boom

VICTORIA Beckham’s £104 foundation has sold out in the two weeks since son Brooklyn disowned her — as fans throw their support behind the ex-Spice Girl.

It is now the most successful product in her beauty range — and means she stands to make her greatest turnover this year.

The Foundation Drops have sold out in several shades, with the waiting list the longest since she launched her range in 2019.

Currently one of her satin kajal eyeliners sells every 30 seconds.

But the foundation is on track to sell every 20 seconds once stocks are replenished.

January, traditionally the quietest month in the online beauty world, has been Victoria’s busiest to date as fans launched a viral campaign to promote her products.

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It comes after they got her 2001 hit, Not Such An Innocent Girl, to number one in the charts last month following Brooklyn’s Instagram tirade.

After months of feuding, Brooklyn 26, said he has no desire to reconcile with Victoria, 51, and dad David, 50.

A source said: “Personally it may well have been one of the worst months of Victoria’s life but professionally, these past four weeks have been astonishing.

“Not only did fans get her to number one, TikTok then went into overdrive reviewing her foundation. It got rave reviews, with make-up artists and beauty enthusiasts waxing lyrical.

“Having already sold well in the build-up to Christmas, in the wake of Brooklyn’s bombshell statement, it has had a second surge online.

“As a result, there are now enormous waiting lists and it has become her biggest ever selling hero product.”

Victoria’s most recent Companies House reports showed a 26 per cent revenue increase year on year, with turnover of almost £113million.

Jan. 30 (Asia Today) — Despite sluggish domestic demand, South Korea’s stock market is surging, driven largely by a semiconductor supercycle led by SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics.

SK Hynix last year posted record sales exceeding 97 trillion won (about $67.6 billion) and operating profit of 47 trillion won (about $32.8 billion), with both its annual and fourth-quarter results reaching all-time highs. Notably, its fourth-quarter operating margin surpassed that of Taiwan’s leading foundry, underscoring not only for growth but also for profitability. Samsung Electronics also reported sales of 333 trillion won (about $232.2 billion) and operating profit of 43 trillion won (about $30.0 billion), up 11% and 33% year on year. Its semiconductor division alone generated 44 trillion won (about $30.7 billion) in sales and 16 trillion won (about $11.2 billion) in operating profit in the fourth quarter.

These earnings surprises were fueled by higher sales of high-value products such as high-bandwidth memory and rising memory prices. On the back of the two chipmakers, the benchmark KOSPI index climbed past 5,200 on Jan. 29. Industry forecasts suggest the semiconductor supercycle could continue this year, with combined operating profit potentially exceeding 200 trillion won (about $139.4 billion) and, in some projections, approaching 300 trillion won (about $209.2 billion) as memory shortages deepen and dominance in the high-bandwidth memory market strengthens.

What is troubling, however, is the extent to which the broader economy relies on this single engine. Although exports topped $700 billion last year, fourth-quarter growth turned negative and annual growth was limited. The semiconductor-centered IT manufacturing sector accounted for most of the country’s modest GDP expansion, implying that without semiconductors overall growth would have been far weaker.

While the semiconductor boom is expected to last at least through this year, stock markets typically price in conditions about six months ahead. The chip-led rally may therefore run into limits later this year. Beyond that point, risks loom. The automotive sector faces uncertainty from Trump-era tariffs and rapid shifts toward autonomous and next-generation mobility. Steel, petrochemicals and batteries are struggling amid oversupply driven by China-led competition.

The previous administration pledged to foster pharmaceuticals and biotechnology as next-generation core industries, but tangible progress has been limited. Building new growth engines ultimately depends on government policy resolve. A recent report by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade noted that major powers such as the United States and China are aggressively promoting strategic industries with a wide range of policy tools, while South Korea remains comparatively passive.

Revitalizing industrial policy will require active restructuring of lagging sectors and stronger coordination across ministries. Leaving everything to private initiative is not enough. To secure sustainable growth beyond semiconductors, the government must mobilize far more policy tools to strengthen domestic production and cultivate new core industries.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260129010013700

Dutch firm says it expects strong growth in 2026, countering fears of an investment bubble.

Tech giant ASML has reported a quarterly record in orders of its chip-making equipment, boosting hopes for the sustainability of the artificial intelligence boom and countering fears of an investment bubble.

The Dutch firm said on Wednesday that it booked orders worth 13.2 billion euros ($15.8bn) in the final quarter of 2025, more than half of which were for its most advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines.

ASML logged orders worth 7 million euros during the same period the previous year.

Net sales came to 9.7 billion euros in the October-December period, ASML said, taking sales for all of 2025 to 32.7 billion euros.

Net profit for the year was 9.6 billion euros, up from 7.6 billion euros in 2024.

The Veldhoven-based company forecast net sales of between 34 billion euros and 39 billion euros in 2026.

ASML Chief Executive Officer Christophe Fouquet said the company’s chip-making customers had conveyed a “notably more positive assessment” of the market situation in the medium term based on expectations of strong AI-related demand.

“This is reflected in a marked step-up in their medium-term capacity plans and in our record order intake,” Fouquet said in a statement.

