Hello, this is Anniek Bao writing to you from Singapore. Welcome to another edition of CNBC’s Daily Open.
A few nerves got tested overnight.
Iran launched a surprise missile attack on U.S. forces in the Middle East — and though the salvo was intercepted, it’s forcing traders to reprice the odds that hostilities linger.
The second is the AI trade’s arithmetic. SK Hynix delivered a record quarter but missed loftier expectations, underscoring how high the bar now sits.
On top of that, a 7.1-magnitude quake rattled one of Asia’s chip hubs, leaving at least two dead in its aftermath.
What you need to know today
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East, reigniting tensions that had been put on a brief pause.
U.S. Centcom said in a post on X that it identified the attack to be from Iran, and all missiles were intercepted. While the U.S. military command did not specify the target, Axios reported they were directed at a U.S. base in Jordan, citing U.S. officials.
The strike comes after a two-day pause in hostilities between Washington and Tehran, which had sent oil prices lower.
The renewed attack pushed U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures up 3.7% to around $82.2 a barrel, clawing back some of the previous day’s drop. Brent fell 4.8% to close at $84.09.
Wall Street equities took it more calmly. S&P 500 futures were marginally higher, and Nasdaq 100 futures traded near the flat line. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures shed 38 points, or about 0.1%.
Record, but not enough
SK Hynix posted another record quarter — operating profit soared nearly 557% year on year, and revenue jumped 257% — but both data points missed analysts’ estimates. Revenue was 79.32 trillion won versus 84 trillion expected, per LSEG SmartEstimates.
A sixfold profit surge that disappoints? That’s where AI expectations now sit. The results still underscore robust AI demand and cement SK Hynix’s leadership in HBM — the market just wanted more.
Its Seoul-listed shares soared as much as 4.5% Wednesday morning, according to LSEG data.
Five trillion reasons for restraint
Apple briefly hit a $5 trillion market cap for the first time on Tuesday, a day after passing Nvidia to become the world’s most valuable public company. Shares are up 25% this year and closed at $340.08 — just under the threshold.
While the hyperscalers pour hundreds of billions into AI capex, Apple has kept spending low. And investors, wary of aggressive spenders piling on debt, are rewarding exactly that.
SpaceX and Tesla have erased a cumulative $1.5 trillion in market cap since mid-June — SpaceX down almost 50% from its high, Tesla off 18% since earnings.
Next week could be wilder. Options imply a 15% swing around SpaceX’s earnings on Tuesday, and the lockup ends two days later — putting more than 900 million shares, or 20% of eligible locked-up stock, on the table.
Disclosure season at Shein
Shein revealed the FTC is investigating its U.S. business in documents tied to its Hong Kong IPO — apparently the probe’s first public airing — without saying what the agency is looking at. The long-awaited listing has secured approval from Beijing and Hong Kong, without a date yet.
Earthquake shocked Japan
A 7.1-magnitude quake in Kumamoto killed at least two people after an explosion tore through a shopping mall and another in a building collapse.
TSMC, Sony and Fujifilm evacuated workers on Tuesday. TSMC said that its site was unaffected and operations were gradually resuming. “Post-earthquake structural inspections have been completed, confirming that the structures are safe and operations are gradually resuming. Detailed inspections and impact assessments are ongoing.”
Tokyo Electron suspended two Kumamoto factories through Wednesday and Honda idled its motorcycle plant.
— Anniek Bao
And finally…
Blurred front lines: Trump meets Zelenskyy as Ukraine, Iran wars collide
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is at the White House on Tuesday for talks with President Donald Trump, as he looks to shore up support for Kyiv at a time when the Russia and Iran conflicts have shown signs of converging.
The U.S war against Iran and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine are both at critical junctures. Trump has paused airstrikes against Iran as part of a push to give diplomacy another chance, while Zelenskyy has been galvanized by a flurry of deep-strike successes on Russian territory.
The meeting represents a chance for Zelenskyy to further improve his relationship with Trump, roughly 17 months on from an Oval Office meeting that unraveled into an extraordinary shouting match.
The visit also coincides with a renewed congressional push to tighten sanctions on Moscow. The Senate is scheduled to hold a procedural vote Tuesday evening on legislation championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham that would target Russia and countries that continue buying its energy exports.
— Sam Meredith, Luke Fountain
By CNBC