Samsung New Zealand has released a new advertisement for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 starring a real estate agent named Tim Cook, using the coincidental name match to poke fun at Apple just days after the company unveiled its first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo.

The man in the ad, a property agent with Harcourts in Palmerston North, New Zealand, is not the former Apple CEO of the same name, though he bears a passing resemblance to him and is dressed in glasses and understated clothing similar to what Apple’s real Tim Cook is known to wear. Samsung’s clip opens with the caption “Tim Cook has an announcement. And for once, it’s about Galaxy.”

How the ad plays out

The spot mimics the cinematic, hyperbolic tone Apple typically uses in its own product launch videos. “Hi. I’m Tim Cook, from Palmy,” the man says at the start of the ad, using a local nickname for Palmerston North. “And I’m reviewing my new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8.”

He goes on to deliver lines styled after Apple’s typical marketing language, including “the future is here” and “with this phone everything changes.” The ad closes with the man delivering what sounds like a scripted product endorsement. “This thing is the best of both worlds,” he says. “Best phone I’ve ever had. You can quote me. Tim Cook from Palmerston North.”

Samsung also worked in a more pointed dig at Apple’s actual Tim Cook, referencing his recently updated profile picture as part of the ad’s broader jab at the tech giant.

Timing tied directly to Apple’s foldable debut

Samsung published the ad on social media a day after Apple officially unveiled the iPhone Duo, its long-rumored first foldable iPhone, at the company’s Sept. 9 “Surprise and Shine” event. That same event also introduced the iPhone 18 Pro, Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5, but the iPhone Duo drew the most attention given years of speculation about whether and when Apple would enter the foldable phone category.

The timing was hardly incidental. Samsung has built much of its recent marketing around its multiyear head start in the foldable space, having launched its first foldable device, the original Galaxy Fold, in 2019. With Apple’s foldable debut poised to draw fresh mainstream attention to the category, Samsung’s campaign frames the Galaxy Z Fold 8 as the more established, proven option.

Industry analysts have suggested that Apple’s entry into the space could meaningfully expand the overall foldable phone market, which currently accounts for roughly 2% of global smartphone sales, according to Counterpoint Research. A larger foldable market driven by Apple’s arrival could benefit Samsung as well, even as the two companies compete directly for share of that growing segment.

Part of a long tradition of Apple-mocking ads

The Tim Cook spot continues a marketing tradition Samsung has leaned on for more than a decade, repeatedly using humor to needle its biggest smartphone rival. One widely remembered Samsung ad for the Galaxy S2 mocked iPhone fans lined up outside Apple Stores waiting to buy the iPhone 4S, including a memorable scene featuring a customer who insists he can’t buy a Samsung phone because he considers himself “creative,” only for a friend to point out that he works as a barista.

Another Samsung campaign, tied to the Galaxy Note 8, featured an Apple fan sporting a haircut styled to resemble the iPhone’s screen notch. Samsung also ran a recurring “Ingenious” ad series that showed an Apple Store employee fielding pointed questions from customers about whether iPhones offered features Samsung phones already had, such as a headphone jack or an included fast charger in the box.

An unusual moment for Apple’s actual leadership

The ad also arrives at a notable transition point for Apple’s real executive leadership. At the company’s Sept. 9 event, Apple marked the end of the Tim Cook era at the top of the company, with new CEO John Ternus taking over presentation duties. During the opening of the event, Cook appeared briefly on stage, initially appearing as though he might lead the keynote once more, before turning to the audience and saying, “No, no, no, not me,” and gesturing to Ternus as his successor. Cook had first taken over as Apple’s CEO in 2011, following Steve Jobs’ resignation, after briefly serving in the role during a medical leave Jobs took starting in January 2009.

A lighthearted jab amid a serious product race

Despite its playful tone, the campaign underscores the competitive stakes both companies face as foldable phones move further into the mainstream smartphone conversation. Samsung has spent years refining its foldable lineup, including the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and its predecessors, while Apple’s arrival with the iPhone Duo represents a significant strategic shift for a company that had, until this year, stayed out of the foldable category entirely.

For now, Samsung’s ad offers a lighter counterpoint to that broader competitive backdrop, using a case of mistaken identity and a New Zealand real estate agent’s uncanny resemblance to Apple’s former chief executive to generate buzz — and a fair bit of online amusement — right as Apple’s own foldable ambitions take center stage.

This article was written by

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

The Tony Blair Institute has called on the government to raise manufacturing’s share of UK gross value added from 8 per cent to 10 per cent by 2031, arguing that the countries set to gain most from the artificial intelligence boom will be those that make the physical equipment the technology depends on.

The think tank said the 2031 goal should be followed by a “subsequent target” of 12 per cent to 14 per cent. A 10 per cent share would be a 20-year high.

Its report argued that physical inputs to frontier technologies such as AI, quantum computing and robotics would become the “key bottleneck”.

