Halama, the assistant professor of research in physiology and biophysics, also discussed the opportunities and challenges presented by advances in technology.“New technologies, particularly AI and immersive learning, offer us incredibly powerful teaching tools that have the potential to make medical education radically more effective,” Dr Arayssi said. “However, it is incumbent upon us to ensure that these disruptive technologies are deployed in ways which enable medical education programmes to continue to cultivate empathy, compassion and creativity in future physicians.”The conference featured a series of presentations by expert speakers, Q&A panel discussions, and multiple opportunities for attendees to gain hands-on interactive experiences with technologies such as immersive content creation and VR simulations.Presentations discussed the impact of AI on the cognitive development of students and physicians, the emotional and psychological effects of immersive technologies used for medical simulation-based teaching, and the potential benefits of “gamification” teaching methods.The expert speakers at the conference were drawn from elite international medical and educational institutions, including Weill Cornell Medicine in New York; Cornell University in Ithaca, New York; the University of Cambridge, UK; Kenyon College, Ohio; UCI School of Medicine, California; Southern Illinois University School of Medicine; Amsterdam University Medical Centre; and Princeton University, New Jersey.The event drew participants from all over the world, with healthcare professionals, educators and students in attendance from Qatar, the wider Mena (Middle East and North Africa) region, the US, Europe, India and elsewhere.“This excellent event underlined that the judicious integration of AI and technological advances into medical education has the potential to enhance the acquisition of skills, knowledge and professionalism, which can all help improve patient care,” said WCM-Q dean Dr Javaid Sheikh. “At WCM-Q, we believe in embracing innovation to improve healthcare education, while also working hard to maintain the humanistic values of compassion, care, and empathy that form the core principles of responsible physicianship.”

The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) held a workshop on ‘Using Generative AI for Internal Auditors’, bringing together 124 professionals from across industries to explore how Artificial Intelligence is transforming the future of auditing. The workshop offered practical insights into leveraging Generative AI tools to enhance audit procedures, enabling auditors to perform their roles more efficiently and add greater value to their organisations. Participants also gained hands-on experience with AI tools and engaged in dynamic discussions on integrating technology into everyday audit practices. The event was led by trainers Hatem el-Safty and Yousif Hussain, who shared their deep expertise on AI adoption and its applications in the internal audit profession. During the workshop, they emphasised the transformative potential of Generative AI in the internal audit profession. They highlighted how AI can assist auditors in performing audit procedures more efficiently. The trainers also emphasised that while AI can significantly enhance audit quality and speed, the human auditor’s judgment, ethics, and professional scepticism remain crucial. The experts also encouraged participants to embrace technology as a collaborative tool rather than a replacement, underscoring the need for auditors to continuously upskill and adapt in an increasingly digital audit environment.

