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Profits at U.S. energy companies ExxonMobil and Chevron, however, have dropped significantly. According to the Q1 financial reports recently released by these companies, Shell Group’s adjusted net profit for Q1 was $6.9 billion, an increase of about 24% year-on-year; BP’s underlying replacement cost profit was about $3.2 billion, a year-on-year growth of approximately 132%; TotalEnergies reported a net profit of $5.8 billion, up 51% year-on-year. According to a Shell Group announcement cited by Agence France-Presse on the 10th, the company’s Q1 performance growth benefited from higher energy prices, improved refining profit margins, and increased revenue contributions from its trading business. At the end of February this year, the U.S. and Israel went to war with Iran, which led to the closure of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz; this sharply reduced global crude oil supply and sent prices soaring. Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, hovered at an average of about $100 per barrel in March, peaking at $120 per barrel; before the outbreak of the Iran conflict, prices were around $70 per barrel. However, profits at U.S. energy companies ExxonMobil and Chevron dropped noticeably, with Q1 net profits down 45.8% and 36.9% year-on-year, respectively. Experts believe the three major European energy giants have strong trading businesses, while their American competitors, ExxonMobil and Chevron, rely more heavily on crude oil extraction and are hampered by adverse factors such as time lags between product sales and settlement in the derivatives market. Stephen Innes, managing partner at Swiss SPI Asset Management, stated that the large European energy companies are no longer just traditional oil firms; they are now more like “traders” adept at volatility arbitrage within the global energy system, “benefiting from rising oil prices and profiting considerably from market turmoil itself.”

Glonghui, May 10 — As the AI wave creates an immense hunger for HBM (High-Bandwidth Memory), engineers mastering core technologies are becoming the new focal point of Korean society. Over the past year, some SK Hynix employees received year-end bonuses close to 6 million RMB, a “fantastical” figure that reflects how AI hardware dividends are increasingly favoring technical talent.In Korea’s matchmaking market, Hynix engineers have become the top “premium assets.” Even in the face of demanding overtime and other professional challenges, their status as “technical aristocrats” makes them highly sought after. For the first time, Korean chaebols are showing unprecedented attention and even “anxiety” toward the engineering community. They have come to realize that in the AI era, the value of HBM R&D talent now surpasses pure capital accumulation, becoming the key trump card determining the survival of enterprises.While there is public concern about AI replacing human labor, in high-tech sectors like semiconductors, AI has not led to unemployment among top talent. On the contrary, it has further highlighted their scarcity and bargaining power. The SK Hynix case indicates that, in the AI-driven reshaping of the industrial chain, engineers with high-barrier technical skills are taking the lead in achieving both social mobility and wealth creation.

According to ChainCatcher, market analysis indicates that with the imminent release of the US CPI data, Bitcoin may face greater correction pressure.