“The ultimate digital technology, the one that feels the most abstract and removed from the physical world, will make physical capital matter more than ever,” the report said. “The real winners will therefore be the countries that not only adopt AI, but create the physical things that AI depends on.”

Funding skewed towards software

The UK ranks third in the world for attracting venture capital, behind only the United States and China, but the report said investment was heavily skewed towards software. Figures from the Startup Coalition, cited in the report, put funding raised by software companies at £19.7bn, against £1.84bn for hardware firms.

The report warned that the UK’s relative weakness in hardware could pose problems. “It is the supply of chips and energy systems, not code, that currently caps how much AI can be built,” it said. “Conversely, AI is far more likely to cannibalise ‘soft’ tech and service sectors.”

Demand for AI hardware has pushed up prices across supply chains as companies race to build data centres, with Nvidia, the dominant supplier of the chips needed to power AI, among the biggest beneficiaries. Gartner, a research firm, predicts global semiconductor revenue will reach $1.6tn this year, up 92 per cent year-on-year.

The government has said it wants the UK to capture 5 per cent of the AI semiconductor market. On 8 June it set out a £1.1bn AI hardware plan, which included £150m to buy next-generation inference chips from British start-ups and other firms, alongside a £750m national supercomputer.

Where the report says the money should go

The report said the UK was “structurally disadvantaged” when it came to scaling world-leading hard technologies. Manufacturing makes up a lower share of GDP than in international rivals, it said, research and development spending is heavily concentrated in the pharmaceutical industry, and the financial ecosystem is not geared towards hard tech.

Rather than pursuing what it called “nostalgic reindustrialisation”, the institute said the government should gear existing public financial institutions, including the National Wealth Fund and the British Business Bank, towards hard tech. It argued that a minimum of 20 per cent of the National Wealth Fund’s remaining undeployed capital should be spent on infrastructure for critical technologies.

The government has separately set out an AI investment package centred on an AI growth zone in south Wales, while Carbon3.ai has announced a £1bn plan to build a sovereign AI infrastructure network of UK-owned data centres. Advanced manufacturing is one of the frontier sectors named in the government’s modern industrial strategy, which commits £4.3bn to technology development and creates a scheme to cut electricity costs for energy-intensive manufacturers from 2027.

The Tony Blair Institute acts as a think tank and policy adviser to governments around the world. It has received significant backing from Larry Ellison, the Oracle founder, who has pledged $375m to the organisation.

This article was written by

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

NEW DELHI: Twitter‘s Public Policy Director for India and South Asia has resigned to pursue other interests, the micro-blogging site confirmed in a statement. The company has also advertised a position for public policy director – India last week.

This comes as the San-Francisco based firm is at the receiving end of the Indian government over an issue of blocking and unblocking certain handles tweeting about farmer protests.

Sources said that the executive — who continues to lead the conversations with the government — Mahima Kaul’s stepping down is not related to the recent controversy.

Monique Meche, VP, Public Policy, Twitter said in a statement “At the start of this year, Mahima Kaul decided to step down from her role as Twitter Public Policy Director for India and South Asia to take a well-deserved break. It’s a loss for all of us at Twitter, but after more than five years in the role we respect her desire to focus on the most important people and relationships in her personal life.” Kaul will continue in her role till the end of March and will support the transition, Meche added.

“The Public Policy team acts as Twitter’s ambassadors to government policymakers, regulators, and civil society groups on public policy issues. We focus on addressing issues such as advocating for an Open Internet, freedom of expression, privacy, online safety, net neutrality, and data protection to advance the interests of Twitter and our customers. In addition, we serve as the #TwitterForGood team and provide guidance, resources, and support for Twitter’s Corporate Social Responsibility mission,” the company said in its job description on LinkedIn.

“As Twitter’s public policy lead based in India, this you’ll drive and assist development and advocacy of public policy solutions to pressing high technology issues. Specifically, you will manage and build a team of public policy and philanthropy specialists to protect and advance Twitter’s interests in India, it added among other key performing areas.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken‘s first videoconference with European Union foreign ministers last month was so good humoured that some diplomats in Europe described it as a “love fest”.

But two senior envoys who attended said there was no direct response from the ministers gathered in Brussels when Blinken said: “We must push back on China together and show strength in unity.”

Their reticence is partly due to an unwillingness to commit to anything until Washington spells out more fully its China policy under President Joe Biden.

But the ministers were also cautious because the EU is looking for a strategic balance in relations with Beijing and Washington that ensures the bloc is not so closely allied with one of the world’s two big powers that it alienates the other.

The EU also hopes to have enough independence from Washington and Beijing to be able on its own to deepen ties with countries in the Indo-Pacific region such as India, Japan and Australia, EU officials said.

