SEMICON Taiwan 2026 opens September 2-4 in Taipei with more than 1,300 exhibitors and 4,300 booths, as the global semiconductor industry gathers to navigate AI-era demand pushing 300mm fab equipment spending toward $150 billion.
Posted inMarkets
Brent Crosses $90 as US-Iran Strikes Revive Hormuz Risk
Brent crude climbed above $90 per barrel on August 31 after US forces struck Iranian rocket launchers in the Strait of Hormuz, sending the Dow down over 370 points as energy traders repriced supply risk.
Posted inEconomy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 3.3% in August, ECB Hike Odds Hit 98%
The eurozone’s preliminary August CPI climbed to 3.3% from 2.9% in July, with traders pricing near-certain odds of an ECB rate hike in September as energy-driven inflation accelerates for a second straight month.
Posted inGeopolitics
US Strikes Iranian Rocket Launchers on Larak Island as IRGC Fires Back
American forces destroyed two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on August 31, the first US strike in the strait in nearly a month, drawing IRGC missile salvos at air bases in Jordan and the UAE.
Posted inWorld
Xi, Putin and Modi Convene in Bishkek for SCO’s 25th Anniversary Summit
Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi gathered in Bishkek on August 31 for the 26th SCO leaders’ summit, marking 25 years since the bloc’s formation and anchoring a dense schedule of bilateral meetings.
Posted inTech
Tencent-Backed Enflame to Complete China’s AI Chip IPO Quartet on STAR Market
Enflame Technology opens subscriptions September 2 for a 6-billion-yuan Shanghai STAR Market IPO, becoming the last of China’s four major GPU companies to go public as Beijing accelerates domestic chip development.
Posted inMarkets
Moderna Shares Nearly Triple After mRNA Melanoma Vaccine Clears Phase 3
Moderna and Merck’s personalised cancer vaccine intismeran met its primary endpoint in a 1,137-patient Phase 3 melanoma trial on August 19, sending Moderna shares up 177% and marking the first late-stage mRNA cancer vaccine success.
Posted inEconomy
China’s Factory Activity Edges Toward Recovery as New Orders Turn Positive in August
China’s NBS manufacturing PMI rose to 49.8 in August from 49.2 in July, with new orders and export orders both crossing into expansion territory for the first time since May.
Posted inGeopolitics
Iran’s IRGC and US Naval Blockade Lock Into Stalemate Over the Strait
With the Islamabad Memorandum’s 60-day window elapsed, Iran’s IRGC is asserting Strait of Hormuz control while Washington enforces its naval blockade and Tehran refuses new sanctions terms.
Posted inWorld
Iceland Votes Against Restarting EU Membership Talks
Icelanders rejected a proposal to reopen EU accession negotiations by 52.8% on August 29, ending the country’s closest bid for membership in more than a decade.