The battle for China’s electric SUV market is heating up, both domestically and abroad. Chinese automaker BYD plans to expand its EV manufacturing and assembly into Vietnam, while Toyota has suspended sales of its Yaris model in Thailand after a safety test problem. Meanwhile, the largest segment of the EV market, SUV-styled EVs, is dominated by Tesla and BYD.

Shares of regional banks in the US climbed after a tumultuous week, with investors tiptoeing back into the sector after the failure of First Republic Bank triggered a widespread sell-off. Bain Capital is seeking to raise $4 billion for a new global “special situations fund,” as the firm sees an opportunity to invest in distressed assets across various classes.

President Biden plans to bolster US airline consumer protections by announcing new rules that require airlines to compensate passengers for significant flight delays or cancellations when carriers are responsible. This move comes as the airline industry continues to recover from the pandemic’s impact.

Central bank gold buying is off to a record-breaking start in 2021, led by Singapore. This news comes as gold, oil, and global currencies are entering a watershed moment. Industry experts speculate on the implications and potential impact of this trend.

In other news, Liechtenstein is set to allow payment for certain state services in Bitcoin, while former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer admits that spending $4 billion for Netflix, now worth over $140 billion, would have been a better “transformative acquisition” than Tumblr.

As always, ZeroHedge provides a mix of financial news and commentary, including warnings about the survival rate for everyone dropping to zero on a long enough timeline and the media misrepresenting interracial crime statistics to an extreme degree.

Overall, the financial industry continues to face challenges and opportunities in an ever-changing global market.