Huang Renxun has left Beijing, and NVIDIA has not disclosed whether Huang Renxun met with the DeepSeek founder.

As Iran has recently intensified attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, seafarers willing to risk navigating this critical global energy corridor are earning an unprecedented "hazard premium". According to three sources close to oil tanker owners and crews, some tanker captains now earn a monthly salary of up to $100,000, plus a $50,000 bonus for each transit of the Strait of Hormuz, while ordinary sailors’ pay is 4 to 6 times the standard rate. Industry insiders describe seafarers willing to take on this risk as "almost regarded as mercenaries". Meanwhile, shipping costs have surged sharply. Freight rates for cargo transiting the Strait of Hormuz rose to around $1.3 million per day this week, compared to the usual $20,000 to $50,000 last year; war risk insurance for a single voyage can cost up to $20 million, and fuel oil prices for supertankers in Fujairah have risen 67% year-on-year. Maritime security firm Vanguard reports that at least 14 attacks have occurred in the Strait of Hormuz since September 20, including 4 vessels hit since last Saturday. Data from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) shows that at least 93 vessels have been attacked since February 28, killing 24 sailors. Windward data shows only 13 vessels transited the strait on October 4, down from 24 in the same period last week. The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies. While traffic has gradually recovered recently, Kpler data shows that current oil volumes transiting the strait are still about one-third lower than pre-war levels.

According to BIT (bit.com) market data, the S&P 500 index hit an intraday high of 7844.52 points on Tuesday, setting a new intraday record and closing above the 7800 level for the first time. Meanwhile, the 10-year US Treasury yield broke through 5.3%, reaching its highest level since 2002, and oil prices also rebounded above $100 per barrel. Despite the Federal Reserve having launched its interest rate hike cycle, US stocks still hit records amid multiple macro pressures. The market rally was mainly driven by large-cap tech stocks and the AI sector. The "Magnificent Seven" (Nvidia, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Tesla) collectively account for over 34% of the S&P 500's market capitalization, with their total value rising to a record high of around $25 trillion on Tuesday. Nvidia rose 4.5% in the past week, while Meta has gained 24% since August 13. At the same time, market breadth continued to narrow: less than half of the S&P 500's constituent stocks closed above their 200-day moving average on Tuesday, and small-cap stocks as well as the S&P 500 Equal Weight Index both underperformed the broader market. Analysts pointed out that amid persistent interest rate and inflation pressures, strong earnings, massive capital expenditure, and robust balance sheets of AI giants have become key supports for US stocks, but the market's reliance on a small number of large tech stocks is also intensifying.

US Vice President JD Vance stated that if Iran wishes to end the seven-month-long US-Iran war, it must first make "substantial" cuts to its uranium enrichment capacity to prove it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons, adding that the United States will not trade concrete actions for Iran’s verbal commitments. In an interview with Reuters, Vance said, “If you don’t want nuclear weapons, why do you need 60% enriched uranium?” He noted that the US remains willing to resolve the issue through diplomacy, but both sides must adhere to the “action-for-action” principle. The US’s core goals are to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and to deter other Middle Eastern countries from pursuing nuclear capabilities as a result. Currently, the core divide in US-Iran negotiations centers on the sequence of ceasefire and nuclear issues: Iran demands that the US first implement a ceasefire, lift port blockades, unfreeze frozen assets, and adjust oil export sanctions before discussing nuclear matters; the US, in turn, requires Iran to first take concrete nuclear restraint measures and prevent the reconstruction of war-damaged enrichment facilities. Vance said the US and Iran have recently exchanged proposals via intermediaries such as Qatar, but the earlier preliminary arrangement to resume access to the Strait of Hormuz before discussing Iran’s nuclear program has not held. He also warned that if an agreement meeting US requirements is not reached, the US may expand military operations after the November midterm elections.

According to Bitget market data, Japanese and South Korean stock markets opened lower: The Nikkei 225 index opened down 36.29 points, a 0.05% drop, to 70647.69 points. South Korea’s KOSPI index opened down 79.83 points, a 1.15% fall, to 6861.56 points, with SK Hynix down 2% and Samsung Electronics down 1%.

According to a report by the Financial Times, Hyperliquid Labs has confirmed its headquarters is located in Singapore, with company filings listing Singapore as its registered headquarters and recent job postings also showing it maintains an office in the city-state. However, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) previously did not consider Hyperliquid to fall under its regulatory purview. Sources familiar with the matter said MAS views Hyperliquid as having a "decentralized" nature, thus excluding the firm from Singapore’s regulatory scope. MAS also stated it is "unaware of Hyperliquid being regulated by any major jurisdiction". Hyperliquid is known for its high-leverage perpetual contract trading, with its products allowing users to trade price fluctuations of assets including cryptocurrencies, oil, and stocks. Hyperliquid Labs added that Hyperliquid is currently unregulated and has never claimed to hold a license or authorization from MAS.

According to foreign media reports citing insiders, Apple (AAPL.O) plans to launch smart home devices including video doorbells and thermostats, and is collaborating with LG Electronics to develop related accessories. These products will integrate into an upgraded version of Apple’s HomePod mini and the new Apple TV set-top box to form a smart home ecosystem. Apple is expected to release these new products on October 13. The products co-developed with South Korea’s LG will also include smart door locks and security cameras. Although the two companies developed these accessories together, the products will carry the LG brand. LG will be responsible for production and product support. Through such collaboration arrangements with so-called "second-party suppliers", Apple can rapidly expand its ecosystem without shouldering the full costs and complexity associated with manufacturing and supporting various accessories.