Rising costs and Delta variables hit Asia's manufacturing activity in July.

Rising costs and Delta variables hit Asian manufacturing activity in July.

As rising input costs and the impact of a new wave of COVID-19 epidemic overshadowed stable global demand, Asian factories encountered difficulties in July, highlighting the fragility of the economic recovery in the region.

Manufacturing activities in exporting countries such as Japan and South Korea have increased, but supply chain interruption and shortage of raw materials have pushed up costs and affected enterprises.

According to a private survey, factory activities in Indonesia, Viet Nam and Malaysia all shrank in July due to the rebound of infection cases in COVID-19 and stricter epidemic prevention measures in various countries.

Caixin/Markit jointly announced on the 2nd that the seasonally adjusted purchasing managers' index (PMI) of China's manufacturing industry dropped to 50.3 in July, which was lower than Reuters's median forecast of 5 1 and last month's 5 1.3, the lowest level since last April.

In July, the final purchasing managers' index (PMI) of au Jibun Bank in Japan rose to 53.0, up from 52.4 last month. However, the input price has risen at the fastest rate since September 2008, and manufacturing enterprises are facing the dilemma of raw material shortage and logistics interruption. Japan is also facing the problem of a sharp increase in cases of Delta variant infection, which forces the government to extend emergency restrictions to a wider area until August 3 1 day. This cast a shadow over the Olympic Games and dashed the hope of a sharp rebound in economic growth from July to September.

South Korea's PMI in July was 53.0, which remained above 50 for the first consecutive month 10, but the input price sub-index rose to the second highest in history, indicating that enterprises are feeling the pressure brought by rising raw material costs.

In July, the Indonesian PMI dropped sharply from 53.5 in June to 40. 1, highlighting the pressure of Delta COVID-19 mutant virus on emerging markets in Asia. The PMI survey in July showed that manufacturing activities in Vietnam and Malaysia also shrank.

Emerging Asian economies were once regarded as the driving force of global growth, but their recovery from the epidemic lags behind that of developed economies, because the delay in vaccination has damaged domestic demand and the economies of countries that rely on tourism.

China, Japan, South Korea, the United States and Europe will promote a unified patent examination standard for artificial intelligence.

"Nihon Keizai Shimbun" reported on the 2nd that around the patent development of artificial intelligence (ai) with accelerated competition, there has been a practice of sorting out the differences of different auditing standards in different countries and regions and promoting the popularization of * * *. The heads of patent departments in Japan, the United States, the European Union (EU), China and South Korea confirmed the cooperation and set up a working group. It is difficult to judge which stage is an invention through the continuous improvement of AI such as machine learning. The world will establish an environment that is easy to apply for patents and promote fair development.

The working group will first compare and investigate the differences in auditing standards. Then consider promoting the unification of styles and the generalization of standards.

If you apply for a patent in one country and region, your rights are also protected in other countries, but if you want to provide authorization in the manufacturing and sales process, you need to obtain a patent in each country and region. It is difficult to master the standard differences of AI patents, and it is necessary to apply for different contents, which has become a burden for enterprises and technicians.

By 20 19, the number of patent applications worldwide was about 3.22 million. Among them, the number of applications from Japan, the United States, Europe, China and South Korea reached about 2.73 million, accounting for more than 80%. With the unification of standards, it will also bring more and more convenience to applicants.

Square bought Afterpay, an installment company, for $29 billion.

Square, a digital payment company, said on the 2nd that it has agreed to acquire Afterpay, a "buy first and pay later" company, which is an all-stock transaction worth about $29 billion. This is the largest acquisition of Square so far, and the transaction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2022.

Square allows retailers to use tablets or smartphones to process credit card transactions. The company said that it plans to integrate Afterpay into its service, so that merchants can provide customers with the option of paying later without relying on credit cards. Afterpay users can manage their installment payment directly in Square's Cash application.

About 70 million people use Square's cash application. The company said that as of June 30, Afterpay had provided services to more than 654.38+06 million consumers and nearly 654.38 million+merchants, including major retailers such as fashion, household goods, beauty and sporting goods.

Installment payment is very popular with retailers because it encourages customers to spend more money. The plan also allows customers with insufficient funds or credit to leave with the goods they want. Installment payment, no interest-unless the customer delays payment, in which case, additional fees or interest will be incurred.

Square agreed to buy all the shares of this Australian company. Afterpay shareholders will receive 0.375 shares of Square A for each share they hold, which is about 30% higher than the last closing price. Australian shareholders will own about 18.5% of the shares of the merged company.

Daily picture

The price of a watermelon is near 170 yuan? Due to the high temperature, prices in Korea have risen sharply.

On August 1 day, local time, 20265438, according to Korean media reports, with the continuous high temperature weather in South Korea, the prices of fruits, vegetables and broilers with large consumption in summer have gradually increased. In large supermarkets, a watermelon in South Korea costs about 30,000 won (about 168 RMB).

(This article is synthesized from Reuters, Associated Press and Nihon Keizai Shimbun)