U.S. CPI: +2.9% YEAR-OVER-YEAR (EST. +2.9%); U.S. CORE CPI: +3.2% YEAR-OVER-YEAR (EST. +3.3%)

Polygon Foundation CEO Sandeep posted a statement saying, “Approximately one-third of Polygon’s teams paused their regular work last week. We had them set aside their ongoing tasks temporarily to leverage AI for building truly valuable solutions, and allocated $15,000 in incentives to develop projects that can effectively drive business growth. Just three days later, we received 13 projects, six of which have officially launched, and one has already started processing real transactions on the mainnets of five public blockchains. Teams that do not carry out similar internal AI practices will soon fall behind those that do. Especially in the payments sector, the competitive edge over the next decade will belong to companies that truly integrate AI into their employees’ daily workflows. It can now be said that mastering AI capabilities is no longer an optional choice.”

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink said he is no longer concerned about excessive leverage in the Bitcoin and cryptocurrency markets, adding that he is "very optimistic" about the market outlook over the next 12 months.

According to Bitget market data, South Korea’s KOSPI index has dipped below the 6,800-point level, posting an intraday drop of 6.72%. SK Hynix shares fell 11.5%.

Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest purchased approximately $16.6 million worth of SpaceX stock on Wednesday, while selling around $3.9 million worth of Robinhood stock.

South Korea’s Maeil Economic Daily cited an interview with Hanmi Semiconductor Chairman Kook Dong-shin, reporting that amid projected supply shortages of AI semiconductor equipment starting next year, Hanmi Semiconductor is considering constructing its eighth production plant, which will become the company’s largest facility once completed. Kook forecasts that semiconductor equipment demand will exceed supply from next year onward. The planned eighth plant will be sited adjacent to the seventh facility currently under construction in Incheon. Hanmi Semiconductor stated that as global chipmakers expand investments, market demand for its thermocompression bonding machines and hybrid bonding machines will grow rapidly. The company plans to launch its U.S. subsidiary, Hanmi America, in San Jose, California by the end of 2026 to enhance technical support services.

Young-gun Kim, an analyst at South Korea’s Mirae Asset Securities, said in a report that SK Hynix’s recent pullback presents a highly attractive opportunity to increase exposure to the stock. The analyst noted that the current weakness appears to reflect an unusually sharp cooling of optimism surrounding the company’s second-quarter results and its American Depositary Receipt (ADR) listing. Mirae Asset Securities cut its second-quarter operating profit forecast by 12%, but maintained its buy rating and 4.2 million won target price for the stock. The analyst added that despite the stock’s pullback, spot prices for memory chips continue to strengthen, and growth in backlog orders is unlikely to slow meaningfully.