As part of efforts to advance the implementation of the Government Resource Planning and Management System Project, members of the project’s steering committee took part in the Oracle Artificial Intelligence Conference 2025 in Las Vegas in USA.The conference is one of the world’s leading platforms showcasing the latest developments in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data analytics, and AI governance.The delegation’s participation aimed to explore the latest international applications and experiences in human and financial resource management systems, artificial intelligence solutions, cloud technologies, and big data analytics, supporting Qatar’s drive to enhance digital transformation and unify national systems across government entities.The visit came within the framework of Qatar’s agreement with global technology giant Oracle, marking a key step in developing the country’s digital infrastructure and leveraging Oracle’s expertise to build integrated smart systems powered by AI, cloud computing, and big data analytics. The partnership seeks to strengthen institutional integration and improve the efficiency of government resource management.Mashaal Ali al-Hammadi, Assistant Undersecretary for Digital Government Affairs at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Chair of the Committee, said: “This visit reflects our commitment to building an integrated digital ecosystem through strategic partnerships with global technology leaders. It supports our efforts to enhance the efficiency of government resource management and improve the quality of public services.”Al-Hammadi added that the collaboration with Oracle represents a pivotal step toward adopting AI and cloud technologies in managing human and financial resources, and in developing intelligent systems that support decision-making and institutional performance, in line with the goals of the Digital Agenda 2030 and the country’s vision for a fully data and knowledge-driven government.On the sidelines of the conference, committee members held several bilateral meetings with Oracle executives and representatives of other global technology firms to review leading international experiences in AI and cloud computing applications. The discussions focused on opportunities for development, knowledge exchange, and aligning best practices with the needs of Qatar’s national project — contributing to faster implementation of digital transformation initiatives and improved efficiency in government operations.The Oracle Artificial Intelligence Conference 2025 provided a dynamic platform for these engagements, highlighting the latest global trends in AI and cloud technologies. It showcased how advanced data analytics can drive innovation and enhance institutional performance, with sessions focusing on intelligent cloud applications in human resources, finance, and supply chain management, as well as the future integration of AI and cloud computing as key drivers reshaping business and service models worldwide.The Steering Committee delegation for the Unified Government Resources Planning (UGRP) was established by a Cabinet decision and includes representatives from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau.

Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc., announced plans to invest $15 billion to build a major artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud data hub in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, marking the company's largest single investment outside the United States. The new facility will be established in the port city of Visakhapatnam and will form part of Google's global network of AI data centers across 12 countries. "It's the largest AI hub that we are going to be investing in anywhere in the world outside the United States," said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, during an event in New Delhi on Tuesday, adding that the investment would be made over the next five years. Andhra Pradesh's Minister of Information Technology, Nara Lokesh, described the project as "a massive leap for our state's digital future, innovation, and global standing." According to the state government, the new hub will include a 1-gigawatt data center campus integrating advanced AI infrastructure, renewable energy systems, and an expanded fiber-optic network to support growing digital connectivity. The project comes amid intensifying global competition among major technology firms to expand data center capacity to meet surging demand for AI-driven services. Google has pledged to spend approximately $85 billion this year on data infrastructure worldwide, while competitors such as Microsoft and Amazon have also invested billions of dollars in India — a market with nearly one billion internet users.

The 17th season of Qatar Foundation's Stars of Science initiative is showcasing forward-looking inventions that leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to address some of the world's most pressing health and technology challenges. Among this year's standout innovations are wearable diagnostic tools, adaptive rehabilitation devices, and AI-powered systems that embrace a predictive approach to healthcare. Jordanian innovator Khaldoun Megdady has developed a 3D coronary artery simulation platform that allows cardiac surgeons to map and rehearse procedures in advance, reducing uncertainty and surgical risks. Algerian contestant Ryad Haji Habib is tackling immune response complications in treatment by using scorpion venom peptides to simulate potential reactions, ensuring better therapeutic outcomes. Fellow Algerian contestant Laid Dardabou addresses the global issue of vitamin D deficiency with a wearable device that monitors vitamin D levels in real time — a potential game changer for early intervention, particularly as over a billion people worldwide are affected. Other innovations include a smart AI-based system for electric vehicle battery monitoring, developed by Mohamed Alshaikh Saleh, which predicts faults before they occur. Contestant Razan Salem Bahabri is working on a gamified neurorehabilitation tool, while Mohamed Kahna is developing an augmented reality surgical system to support real-time decision-making during operations. This season's emphasis on predictive and preventive innovation highlights a growing shift in the region toward proactive, AI-integrated healthcare and technology solutions. Since launching in 2009, Stars of Science has aired over 313 episodes, supported 175 alumni from 18 Arab countries, and contributed to the launch of more than 55 startups across key sectors. Qatar Foundation and Qatar Science & Technology Park continue to back the program, empowering young innovators to shape a healthier, smarter, and more sustainable future.

