Welcome to the seventh edition of The Weekly Briefing!
Each week, we will recap the most interesting commercial news stories shaping the market, from corporate deals to regulatory shifts and highlight why they matter to businesses and law firms.
We aim to help readers sharpen their commercial fluency while keeping track of the legal angles behind the headlines.
Nvidia becomes the world’s first ever $5 trillion company
Nvidia’s run towards becoming the world’s first company to reach a valuation surpassing $5 trillion was driven in large part by the overwhelming demand for its AI processing chips, particularly the H100. The company announced around $500 billion in orders for these advanced chip models and its various partnerships, including an agreement to invest up to $100 billion into OpenAI, have contributed to this growth. Nvidia also entered into an agreement with the United States Department of Energy to build large batches of supercomputers.
However, many analysts view this surge as leading to an eventual burst in the “AI bubble” due to what they claim are astronomical valuations and inflated market figures. 75% of the growth in the S&P 500 over the past few years has been the result of the growth in AI-related stocks and there is no indication that the AI craze will slow down any time soon.
Russian missile and drone strikes across Ukraine cities
Another wave of missile and drone strikes has taken place in various Ukrainian cities between 1 and 2 November. Multiple power and energy infrastructure sites were targets, leaving around 60,000 people without power. By targeting these sites, together with a growing number of civilian infrastructure areas, Russia hopes to erode Ukraine’s ability to survive the winter due to how difficult it now is for various areas to access energy, food, and safe shelter.
A key area that Ukraine is trying its hardest to defend is Pokrovsk and losing it to the Russians would constitute a significant territorial loss. The West is now watching closely to determine whether Russia will continue to focus its military efforts on energy and infrastructure sites in Ukraine or whether it will pivot back to military targets.
China’s Q3 economic growth halts at 4.8%
The world’s second-largest economy grew by only 4.8% year-on-year in Q3 of 2025, down from 5.2% in Q2. GDP is also signalling a slowdown. The People’s Republic has set a full-year growth target in the region of 5% which means that the country’s economic forecast is still within a reasonable range. Some of the key reasons for the Q3 decline include China’s ongoing trade conflicts with the United States, weak consumer demand, and a longer than expected slump in the property sector.
China is the world’s largest producer of rare earths by a large margin, so any economic decline, however slight, could affect global output and energy supply chains. In the property sector, slower growth means fewer investments and jobs, which ultimately translates into waning consumer confidence. Companies with significant exposure to China through their supply chains may also be adversely affected. This could translate into a decline in import demand, which will, in turn, affect regions in other countries that rely on China-made goods.