Market Performance - US stock market opened lower but closed higher, with all three major indices posting slight gains: Nasdaq up 0.44%, S&P 500 up 0.41%, and Dow Jones up 0.3% [1] - Major tech stocks mostly increased, with Tesla and Nvidia rising over 1%, while Apple, Netflix, Amazon, and Meta saw slight gains; Google, Microsoft, and Intel experienced minor declines [1] Company Highlights - Eli Lilly's stock surged nearly 6% following the successful results of its Phase 3 clinical trial for oral GLP-1 receptor agonist orforglipron for obesity combined with type 2 diabetes [1] - Popular Chinese concept stocks mostly rose, with the Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index increasing by 0.72% [1] - NIO saw a significant increase of 10.02%, while Atour and Xpeng rose by 5.84% and 5.46% respectively; Li Auto increased by 2.71%, and Huazhu rose by 2.33% [1] - Other notable increases included Tencent Music, Global Data, Pony.ai, Miniso, ZTO Express, and NetEase, all rising by up to 1.98% [1] - Xiaomi Group's ADR rose by 1.65%, TSMC's ADR increased by 1.33%, Tencent Holdings' ADR went up by 0.19%, while Pinduoduo's ADR fell by 3.35% [1][2]

Netflix said KPop Demon Hunters, an animated musical about a fictional female singing group, is now the streaming service’s most-watched original film of all time https://t.co/qoBpM9l5eG ...

Netflix To Become Home For 2026 World Baseball Classic In Japan https://t.co/umgr3DrZFa https://t.co/MR3UyQwWUj ...

The deal increases Netflix’s live sports portfolio after adding the NFL and WWE. The 2026 World Baseball Classic will mark the first time Netflix will stream a live event in Japan. (Photo: Eric Espada via Getty Images) https://t.co/iyxVuG9CRw https://t.co/welFLx7o6H ...

Group 1: Hong Kong Stocks - China Gold International (02099) rose nearly 7%, reaching a new high as core product output exceeded half of the annual guidance, with significant expansion potential at the Jiama mine [1] - Pop Mart (09992) increased by nearly 2%, with new products selling out instantly and continued high growth in H1 performance [1] - Meitu (01357) surged over 7% after officially entering the MSCI China Index, with Morgan Stanley optimistic about the company's long-term growth potential [1] - China Tobacco Hong Kong (06055) climbed nearly 6.5%, setting a new high since its listing, with stable growth in H1 performance and promising expansion opportunities as an overseas platform for China Tobacco International [1] - China National Chemical Corporation (03983) fell over 1% as mid-term shareholder profit decreased by 6.74% year-on-year, with a significant drop in urea sales prices [1] - China Intelligent Transportation (01900) surged over 42% after a profit warning, expecting mid-term shareholder profit of approximately 361 million yuan [1] - Keep (03650) dropped nearly 5% post-earnings despite successfully turning a profit in H1, focusing its strategy on AI [1] - Western Cement (02233) rose nearly 6.5% post-earnings, with mid-term shareholder profit increasing by 93.4% due to high growth in overseas sales [1] - ChinaSoft International (00354) increased over 4% post-earnings, with H1 net profit rising over 10% and HarmonyOS 5 terminal devices exceeding 12 million units [1] Group 2: US Stocks - NIO (NIO.US) fell 3.94% after Citigroup set a target price of $8.1, listing five reasons to buy [3] - Shanghai's optimization of real estate policies led to significant gains for housing service platforms, with Fangduo (DUO.US) rising 28.28% and Beike (BEKE) up 1.57% [3] - Hesai (HSAI.US) rose 0.52%, with expectations of 300,000 to 400,000 units shipped in the entire robot lidar market this year, and over 200,000 units for the robot market [3] - Pinduoduo (PDD.US) increased by 0.87% ahead of its earnings report, with optimistic market expectations reflected in declining Put/Call ratios [3] - Intel (INTC.US) fell 1.01% as the federal government acquired a 10% stake in the struggling chip giant, becoming its largest shareholder [4] - American Airlines (AAL.US) dropped 4.06% after an emergency landing due to a passenger's electronic device catching fire [4] - Netflix (NFLX.US) rose 1.11%, achieving its first box office champion in North America [4] - Spirit Airlines (FLYY.US) plummeted 14.02% as financial restructuring failed to lead to sustainable development [4] - Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP.US) fell 11.48% after announcing a €15.7 billion (approximately $18.4 billion) cash acquisition of Dutch coffee giant JDE Peet's NV [4] - Roblox (RBLX.US) increased by 6.02%, with Wedbush maintaining an "outperform" rating and a target price of $165, citing strong user ecosystem and business model growth potential [4] - Opendoor (OPEN.US) dropped 9.38% despite a significant prior increase, with July existing home sales rising 2% month-on-month to an annualized 4.01 million units [5]