In a new departure for the EU, they said, the bloc hopes to agree a plan next month that involves a larger and more assertive security presence in the Indo-Pacific, and more development aid, trade and diplomacy.
“We are charting a third way between Washington and Beijing,” an EU envoy in Asia said.Another EU official in Asia expressed concern that the United States had “a hawkish agenda against China, which is not our agenda”.

‘EUROPE ROADSHOW’
Last month’s videoconference was part of an attempt under Biden to rebuild alliances neglected by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who had an antagonistic relationship with both the EU and China.

The White House has embarked on a “Europe roadshow”, a senior U.S. official said, and is in daily contact with European governments about China’s rising power, in “a sustained effort for … a high degree of coordination and cooperation in a number of areas.”

In a sign that the U.S. push on China is having an impact, Germany plans to send a frigate in August to Asia and across the South China Sea, where Beijing has military outposts on artificial islands, senior government officials told Reuters.

The EU is also set to sanction four Chinese officials and one entity – with travel bans and asset freezes – on March 22 over human rights abuses in China’s Uighur Muslim minority, diplomats said.

In a further sign, when Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired a video summit with central and eastern European countries last month, six EU member states – Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia – sent ministers rather than heads of state.

But there is still distrust in Brussels of Washington’s approach to China, even if attitudes in Europe have hardened against China over Beijing’s crackdown in Hong Kong, treatment of Uighur Muslims and the COVID-19 pandemic, first identified in China.

The United States says China is an authoritarian country that has embarked on a military modernisation that threatens the West, and has sought to weaken telecommunications equipment maker Huawei, which it sees as a national security threat.

The U.S.-led NATO military alliance is also beginning to focus on China, but Biden’s administration is still reviewing policy.

“We ask what their China strategy is and they say they still don’t have one,” the EU official in Asia said.

French President Emmanuel Macron highlighted concerns in some EU states last month by saying that uniting against China would create “the highest possible” potential for conflict.

‘NO ALTERNATIVE’
But the EU is hungry for new trade and sees the Indo-Pacific as offering huge potential.

The EU has a trade deal with Japan and is negotiating one with Australia. Diplomats say countries in the Indo-Pacific want the EU to be more active in the region to keep trade free and open, and to ensure they are not left facing a straight choice between Beijing and Washington.

France committed to closer ties with allies such as Australia and India with an Indo-Pacific strategy in 2018, followed by the Netherlands, which also has its own strategy, and Germany’s looser set of “guidelines”.

The EU strategy, if agreed, could involve putting more EU military experts in EU diplomatic missions in Asia, training coast guards and sending more EU military personnel to serve on Australian ships patrolling in the Indian Ocean, diplomats said.

It is unclear how much Germany, which has close business ties to China, will commit to any new strategy. German government officials say the EU cannot afford to alienate Beijing despite labelling China a “systemic rival” in 2019.

But French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will travel to India in April to develop the EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy, and the EU aims to hold a summit with India this year.

France, which has 1.8 million citizens in Pacific overseas territories, has about 4,000 troops in the region, plus navy ships and patrol boats.

“The Indo-Pacific is the cornerstone of Europe’s geopolitical path,” said a French diplomat. “There’s no alternative.”

Nifty remained under sustained pressure through the week and ended in the red, extending the corrective phase for the fifth consecutive week. The index traded in a wide 658.60-point range with selling pressure intensifying after the 23,900–24,000 support zone was violated. Nifty eventually settled at 23,398.10, not far above the weekly low.

Volatility also rose, with India VIX up 15.07% for the week to 12.29, reflecting increased risk perception. Nifty ended the week with a loss of 499.60 points (-2.09%).
The technical structure has deteriorated following the violation of the important 23,900–24,000 support zone. This area had provided support during the recent consolidation but will now be expected to act as resistance on any pullback. More importantly, Nifty has slipped below its 100-week moving average, currently placed at 24,401, and remains below the 50-week MA at 24,673.

This keeps the broader setup defensive. Unless the index manages to reclaim 23,900–24,000 on a closing basis, meaningful and sustainable upmoves are unlikely; rallies towards this zone are more likely to encounter selling pressure.

The coming week will be truncated, with Monday, September 14 being a trading holiday on account of Ganesh Chaturthi; trading will therefore resume on Tuesday. A positive but cautious start is expected as Nifty adjust to the global trade setup that transpired on Monday. The 23,600 and 23,850 levels are expected to act as resistance areas. Supports are likely to come in at 23,230 and 23,000.

