Hedge fund assets surged by a record $409bn to $5.6tn last quarter, driven by an AI-fuelled equity rally in chip stocks such as Samsung, AMD and SK Hynix, according to HFR data. The $134bn of inflows over the past three quarters marks the largest three-quarter intake since 2007, as investors shift from private equity — where capital is locked up for five to seven years — to hedge funds offering redemptions in one to six months. Macro strategies, betting on growth and inflation, attracted the most demand as institutions seek protection from geopolitical shocks including the Iran war and trade tensions.

Wall Street is protesting a plan by Trump Media & Technology Group to charge $100,000 a month for millisecond-fast access to President Trump's Truth Social posts. Critics, including former White House ethics adviser Richard Painter, warn of legal risks if subscribers gain advance notice of market-moving policy announcements. Trump's business portfolio earned $2.2bn in 2025, and his posts have repeatedly moved equities, oil and currencies.

Asian private credit fundraising plunged to a 12-year low, with just five funds raising $1.2bn in the first half of 2026 versus $9.5bn a year earlier, per PitchBook. Investors are favouring large US managers amid high-profile bankruptcies, though Singapore's Temasek plans to lift its private credit allocation to 5% by 2031.