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On August 12th, Omdia announced that it has revised its 2026 global semiconductor market revenue growth forecast to 94.1% year-over-year, driven by strong growth in the DRAM and NAND markets due to AI demand continuing to outpace global supply capacity. Memory IC revenue is expected to account for more than 50% of total global semiconductor revenue in 2026. Meanwhile, AI demand has exceeded the current chip manufacturing and packaging capabilities of the semiconductor industry, and bottlenecks in key areas such as high-bandwidth memory (HBM), advanced packaging, and advanced process technology capacity are expected to persist until at least 2027.

The local governor said drone debris struck four industrial facilities in Russia’s Krasnodar region.

The local governor said that last night's drone attack on Russia's Krasnodar Krai resulted in multiple deaths and injuries, including children.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi: Canadian crude oil arrived in Japan today, the first time since the deterioration of the situation in the Middle East.

On August 12th, according to the Financial Times, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Collins stated that the war in Iran has exacerbated cost-of-living pressures, leaving many in the US struggling to make ends meet. She warned that the Fed may need to raise interest rates to curb inflation. Collins noted that businesses and households in the northeastern US are being squeezed by inflation, which has exceeded the central bank's 2% target for over five years. She pointed out, "I hear about [prices] in almost every conversation (with businesses)." She added, "Among low- and middle-income households, I hear more and more about the challenges they face…like struggling to make ends meet. Energy prices are really unbearable, especially in our region." Collins, who currently has no voting rights on the FOMC, supported keeping interest rates unchanged in July, considering the current level "slightly contractionary" and stating that "this would allow them to expect a gradual and sustained decline in inflation." However, she indicated that she would be willing to support a rate hike as early as September if economic data suggests the need for one. She said, "I do think that economic conditions in the coming months may require a tighter policy, in which case I am prepared to raise interest rates."

August 12th - According to the Financial Times, Ukrainian officials stated that Ukraine has ceased its intensive drone attacks on oil tankers using key Black Sea ports following a request from US Vice President Vance at the end of last month. Washington was reportedly shocked, as Ukraine's attacks on tankers transporting crude oil from Kazakhstan to the Caspian Pipeline Union (CPC) terminal in Novorossiysk, Russia, further destabilized the oil market and harmed the interests of US companies. According to Ukrainian officials and other informed sources, Vance requested a halt to the attacks during a phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky on July 31st. According to official sources and the Financial Times' analysis of publicly available information, Ukraine has not attacked oil tankers near the Caspian Pipeline Union (CPC) terminal since then. Officials stated that Ukraine has agreed not to target Caspian Pipeline Union (CPC) infrastructure or non-Russian vessels, provided these vessels are not subject to Ukrainian sanctions and are not carrying Russian oil or other Russian goods. A senior Ukrainian official stated, "We listened very seriously to our US partners." He added that Kyiv has established relevant "mechanisms" at the request of the US.

On August 12th, shares of South Korean chipmakers rose after media reports that Temasek Holdings planned to invest in their stocks. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix shares surged by over 8% at one point, boosted by a report in the Asia Business Daily that Temasek had contacted South Korean investors regarding potential investments in Samsung and SK Hynix. It is understood that Temasek Holdings is considering the timing of the investment and plans to invest directly through its internal investment team. The South Korean KOSPI index also rose by approximately 5% as a result. In July, these chipmakers' shares suffered a sharp sell-off as market concerns about the rapid pace of artificial intelligence infrastructure development led to the liquidation of leveraged positions. Recently, the shares have begun to rebound as market attention has shifted to the companies' planned shareholder return policies.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Japanese self-driving startup Turing plans to set up an office in the United States, aiming for a $10 billion IPO valuation.

Libya's National Electricity Corporation: An attack on a substation south of Zawiya has caused a power outage in a large area south of the city.

Libya's National Electricity Corporation: The South Zawiya substation was completely burned down and shut down in an attack.

On August 12, Russia began importing gasoline from the distant Indian market after Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil refineries caused a severe fuel shortage in the country. According to shipping data agency Kpler, this marks the first time Russia has imported gasoline from a South Asian country. Kpler stated that the first shipment of gasoline arrived on August 5, and more shipments are likely to arrive in Russia in the future. This fuel was transported via a series of tankers with ties to Russia, and then transshipped in waters near Egypt before reaching Russia. Kpler's chief analyst, Sumit Ritolia, said, "The emergence of Indian gasoline shipments is particularly noteworthy." He said that these shipments from India, along with Russia's continued imports of gasoline from Belarus and other neighboring markets, highlight the severity of the current imbalance between domestic gasoline supply and demand in Russia, and reflect how declining refinery operating rates are reshaping the traditional flow of refined petroleum products in Russia.

Hong Kong-listed shares of Samsung Electronics (07747.HK), held by CSOP Asset Management with a 2x leveraged long position, surged over 17%, while CSOP Asset Management's SK Hynix (07709.HK) rose over 15%.

The trading volume of fuel oil futures contract 2609 has exceeded 18.8 billion yuan, with an intraday increase of 4.45%, and the latest price is 3,801 yuan/ton. The intraday open interest has decreased by nearly 1,200 lots, and the market shows a trend of rising prices with reduced open interest.

The main contract for low-sulfur fuel oil (LU) rose by more than 3%, currently trading at 4,726 yuan/ton.

South Korean stocks rose on Wednesday, marking their third consecutive day of gains, primarily driven by optimism surrounding AI, with chip stocks surging. The KOSPI index jumped over 4% to 6635 points, its highest level since August 5th. Kiwoom Securities analyst Han Ji-young stated, "With the strong demand for AI infrastructure demonstrated by CoreWeave and Supermicro being validated, capital inflows into the semiconductor sector and domestic AI-related stocks in South Korea are expected to improve." Among heavyweight stocks, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix rose over 7%, while LG Energy Solution gained approximately 3%. Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors rose approximately 2% and 1.5%, respectively.

August 12th - At 13:47 on August 11th, the Guangdong power grid's electricity load reached a new high for the fourth time this year, reaching 175.7 million kilowatts, a year-on-year increase of 6.53%. Currently, Guangdong's power supply is stable and orderly. On the same day, Yangjiang, Shantou, Jieyang, Chaozhou, and other cities in Guangdong Province also saw record-breaking loads.

Hong Kong-listed tech stocks weakened amid volatility, with Tencent Holdings (00700.HK) falling more than 3%, Kuaishou (01024.HK) and Baidu (09888.HK) falling more than 2%, and Alibaba (09988.HK) and JD.com (09618.HK) following suit.