The dizzying investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure do not constitute a bubble but are rather today's "new normal" to meet rising user demand, Fidji Simo, OpenAI's de facto number two, said Monday."What I am seeing here is a massive investment in computing power, (with) us meeting (this need) for computing power so incredibly badly for a lot of use cases that people want," Simo told AFP in her first interview since she took office August 18 as Chief Operating Officer of OpenAI's applications, including its flagship model ChatGPT."From that perspective, I really do not see that as a bubble. I see that as a new normal, and I think the world is going to really switch to realizing that computing power is the most strategic resource."

The Ministry of Municipality has announced the launch of the pilot version of the Institutional Excellence and Knowledge Transfer System, based on artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. This is the first step of its kind in the region, coinciding with the launch of the evaluation process for the second edition of the Qatar Government Excellence Award.The new system was launched in collaboration between the Information Systems Department and the Planning, Quality, and Innovation Department. It represents a qualitative shift in the concept of institutional excellence, leveraging artificial intelligence tools to achieve superior performance and ensure the sustainability of institutional excellence through continuous improvement, accuracy, and speed of completion.The ministry explained in a statement that the system aims to enhance awareness of the concepts of excellence and innovation among leaders and decision-makers, and to spread a culture of institutional excellence within the ministry, keeping pace with the pace of digital transformation and modern institutional development trends. Excellence has become a strategic necessity dictated by global competition. The new system’s most prominent features include its role as a virtual assistant for standards leaders, rapid access to results and outputs, enhanced awareness and dissemination of a culture of institutional excellence, integrated connectivity between relevant standards and practices, the ability to extract evidence and information quickly and accurately, and the provision of an innovative, interactive environment to enhance employee engagement.The ministry emphasised that the system represents more than just a technical tool; it is a strategic partner in the institutional excellence journey and a driver of knowledge innovation. It noted that it was developed through extensive collaborative efforts and working sessions with partners from AI technology providers, establishing it as a pioneering model for digital transformation in the field of institutional excellence and innovative work.

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) always encourages the use of technological advancements to serve the public, a senior official has said.“In road projects, we have intelligent transportation systems. We have autonomous vehicles. We even use artificial intelligence (AI). We use laser scanning technology for road networks to map any potential impacts on the roads,” said Engineer Abdulrahman Ahmed al-Ansari, Senior Projects Engineer at the Office of President of Ashghal, while talking to Qatar TV.He added that new technologies change the level of services in the sewage network.“We always encourage the use of the latest technologies in cooperation with our partners. There are the latest technologies for roads. There are various and modern technologies in sewage networks. Some of these include robots and drones,” he said.Regarding the projects that were recently awarded by Ashghal, al-Ansari said, these contracts are part of Ashghal’s strategic plan to enhance infrastructure. “These contracts include roads, public buildings, and drainage networks. Their goal is to improve the daily quality of life for the public, both citizens and residents. Through this role, we contribute to Qatar National Vision 2030 in terms of sustainability and improving services,” he said.Ashghal recently announced 13 new contracts worth QR 12bn to enhance the infrastructure of road and drainage networks and public buildings and improve the quality of life in Qatar. The new projects that were awarded include road network operation and maintenance works, drainage networks operation and maintenance works, construction of three new schools, improving safety and fire systems in 40 existing schools, refurbishment of the Psychiatric Hospital of Hamad Medical Corporation, and renovation of Al Zubara Horse Breeding Farm.

Japan's Nikkei share average closed at a record high on Wednesday, fighting back from early losses on optimism buoyed by investments in artificial intelligence. The Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.3% to close at an unprecedented 45,630.31, recovering from earlier session losses as wide as 0.6%. The broader Topix gauge gained 0.2%. The Nikkei's largest gainers were industrial manufacturer IHI, which rose 9.7%, followed by SoftBank Group, which jumped 6%. The sharpest falls were in shares of utility Tokyo Electric Power, which was down 4.89%, followed by video game maker Nexon, which sank 3.8%.