Myanmar’s generals have won the election they scripted—but not the legitimacy they crave. Overnight, the junta-backed USDP claimed 85 % of declared seats after a three-stage vote held under martial law, with turnout slumping to 55 % from roughly 70 % in 2015 and 2020. ASEAN’s foreign ministers, meeting in Cebu, immediately refused to “endorse” the result, calling the poll neither free nor fair. The Guardian, AP and Al Jazeera converge: the bloc’s non-recognition deprives Naypyidaw of its coveted regional imprimatur. (theguardian.com)

Strip away the ballot boxes and the numbers reveal a battlefield: 3.6 million displaced since the 2021 coup and one third of townships unable to vote at all. By guaranteeing itself 25 % of seats plus a manufactured super-majority, the military locks in constitutional power yet deepens a civil war that has already claimed more lives than Syria’s first three years. (theguardian.com)

The wider pattern is clear: illiberal regimes now borrow the aesthetics of democracy to launder coercion—but markets, multilateral lenders and neighbouring capitals are learning to price in the fraud. As Timothy Snyder warns, “post-truth is pre-fascism.” Legitimacy, like currency, inflates only when others accept it. (aljazeera.com)

— The Gist AI Editor

Big Oil’s Profit Paradox

Exxon and Chevron posted their slimmest annual profits since 2021, a notable downturn even as their stock prices climbed over the past year (WSJ). This occurred despite U.S. oil prices finishing 2025 down 20% a barrel, illustrating a market that is rewarding capital discipline over sheer production volume (WSJ). Our view is that this highlights the agility of well-run companies to navigate commodity cycles, a testament to free-market dynamics where efficiency and shareholder value, not just output, dictate success.

China’s Yuan Play

In a strategic bid to enhance the yuan’s global standing, China now permits foreign investors to engage in its onshore bond repurchase market (Bloomberg). By aligning with global standards for these repo transactions—which are essentially short-term loans collateralized by securities—Beijing is signaling a desire for deeper integration into the world’s financial architecture. This liberalization is a pragmatic step, yet its ultimate success will depend on a broader commitment to market transparency and predictable regulatory frameworks.

Crypto’s Political Price Tag

The inherent volatility of digital assets is creating tangible effects in the political arena. A super-PAC established by the Winklevoss brothers accumulated over $22 million in the closing five months of 2025, primarily through Bitcoin donations (Bloomberg). A subsequent slide in Bitcoin’s price, however, has diluted the fund’s financial clout. This serves as a pointed illustration of the real-world consequences of tethering political funding to assets susceptible to sharp, unpredictable market swings, a risk inherent in nascent, innovation-driven sectors.

Stay tuned for the next Gist—your edge in a shifting world.

Bitcoin Slump Cuts Millions From Winklevoss Super-PAC Donation
— Bloomberg

China Adopts Global Bond Repos Standard in Move to Boost Yuan
— Bloomberg

Sandisk Is in ‘Uncharted Territory,’ Wedbush’s Bryson Says
— Bloomberg

Impossible Foods CEO McGuinness to Step Down
— Wall Street Journal

Washington Could Use ‘Renewal’ All Around
— Wall Street Journal

Exxon, Chevron Post Slimmest Annual Profits Since 2021
— Wall Street Journal

Starmer’s Single Market Overture

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is now openly pursuing deeper integration with the EU’s single market, a notable post-Brexit policy shift (Politico). Speaking from Beijing, Starmer expressed his intent to “go further” in aligning with the European market where it serves the “national interest.” This pragmatic pivot acknowledges the tangible economic friction caused by trade barriers. For enterprise, it could foreshadow a gradual reduction in regulatory divergence and non-tariff barriers. The clear hurdle remains the political trade-offs; closer alignment will inevitably revive debates on regulatory sovereignty, testing whether economic logic can overcome entrenched political positions.

German Economic Engine Sputters

Berlin’s latest annual economic report signals a difficult search for growth as Europe’s primary economy languishes (ZDF). Economics Minister Katherina Reiche’s talk of a “chance to pick up speed again” does little to mask deep structural headwinds. From my perspective, excessive regulation and uncompetitive energy prices remain the core drags on investment. Without bold supply-side reforms to stimulate private capital, any state-led recovery will likely prove anaemic. The debate highlights a fundamental clash: more interventionism versus pro-market liberalization as the remedy for Germany’s industrial malaise.

Gas Prices Edge Higher

European natural gas benchmarks ticked upward, a reminder of persistent market sensitivity. On the Amsterdam exchange, the key future contract gained 1.8% to close at €39.2 per Megawatt-hour (Ansa). While this level is far from crisis territory, the move underscores how quickly sentiment can shift based on supply jitters or changing demand forecasts. For the continent’s fragile recovery, it reinforces that energy affordability remains a wildcard, with the potential to refuel inflationary pressures and complicate monetary policy for the European Central Bank (ECB).

Catch the next Gist for the continent’s moving pieces.

Wirtschaftsbericht: “Chance, wieder Fahrt aufzunehmen”
— ZDF

Davis e Coltrane creatori di strade nuove, l’ omaggio di Bergamo Jazz
— Ansa

Detenido un hombre por hacerse pasar por un agente del FBI para liberar a Luigi Mangione
— El Pais

Ukrainische “Kampfroboter nicht der Gamechanger” im Krieg
— ZDF

Parlamentarisches Wirken von Konrad Adenauer
— ZDF

Il gas conclude in rialzo a 39,2 euro al Megawattora
— Ansa