Breakfast | Apple Hot Topic Explosion: Focus on AI at Next Week's Event, Ordering "Amy-Class" Chips from Taiwan Semiconductor, China Responds "iPhone 16 Does Not Support WeChat"

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Overnight Morning Market

US stocks and US bonds were closed for Labor Day on Monday, while European stocks showed mixed movements. The pan-European stock index halted its four-day rally, with the German stock market rebounding to a historic high. The real estate sector rose by nearly 2%, while Cathay Pacific Airways reported an engine component failure on an Airbus A350 aircraft, causing its supplier Rolls-Royce to fall by 6.5%, marking the largest drop in over a year. Airbus fell by 1.6%.

Intel's "Self-Rescue" Roadmap: Splitting Altera and Suspending $32 Billion German Factory Project

Intel's CEO will propose a plan in mid-September, including selling off businesses that the company can no longer fund, such as the programmable chip division Altera. This plan may also involve suspending or completely halting its $32 billion German factory project. The aim of this plan is to reduce the company's overall costs and reshape capital expenditures.

Intel "Stumbles", TSMC "Feasts"?

J.P. Morgan believes that if Intel splits into two independent departments for foundry and product design, its product department may need to rely more on TSMC's advanced manufacturing technology. However, even as a standalone entity, Intel's foundry department is unlikely to become a strong competitor to TSMC in the field of cutting-edge processes in the next 3-5 years.

TSMC's "Emmy-Level" Chip A16 "Creates Sensation Before Mass Production", Apple and OpenAI Place Orders Successively

OpenAI's ASIC chip will be developed in collaboration with Broadcom, Marvell, and others, and is scheduled to be produced in TSMC's 3nm family and subsequent A16 processes.

Apple AI at Glowtime Conference May Determine "Life or Death", iPhone to Face Upgrade Wave

"Apple Intelligence will play a key role at the iPhone 16 launch event, with Glowtime almost certainly referring to a new Siri interface." Morgan Stanley stated that the introduction of Apple's intelligence will stimulate demand and accelerate the iPhone upgrade cycle. Currently, the iPhone upgrade cycle is at a historical peak of 4.8 years.

Tesla's China shipments in August increased by 3% year-on-year, rising for the second consecutive month

This growth is attributed to the Chinese government doubling the subsidy for new energy vehicles to 2,000 RMB at the end of July. Data from the China Passenger Car Association shows that in August, wholesale sales of new energy passenger vehicles in China reached 1.05 million units, a year-on-year increase of 32% and a month-on-month increase of 11%. It is expected that Tesla's shipments in China will continue to grow.

Apple China Responds to iPhone 16 Not Supporting WeChat: Actively Communicating with Tencent on App Store Commission Issues

According to The Paper Finance, a technical advisor from Apple China stated that third-party comments on whether the iOS system or Apple devices can still use WeChat, including whether WeChat can continue to be listed and downloaded on the Apple App Store, need to be determined through mutual communication and discussion between Apple and Tencent.

For the first time in history, Volkswagen is reportedly considering closing factories in Germany to further reduce costs.

These potential measures are not only aimed at its main passenger car brands but also include other group entities. Additionally, they may attempt to terminate agreements with unions that guarantee job security until 2029, which are designed to ensure employment

News: Blackstone Group is close to reaching a deal to acquire Australian data center operator AirTrunk for AUD 20 billion

It is reported that the relevant agreement may be signed this week. This could be one of the largest digital infrastructure transactions this year.

China's August Caixin Manufacturing PMI rises to 50.4, with new orders recovering growth.

The August Caixin Manufacturing PMI index is above 50, indicating that the manufacturing industry's business activity has resumed expansion after a brief slowdown in July, although the expansion rate is still modest.

Why are Hong Kong stocks more favored? Goldman Sachs' reason: Strong southbound capital

Goldman Sachs stated that the influence of southbound investors in the Hong Kong market continues to grow, with their shareholding ratio and trading volume reaching historical highs. Since the beginning of this year, the cumulative net inflow of southbound funds has exceeded USD 59 billion, far surpassing last year's USD 41 billion. If the current pace continues, it may reach a historical high for the whole year.

Morgan Stanley's bearish Wilson: US stocks will be very disappointed unless the Fed cuts rates "more than expected"

A well-known bearish warning that if the economy weakens and rate cuts do not exceed expectations, stock index returns in the next 6-12 months will be extremely limited. The non-farm payroll data to be released this Friday is crucial and may affect whether the Fed cuts rates by 25bp or 50bp