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Central Texas Global Business Pulse

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Big news for Central Texas international travelers! Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) has completed its International Arrivals Improvements Project—the first major milestone in the Journey With AUS expansion. The upgrades add over 20,000 square feet of space, improving efficiency, comfort, and capacity for international travelers.

As a commissioner on the Airport Advisory Commission, Big Plan’s CEO Fang Fang is honored to witness and support this strategic investment in Austin’s growing global connectivity. and proud to see the future of air travel unfolding in our city. More exciting upgrades are on the way!
Must Listen Podcast - "It's Easier to Build Here"
The 89th Texas legislative session wrapped with energy policy front and center. Doug Lewin at Stoic Energy & Claire Hao at Houston Chronicle dissected what passed, what failed, and what it means for the future of the Texas grid.

Doug Lewin is Texas’ indispensable energy expert – cutting through grid chaos with urgent insights on policy, reliability crises, and our clean energy transition.
  • Listen to his acclaimed Energy Capital Podcast here
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News & Updates

International

Global Markets Dip as Traders Gauge Fallout From U.S. Strikes on Iran
Stocks edged lower and oil prices climbed in Monday trading in Asia, reflecting investor concern over potential economic fallout from the U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend.

Futures contracts for the S&P 500, indicating how the index might perform when markets open in New York, slipped by about 0.3 percent. The price of West Texas Intermediate, the benchmark for U.S. crude, gained roughly 3 percent. Gold, a traditional safe-haven asset, also rose.
Large Oil Producers Around the Persian Gulf Ramp Up Exports
As fighting between Israel and Iran intensifies, the major oil producers around the Persian Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, have been racing to load tankers with exports, possibly as a hedge against future disruption.

These increases are occurring despite jumps in insurance costs and shipping rates and hazards like the jamming of navigation systems.
Tesla inks first deal to build China’s largest grid-scale battery power plant
Tesla sealed a $557 million deal on Friday to construct its first grid-scale battery storage station in Shanghai, Yicai reported, bolstering its energy division’s footprint in China. The agreement, signed with China Kangfu International Leasing Co. and Shanghai’s local government, comes on the heels of Tesla launching production at its Shanghai battery megafactory in February. This investment highlights Tesla’s aggressive expansion into the lucrative energy storage market.
Foreign Investment Faces Third Year of Decline on Tariff Uncertainty, UN Warns
Overseas investment by businesses around the world is at risk of falling for a third straight year as rising tariffs and geopolitical tensions freeze big decisions about where to locate factories, the United Nations warned.

In an annual report, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development said Thursday that foreign direct investment fell 11% in 2024, having also declined sharply in 2023. It said the early signs for 2025 are “negative,” as businesses face high levels of uncertainty about the duties and other obstacles they will face in moving goods across national borders.

USA

U.S. Prepares Action Targeting Allies’ Chip Plants in China
A U.S. official told top global semiconductor makers he wanted to revoke waivers they have used to access American technology in China, people familiar with the matter said, a move that could inflame trade tensions.

Currently, South Korea’s Samsung Electronics decrease; and SK Hynix as well as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing enjoy blanket waivers that allow them to ship American chip-making equipment to their factories in China without applying for a separate license each time.
Trump’s Trade and Tax Policies Start to Stall U.S. Battery Boom
Battery manufacturing began to take off in the United States in recent years after Congress and the Biden administration offered the industry generous incentives.

But that boom now appears to be stalling as the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers try to restrict China’s access to the American market.

From South Carolina to Washington State, companies are slowing construction or reconsidering big investments in factories for producing rechargeable batteries and the ingredients needed to make them.
Chinese Stocks and American Exchanges Head for a Breakup
A once-symbiotic melding of American capital with Chinese growth is unraveling.

Wall Street’s welcome mat for Chinese stock listings long transcended rocky U.S.-China relations. Increasingly, the stock market relationship is succumbing to distrust between the world’s two largest economies.

More than 80 Chinese companies have delisted their shares from U.S. exchanges since 2019, according to data provider Wind. Around 275 China-based companies now represent less than 2% of the capitalization of shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq.
Nippon Steel Completes Its Acquisition of U.S. Steel
Nippon Steel has completed its acquisition of U.S. Steel, the companies said on Wednesday, more than a year after it was first announced.