“Therefore, we expect 2026 to be another growth year for ASML’s business, largely driven by a significant increase in EUV sales and growth in our installed base business sales.”

Fouquet also said the company would cut about 1,700 jobs, most of them at the leadership level, amid concerns work processes had become “less agile”.

“Engineers in particular have expressed their desire to focus their time on engineering, without being hampered by slow process flows, and restore the fast-moving culture that has made us so successful,” Fouquet said.

The proposed cuts, which would affect positions in the Netherlands and the United States, represent about 4 percent of ASML’s 44,000-strong global workforce.

ASML holds an effective monopoly on the production of machinery used by TSMC, Samsung Electronics, and Intel to make the most advanced AI chips.

The company sells only about 50 of its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines each year, with each unit costing about 250 million euros.

ASML’s share price surged on Wednesday, with its stock up nearly 6 percent as of 9.30am local time.

“ASML’s latest results suggest the AI boom is still in full swing, with strong orders and a bullish outlook,” said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.

“However, job cuts in the business would suggest it is not getting carried away with the strength of current trading.”

ASML’s restructuring “looks like a sharper focus on efficiencies and different ways of working, rather than saying there isn’t enough work for existing staff to do,” Mould added.

“Nonetheless, it’s a sign that the AI craze might be trying to catch its breath.”

Tech giants such as Meta, OpenAI, Nvidia and Oracle have poured billions of dollars into AI in the expectation that the technology will deliver dramatic changes to how people work and live.

Global AI-related spending is forecast to hit $2.53 trillion in 2026 and $3.33 trillion in 2027, according to projections by technology insights firm Gartner.

The investment boom has propelled the US stock market to record highs, stoking concerns about the sustainability of huge spending on a technology whose promise remains largely unrealised.

HAMNET, the new Shakespearean film starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal is thrusting this lesser-known UK county into the spotlight.

Herefordshire stood in for Stratford-upon-Avon in the new film and it’s predicted that people will soon be visiting its pretty villages over that of its popular neighbour.

The Independent called Herefordshire the ‘quiet corner of England’ and explained that the county hoping for more tourists with what they’re calling the ‘Hamnet effect’.

In 2024, cast and crew descended on a small Herefordshire village to transform it into looking like Shakespeare’s Stratford.

The hope is that the county will become popular like its neighbour – the Cotswolds which is just 25 miles down the road.

As we all know the Cotswolds is known for its charming villages with cottages built from limestone brick that sit along cobbled streets around winding rivers.

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Well, you can still get such charm in Herefordshire, and it sees much fewer visitors – around six million each year compared to the Cotswolds’ 25million.

One of Herefordshire’s villages that appeared heavily in Hamnet was Weobley, which is nicknamed a ‘black and white’ village thanks to its many half-timbered houses.

The Hollywood production transformed the village into one from the 1500s, which was done fairly easily thanks to its old buildings.

While you won’t find many shops in Weobley, there are a few places to have a bite to eat like The Green Beach Cafe, or the local Indian restaurant, Lal Bagh which has a Tripadvisor Travellers‘ Choice Award and 375 five-star reviews.

Weobley also has two pubs, Ye Old Salutation Inn and The New Unicorn Inn.

But fans of Hamnet should head into The Wobbly Badger cafe which took centre stage for the exterior of Shakespeare’s family home in the film.

There are lots of other villages that are part of Herefordshire’s ‘black and white villages’ – and there’s even a dedicated tour route to see them.

One of the other villages in the trail is Pembridge, or Eardisland, which sits on the banks of the River Arrow – and looks similar to Bourton-on-the-Water.

Even smaller villages include Eardisley, Dilswyn, Leominster and Kingsland.

It’s not just Hamnet that was filmed in Herefordshire, as one very famous Netflix series also made its home there.

Sex Education starring Asa Butterfield and Gillian Anderson was filmed in Symonds Yat East, which sits in the counties of Herefordshire.

The recognisable red and white chalet where Otis and Jean live sits high above the River Wye.

It’s the UK’s fifth longest river and has an incredible backdrop of rolling green hills – and getting onto the water is one of the best ways to see it.

There are plenty of companies offering kayaking, canoeing or stand up paddleboard sessions for around £60 per person along the river.

Herefordshire is also well regarded for its cider production thanks to its acres of orchards that cover the countryside – it’s been made there since the 17th century.

Scattered around the county are orchards and breweries that you’re welcome to pop into.

VisitHerefordshire even has ‘Cider Circuits’ with dedicated cycling loops to see as many as possible.

If you head to Westons Cider Mill in Ledbury, you can sample the latest flavours – tours of the cider mill cost just £15 for adults.

If you go there with the family, there’s an outdoor play park with slides and tyre trails to entertain the kids.

If you need a place to stay, Gwatkin even has its own campsite with pitches from £9pppn.

Just outside Lyonshall village is the White Heron Estate where they make their own signature blackberry liqueur – British Cassis and British Framboise.

Taking a walking tour and tasting is £25pp (for groups of 10+).

For more on British villages, check out this destination with toy-town cottages, car-free roads and cosy pubs.

And for another Cotswolds alternative, this one is under one hour from London and is set to be a world-famous destination.