The weekly RSI stands at 39.93 and remains below the neutral 50 mark. It is not yet oversold and remains neutral against the price. The weekly MACD is bullish and above the signal line, but sits on the verge of a negative crossover as indicated by a narrowing Histogram. The latest weekly candle is distinctly bearish with a relatively large real body and a close in the lower part of the week’s range.
Pattern analysis shows Nifty continuing to trade within the broader range, but it has now moved closer to the lower half of this structure. The more immediate concern is the loss of the 23,900–24,000 support levels. The lower Bollinger Band is placed at 23,286, almost coinciding with the week’s low of 23,231, making this region an important near-term technical reference. Therefore, while intermittent technical rebounds cannot be ruled out after five consecutive weeks of decline, they should not be interpreted as a trend reversal unless Nifty first recaptures 23,900–24,000 and subsequently begins moving back above its key weekly averages.The approach for the coming week should remain defensive and selective. With Nifty having broken an important support zone and volatility rising, fresh buying should be highly selective and preferably restricted to stocks displaying strong relative strength. Nifty is oversold on daily charts; therefore, short positions should also not be pursued indiscriminately near supports after an extended five-week decline. Until 23,900–24,000 is reclaimed, the broader strategy should remain one of selling into strength, maintaining modest position sizes, and keeping strict risk controls while adopting a highly stock- specific approach.

In our look at Relative Rotation Graphs®, we compared various sectors against the CNX500 (NIFTY 500 Index), representing over 95% of the free-float market cap of allthe listed stocks.

The Relative Rotation Graph (RRG) shows a somewhat lack of leadership in the markets. The Nifty Auto, Realty, and Media Indices are inside the leading quadrant. But barring the Auto Index, the other two are seen pairing on their relative momentum against the broader market.

The Nifty Pharma and Midcap Index are inside the weakening quadrant. Of the two, the Midcap 100 Index is showing improving relative momentum. The Nifty Financial Services Index has rolled into the lagging quadrant. The FMCG index and the Infrastructure Index also languish inside this quadrant.

The Energy, Infrastructure, and PSE Indices are also in the lagging quadrant, but they are showing good improvement in relative momentum against the broader Nifty 500 Index. The PSU Bank, IT, Services Sector, and BankNifty Indices are in the improving quadrant of the RRG.

Important Note: RRGTMchartsshow the relative strength and momentum of a group of stocks. In the above Chart, they show relative performance against the NIFTY500 Index (Broader Markets) and should not be used directly as buy or sell signals.

BSE’s trading activity eased after last week’s sharp rebound, though volumes remained well above the lows seen earlier this month, according to Nuvama Institutional Equities.

BSE’s average daily premium turnover value (ADPTV) stood at Rs 21,300 crore, down 6.6% week-on-week, compared with a 4.6% decline for the industry. The figure was above Nuvama’s remaining FY27 ADPTV estimate of Rs 18,600 crore.

Average daily contracts traded on BSE fell 8.5% week-on-week to 105 million, in line with the industry’s decline. The exchange recorded 98 million contracts in August 2026 and 150 million in July 2026.

Premium per contract rose 2.1% week-on-week to Rs 2,028, compared with Rs 1,897 in August and Rs 1,688 in July.

BSE’s ADPTV market share stood at 34.3%, down 70.8 basis points week-on-week.

For FY27 to date, BSE’s ADPTV is around Rs 26,200 crore, while its ADPTV market share is around 35.2%. Its premium-to-notional turnover ratio is around 12.4 basis points, compared with 17.2 basis points for the industry.
Separately, the Closing Auction Session (CAS) remains under discussion, with Sebi chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey saying the mechanism is “here to stay” while acknowledging that liquidity could remain a concern during the initial stages of implementation.ALSO READ: CAS here to stay, liquidity will pick up, says Sebi Chief

Pandey said several global jurisdictions, including the US, Japan and Hong Kong, experienced lower liquidity when CAS was initially introduced, with liquidity improving over time.

“The issue is can we just keep on waiting or we can have some temporary solutions to the issue,” Pandey said, referring to the liquidity concern.

Sebi is expected to issue a consultation paper proposing changes to the CAS framework.

The regulator introduced CAS on August 3, after which market participants raised concerns over the impact of the new mechanism on liquidity and settlement prices.

Pandey, however, said several market participants had praised the implementation, particularly during events such as MSCI rebalancing.

“We have had several participants who have absolutely praised that implementation of CAS—that MSCI rebalancing and all have gone off very well. Technically the whole thing went off well,” he said.

Pandey also said a segment of the market was impacted by the way the settlement price was determined under the new mechanism.

This article has been written by Kumar Gaurav, who is not a SEBI-registered Research Analyst or an Investment Adviser. Gaurav and his/her ‘relative(s)’ (as defined under Section 2(77) of the Companies Act, 2013) do not hold any financial interest in the companies mentioned in this article as of the date of publication. The views/recommendations mentioned in this article, wherever applicable, are those of the respective SEBI-registered Research Analyst/brokerage and have been reproduced/reported with due attribution. They should not be construed as the views or recommendations of The Economic Times Digital or the journalist. Readers are advised to consider the original research report and make their investment decisions based on their own assessment.