Saudi Oil Exports Face 4% Global Supply Threat as Pipeline Remains Shut 
Asian Tech Stocks Slide as AI Concerns and Rising Bond Yields Hit Chipmakers 
ECB Rate Hike in Focus as Oil Tops $100 
Treasury Buyback Fails to Cool Long-Term Yields 
US Treasury Yields Near 5% as Oil Fuels Inflation Fears 
Japan Producer Inflation Eases to 7.6% in August 
Asian Stocks Slide as Oil Surge Fuels Rate Hike Fears 
China Buys 1 Million Tons of U.S. Soybeans Ahead of Xi Visit 
Central Banks Could Buy 20,000 Tonnes of Gold: BofA 
German Inflation Accelerates to 2.9% in August 
Gold Prices Fall as Hot U.S. Inflation Boosts Fed Rate Hike Bets 
Asian Currencies Steady as Yen Holds Firm, Oil Tops $100 
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July, Beating Forecasts 
U.S. Stock Futures Steady as Oil Tops $100 Ahead of Inflation Data 
Hormuz Vessel Traffic Drops to Single Digits 
BOJ Flags Import Costs and Yen Shocks as Persistent Inflation Risks 
Oil Prices Surge as Middle East Shipping Attacks Threaten Supply 
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Asian stocks declined on Monday as concerns over a potential slowdown in artificial intelligence development pressured technology shares, while oil prices above $100 a barrel fueled inflation fears and expectations for tighter monetary policy.
Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 1.3%, S&P 500 futures fell 0.5%, and the MSCI Asia Pacific Index lost about 0.5%. Sentiment weakened after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei urged AI companies to slow development of their most advanced models and introduce stronger safeguards, including independent third-party evaluations.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman supported the proposal, while xAI chief Elon Musk said Amodei was right. President Donald Trump pushed back against the concerns, emphasizing the importance of maintaining U.S. leadership in AI amid intense competition with China.
The debate raised questions about whether slower AI development could reduce corporate technology spending and pressure earnings expectations across the semiconductor and AI supply chain.
South Korea’s KOSPI fell 2.5%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped 1%. SK Hynix declined 5%, Samsung Electronics lost 2.9%, Kioxia plunged 6.8%, and SoftBank Group fell as much as 13% after Altman said OpenAI would not go public this year. Chinese AI developer Z.AI sank 7.5% after announcing a roughly $5 billion fundraising through discounted shares and convertible bonds.
Meanwhile, Brent crude climbed 2.7% to $107.51 a barrel after Saudi Arabia shut a key oil pipeline following drone attacks and planned talks between Iran and Gulf states were postponed. Continued tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have increased concerns about global energy supplies and persistent inflation.
Higher oil prices are also complicating the Federal Reserve’s policy outlook. Swap markets now indicate a nearly 90% probability of a rate hike on Wednesday.
Investors are also awaiting monetary policy decisions from the Bank of England and Bank of Japan this week. Elsewhere, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was little changed, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.4%, China’s CSI 300 slipped 0.3%, and the Shanghai Composite rose 0.2%.