Group 1 - The Polish Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) has formally charged Netflix for raising subscription prices without explicit user consent, with increases up to 7 Polish zloty (approximately 13.8 RMB) [1][3] - UOKiK stated that Netflix's price increase process was deemed "passive default" and violated Polish consumer protection laws, which require "active, clear" consent from users for any changes in service terms or pricing [3][4] - Netflix claims compliance with local laws, asserting that notifications were sent via in-app messages and emails, and that price adjustments align with user service agreements [3][4] Group 2 - As of Q2 2024, Netflix holds over 4 million subscribers in Poland, leading the streaming market, with basic subscription prices rising from 37.99 zloty to 42.99 zloty [4] - The Polish consumer rights organization "Federacja Konsumentów" is encouraging affected users to retain billing records and may assist in collective lawsuits for compensation if Netflix is found in violation [4] - UOKiK has requested Netflix to submit a written defense within 14 days and plans to hold a public hearing on September 10 [5] Group 3 - If found guilty, Netflix could face fines up to 10% of its previous year's global revenue, potentially reaching 3.3 billion USD based on 2023 financial reports [5] - This incident is not the first regulatory challenge for Netflix regarding pricing strategies, as it faced warnings in Spain and Mexico for its "password sharing fee" policy and an investigation by the EU Commission into its dynamic pricing algorithms [4]

Group 1 - JD and Wanda have established a partnership with a total investment of approximately 80.53 billion yuan, focusing on management consulting and information technology consulting [10] - KDP has announced the acquisition of JDE Peet's, with the deal expected to close in the first half of 2026 [12] - Keep reported a revenue of 822 million yuan for the first half of 2025, with an adjusted net profit of 10.35 million yuan, and a gross margin increase to 52.2% [17] - Pinduoduo's second-quarter revenue reached 103.98 billion yuan, showing a year-on-year growth of 7%, while net profit decreased by 4% [16] - Haidilao reported a revenue of 20.7 billion yuan for the first half of 2025, a decline of 3.7% year-on-year, with a net profit of 1.76 billion yuan, down 13.7% [18] Group 2 - Tencent will cease repair services for the domestic Nintendo Switch starting December 31, 2026, following the gradual shutdown of related online services [6] - Utree Technology is facing a lawsuit for patent infringement, marking its first encounter with such legal issues [3] - The Shanghai Disneyland will adjust its ticket pricing structure, adding more price levels while maintaining the current price range of 475 to 799 yuan [5] - Old Puhuang has raised prices on most products by approximately 5% to 13%, with popular items increasing by 1,000 to 3,000 yuan [7]

Market Performance - The three major U.S. stock indices closed lower, with the Dow Jones down 0.77%, the S&P 500 down 0.43%, and the Nasdaq down 0.22% [1] - Major tech stocks had mixed results, with Nvidia, Netflix, Google, and Tesla rising over 1%, while Intel fell over 1%, and Amazon, Meta, Apple, and Microsoft experienced slight declines [1] - Most popular Chinese concept stocks saw gains, with Douyu and Sohu rising over 3%, NetEase and Gaotu nearly 3%, Baidu over 2%, and Alibaba rising over 1% [1] European Market - European stocks generally closed lower, with Germany's DAX index down 0.37% at 24,273.12 points, and France's CAC40 index down 1.59% at 7,843.04 points; the UK market was closed for a bank holiday [1] Commodity Markets - International precious metal futures generally declined, with COMEX gold futures down 0.23% at $3,410.70 per ounce, and COMEX silver futures down 1.29% at $38.55 per ounce [1] - U.S. oil main contract rose 1.70% to $64.74 per barrel, while Brent crude main contract increased 1.41% to $68.17 per barrel [1] Currency and Bond Markets - At the New York close, the U.S. dollar index rose 0.74% to 98.44, while the offshore RMB against the U.S. dollar increased by 131 basis points to 7.1581 [1] - U.S. Treasury yields collectively rose, with the 2-year yield up 0.82 basis points to 3.715%, the 3-year yield up 1.12 basis points to 3.667%, the 5-year yield up 1.04 basis points to 3.780%, the 10-year yield up 0.78 basis points to 4.269%, and the 30-year yield up 0.41 basis points to 4.885% [1] - European bond yields generally increased, with France's 10-year yield up 8.9 basis points to 3.507%, Germany's 10-year yield up 3.6 basis points to 2.755%, Italy's 10-year yield up 7 basis points to 3.593%, and Spain's 10-year yield up 7 basis points to 3.368% [1]

And Netflix appears to have scored its first ever win at the box office. Industry sources say the animated viral hit K-pop Demon Hunters took in between 16 million and $20 million at the US box office. Combination of great animation, a fantastic soundtrack, but most importantly uh releasing this into the summertime where this demographic was thirsting for new content.This is a great example, Scott, of the type of content that Netflix is willing to try out for a very low budget and then be able to quick quic ...

Core Insights - Netflix successfully leveraged its animated feature "KPop Demon Hunters" with a two-day theatrical release, generating box office estimates between $16 million and $20 million domestically [1][2][3] - The film's performance, while lower than some recent re-releases, indicates a growing interest in theatrical events for Netflix, which has traditionally focused on streaming [2][4] Group 1: Theatrical Release Strategy - Netflix has historically used theatrical releases primarily as a marketing tool for its streaming service, rarely delaying home market releases for theatrical runs unless for awards or special occasions [4][5] - The company has adopted a unique approach by making one-off deals with theater chains, allowing it to avoid traditional marketing costs associated with theatrical releases [5][6] - The limited release of "KPop Demon Hunters" in approximately 1,700 theaters, excluding major chains like AMC, highlights the challenges Netflix faces in aligning with theatrical partners [6][7] Group 2: Financial Implications - Analysts suggest that Netflix's focus is not on box office revenue but rather on creating promotional events that generate significant publicity [5][8] - The film has become the second-most watched English-language film on Netflix, with over 210.5 million views, indicating the potential for increased viewership following its theatrical release [8][9] - The buzz generated from the theatrical release is expected to enhance its cultural impact and social media presence, further promoting Netflix's content [9][10]