The deal gives the White House extraordinary control over U.S. Steel as part of a pact to alleviate national security concerns.

Texas

Texas governor signs bill banning Chinese citizens from buying property in the state
A bill to restrict property ownership in Texas by Chinese citizens has become law, more than two years after it was first introduced, setting up what could be a prolonged legal and political battle as critics plan to file a suit challenging it.

Senate Bill 17 is the second attempt by state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) to pass a measure restricting the ability of some foreign-born residents to rent or purchase land in Texas. Her previous bill passed the Senate in 2023 but did not pass the House.

A federal court has ruled a similar law out of Florida is likely unconstitutional. At least 22 other states enacted land-purchase restrictions against foreign residents between January 2023 and July 2024, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Expansion of Camino Real International Bridge southern border crossing approved
On Friday, the City of Eagle Pass announced that the Presidential Permit had been approved, allowing the city to expand the Camino Real International Bridge from six to a massive twelve lanes.

“This expansion is an investment in border infrastructure that supports economic growth while ensuring the highest standards of security and environmental stewardship,” said the Trump administration in a statement about the expansion.

City officials say the Camino Real Port is the fastest-growing port of entry in the United States, and that this expansion project is not just a win for Eagle Pass, but for Coahuila and the entire border region.
More international buyers are eyeing the U.S. home market. These cities are getting the most looks.
America's housing market is showing increased interest from international buyers.

That’s according to a new report from Realtor.com, which analyzed international views of for-sale listings on the Realtor.com U.S. marketplace between January and March 2025, as compared to previous quarters.

The data showed the share of home shoppers who came from outside the U.S. grew from 1.3% in the first quarter of 2020 to 1.9% during the same time this year. It was also up from 1.7% in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Austin

Austin company gets greenlight to build automated bridge from Texas to Mexico
A massive infrastructure project designed to reshape freight movement between the U.S. and Mexico has cleared its first major hurdle. A proposed $10 billion infrastructure project for an elevated railway that aims to make U.S.-Mexico trade more efficient has been given initial approval to begin construction by the Trump administration. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump authorized an Austin company, Green Corridors, to construct a railway between Laredo, Texas and Monterrey, Mexico.
Tesla Begins Limited Robotaxi Service in Austin
Tesla began limited operations of a self-driving taxi service Sunday in Austin, Texas, the first step in a rollout that Elon Musk, the company’s chief executive, has said will make autonomous ride-hailing ubiquitous while bringing in hundreds of billions of dollars of revenue.

At its start, the service, which Tesla calls Robotaxi, was available only to select guests, and the vehicles were confined to certain streets. Safety monitors rode in the front passenger seats, and the vehicles may not operate in bad weather, Tesla told people who received invitations to use the service.
Big Taiwanese project could be headed to a site north of Austin, sources say
Pegatron Corp. — a Taiwanese electronics contract manufacturer that works with the likes of Dell, Tesla and Apple — is considering sites in Williamson County as it aims to expand its hold on the artificial intelligence supply chain, several sources said.

Pegatron has been maneuvering to expand its manufacturing footprint in the United States amid the Trump administration's import tariffs, according to several published news reports.
Massive manufacturing plant in Milam County approved for incentives
T1 Energy Inc. has secured its incentives from Milam County, a factor the company's CEO has said was important to bring an $850 million factory and 1,800 jobs to life northeast of Austin.

The Austin-based company, which makes parts for solar energy installations, on June 9 was approved by the Milam County Commissioners Court for what amounts to 30 years of property tax abatements on a 113-acre parcel just north of Alcoa Lake in the 3,300-acre Advanced Manufacturing Logistix Campus. The campus is a piece of the 33,000 acres formerly owned by Alcoa Corp. that was acquired by Dallas-based Xebec Holdings LLC in 2021 for its mixed-use super site.

Events

2025 Federal Advocacy Visit (Monday, June 23rd - Wednesday, June 25th)
Energy Market Realities and Macroeconomic Signals: A 2025 Mid-Year Perspective (June 26, 2025)
Austin Asian American Film Festival (June 25, 2025 - June 29, 2025)
Austin African American Book Festival (June 28, 2025)
48th Austin Symphony Orchestra July 4 Concert & Fireworks Celebration (July 4, 2025)
IEEE Energy Conversion Congress & Expo (Oct 19 - 23, 2025)

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  • State of Texas 
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