πŸ“Š Market Snapshot

  • Gold XAUUSD: $4,402.51 (↓0.79%) | Daily range $4,362.58 - $4,415.92
  • WTI Crude USOIL: $83.06 (↓1.02%) | Daily range $82.25 - $83.09
  • China gold jewelry: 1,324-1,329 RMB/g (down ~7 RMB)

πŸ”₯ Key News This Hour

  1. NVIDIA Rumored to Invest $2B in Zhongji Innolight β€” Market rumors suggest NVIDIA plans a $2 billion strategic investment in optical module leader Zhongji Innolight, funding next-gen optical module R&D and a new Thailand factory. NVIDIA also reportedly intends to be a cornerstone investor in Eoptolink’s Hong Kong IPO. Companies have issued urgent responses. If confirmed, this would further strengthen NVIDIA’s AI optical interconnect supply chain positioning.

  2. South Korea KOSPI Surges 5% β€” AI optimism drives chip stocks sharply higher, with KOSPI rising for a third consecutive session. SK Hynix gained 8.2%, Samsung Electronics up 8.5%, reaching the highest level since August 5. However, Korea’s 30-year bond yield hit a record high of 4.67%, highlighting growing equity-bond divergence.

  3. CoreWeave Revenue Doubles β€” AI data center infrastructure company CoreWeave reported Q2 revenue doubling year-over-year, with $104 billion in backlog orders. The company is betting on long-term AI data center demand, though profitability pressure persists. AI infrastructure cycle continues to validate.

  4. Russia Imports Gasoline from India for First Time β€” Following Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries causing severe domestic fuel shortages, Russia has begun importing gasoline from India for the first time. Geopolitical conflict continues to reshape global energy trade flows.

  5. Yen Approaches 160 Again β€” US Treasury Secretary Bessent advocates for Japan rate hikes, while Japanese PM Takaichi worries about economic growth. This US-Japan “policy gap” undermines the deterrence of joint intervention, with markets leaning toward betting on short-term yen strength.

  6. Libya Substation Attack Causes Blackout β€” A substation in southern Zawiya, Libya, was completely destroyed in an attack, causing widespread power outages across southern regions of the city.

🧭 Situation Assessment

Gold maintains high-level consolidation above $4,400, with a modest intraday pullback of 0.79%, but the bullish pattern remains intact.

South Korea’s three-day rally reflects heightened sentiment in the Asia-Pacific AI supply chain, with chip stocks as the primary capital target.

The rumored NVIDIA investment in optical module companies, if confirmed, would further reinforce the vertical integration trend in AI computing supply chains.

CoreWeave’s revenue doubling once again validates the reality of AI data center demand, though profitability conversion remains an industry concern.

Russia importing gasoline from India marks a symbolic event in how geopolitical conflict is reshaping global energy trade flows.

The policy game around the yen at the key 160 level is intensifying, with the credibility of US-Japan coordinated intervention in question.

⏰ Upcoming Key Data

  • No major US economic data scheduled for today (8/12)
  • Yesterday’s highlights: US July NFIB Small Business Optimism Index at 99.8 (up from 97.4, significant improvement), July Existing Home Sales annualized at 4.06M (vs. 4.05M expected), data overall solid
  • Reserve Bank of Australia held rates at 4.35%