BlackRock expands AI push with new robotics ETF as investor enthusiasm cools

Economic Times - Oct 21, 2026

BlackRock has launched a new robotics focused ETF as investors become more selective about AI investments. The fund targets companies using intelligent machines across industries such as manufacturing and transportation, adding to a rapidly expanding market of ETFs built around different parts of the AI theme.

Read full article
More News
China builds the world’s smallest wearable brain monitor with a cortex-wide view
Oct 21, 2026
China builds the world’s smallest wearable brain monitor with a cortex-wide view

Chinese scientists have developed what they say is the world’s smallest wearable mini brain monitor that can track the activity of thousands of neurons at the same time. Weighing in at one gram (0.35 oz), the wireless “Airscope” is the lightest device of its kind and enables researchers to track a wider range of brain activity in untethered laboratory animals. The device was jointly developed by scientists from Tsinghua University and the Chinese PLA Medical School, and detailed in a paper...

Taiwan admits paying for retired US general to observe largest annual war games
Oct 21, 2026
Taiwan admits paying for retired US general to observe largest annual war games

Taiwan’s defence ministry has confirmed for the first time that it has allocated funding for the US Indo-Pacific Command to send a retired general and other personnel to observe the island’s largest annual war games. The disclosure sheds rare official light on military exchanges that Taipei and Washington have traditionally kept out of public view, as security cooperation between the two sides deepens amid growing pressure from Beijing. According to a defence ministry report submitted to the...

Burnham’s Britain can learn from Trump in engaging with China
Oct 21, 2026
Burnham’s Britain can learn from Trump in engaging with China

Getting relations with China right is widely seen as Britain’s epoch-defining challenge. It is also one it is woefully unprepared to face. So concluded a recent audit by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), which highlighted that top negotiators lacked basic Chinese language skills. More critically, it exposed a deeper deficit: a poor grasp of China spanning political elites and the public alike. This is rooted in a desk-bound classroom sinology rather than a nuanced appreciation...

Brazil’s family farming backbone embraces Chinese AI to reverse vital sector’s decline
Oct 21, 2026
Brazil’s family farming backbone embraces Chinese AI to reverse vital sector’s decline

The family farmers who produce the lion’s share of Brazil’s staple foods are opening their arms to cutting-edge Chinese artificial intelligence in a bid to modernise operations and secure their future. Brazil and China agreed to a five-year cooperation programme in September aimed at giving smallholders – the backbone of the Brazilian agricultural sector – an AI boost after a decade of declining employment and limited access to affordable technology. Representatives of the Brazilian Agricultural...

US troops in South Korea must be ready for missions beyond peninsula, commander says
Oct 20, 2026
US troops in South Korea must be ready for missions beyond peninsula, commander says

The commander of the US Eighth Army in South Korea said his troops must be ready for deployment outside the Korean peninsula if ordered, arguing that it would be “irresponsible” to focus “myopically” on threats there. Lieutenant General Joe Hilbert said that while his command’s focus was on fulfilling US commitments under its mutual defence treaty with Seoul, the Eighth Army’s location did not limit the missions it could undertake. It would be “irresponsible to focus myopically” on threats on...

First Quad leaders’ summit after 2 years in Manila next month, Rubio confirms
Oct 20, 2026
First Quad leaders’ summit after 2 years in Manila next month, Rubio confirms

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Tuesday that the leaders of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue would meet in the Philippine capital next month, marking the group’s first summit in more than two years, just days before US President Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Shenzhen, China. “It’s been agreement now that we’re going to do it; we’re going to do it in Manila, at the Asean conference,” Rubio said in an interview with Indian news channel CNN-News18. “We don’t...

China close to matching US spending on ‘new way of war’, Republican senator warns
Oct 20, 2026
China close to matching US spending on ‘new way of war’, Republican senator warns

The United States is lulling itself into a “sense of false security” over its military rivalry with China, according to a Republican senator who called for more spending on modern warfare systems and closer cooperation with allies. Speaking at the Hudson Institute after a recent trip to Japan and South Korea, Dave McCormick, a Pennsylvania senator and West Point graduate, claimed up to 90 per cent of US defence spending funded decades-old equipment and technologies. “We convince ourselves; we...

Will Xi, Trump, Putin meet at Apec? First, they must agree on an agenda
Oct 20, 2026
Will Xi, Trump, Putin meet at Apec? First, they must agree on an agenda

While US President Donald Trump has said he is open to sitting down with Chinese and Russian counterparts Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin at the Apec summit, it remains far from certain that the three leaders will actually meet in a few weeks. Observers said much would depend on whether the countries could agree on an agenda, with one expert describing this as a “critical lever”. Russia was set to gain most if the trilateral meeting took place, experts said, as the summit would be a potent symbol...

Mutual funds raise stake in KRN Heat Exchanger; Union MF enters with five schemes
Oct 20, 2026
Mutual funds raise stake in KRN Heat Exchanger; Union MF enters with five schemes

The number of mutual fund schemes holding the company’s shares rose to 30 in the September quarter from 26 in June

'That machine did exactly what he designed it to do': Stockton Rush's old friend claims OceanGate CEO wanted to die at Titanic wreck
Oct 20, 2026
'That machine did exactly what he designed it to do': Stockton Rush's old friend claims OceanGate CEO wanted to die at Titanic wreck

Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, met a tragic fate during a dive to the Titanic wreck when the Titan submersible imploded. According to his friend Karl Stanley, Rush was eager to weave his own narrative into Titanic's legendary history, chasing fame. The US Coast Guard's investigation found that operational failures led to the disaster, while negligence on Rush's part was implicated in the loss of four lives.

Unpaid intern says company fired them for refusing to do ‘three jobs’; netizens react
Oct 20, 2026
Unpaid intern says company fired them for refusing to do ‘three jobs’; netizens react

An unpaid intern’s Reddit post has sparked debate over workplace exploitation after they claimed to have been fired for refusing to mentor two interns and conduct an HR crash course alongside their regular duties. The post drew thousands of upvotes, with users criticising the company’s alleged work culture and backing the intern’s decision to set boundaries.

Fed sneezes, but emerging markets aren't catching a cold yet: McGeever
Oct 20, 2026
Fed sneezes, but emerging markets aren't catching a cold yet: McGeever

Emerging markets are displaying surprising economic resilience in light of the Federal Reserve's tightening measures. Stronger fiscal fundamentals and high bond yields provide emerging market central banks with greater flexibility. Some countries are even considering rate cuts, which may not have been possible in the past. Investor sentiment is shifting towards emerging markets as they are viewed more favorably compared to developed economies.

Recommended
Copyright © 2015 - 2026 The Financial Capital.

All Rights Reserved.

Subscribe Now!

About Us

The Financial Capital is your independent source for finance information and advice. We provide insights and offer advice from financial experts so you can make the best decisions.