financetom
World
financetom
/
World
/
Morning Bid: Chipflation
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
Morning Bid: Chipflation
Jun 25, 2026 9:52 PM

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Ankur Banerjee

Just as investors were settling into the idea that the AI rally still had legs, Apple delivered a reality check that someone has to foot the bill.

While iPhone prices will hold, iPads and MacBooks are set to rise as Apple says it can no longer absorb surging memory and storage costs driven by the AI data centre boom. Micron's blowout results this week underscored the shift, with customers locking in $22 billion of supply of its memory chips in a sign of tightening markets and rising pricing power.

And what does it say when Apple, the world's most valuable consumer electronics company with supply chain relationships that are the envy of the industry, is not immune to a memory price surge?

What's next? Hiking prices of Xbox? Oh.

Asian markets sank on Friday as reports that OpenAI is considering holding off on its public debut until next year also soured sentiment.

South Korea's KOSPI, a bellwether of the AI trade, tumbled 8% on the day and 9% for the week - its sharpest drop since early March when the Iran war first erupted.

Oil, meanwhile, is easing but not out of the picture.

More stranded oil tankers are exiting the Strait of Hormuz, although a cargo vessel was hit near Oman, leaving sentiment fragile.

Brent and WTI crude have erased almost all the gains sparked by the late February hostilities in the Middle East, but a rebound in demand and gradual normalisation could tighten markets again next year.

That easing has offered some relief, but not enough. U.S. inflation broke above 4% for the first time in three years in May, keeping an interest rate increase from the Federal Reserve firmly on the table.

As a result, the U.S. dollar is left standing tall, with the Japanese yen struggling near a 40-year low amid mounting intervention jitters. The dollar index is set for a 2.6% rise this month, its strongest monthly gain in a year.

And we end with the deadly early summer heatwave that has gripped Western Europe, a predicament that's leading to a boom in sales for Asian makers of air conditioners.

Here's an explainer on health risks from extreme heat as temperatures in Britain and Switzerland hit record highs for June.

Key developments that could influence markets on Friday:

Economic events: French unemployment for May

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks rise as Alphabet gains after results; gold hits record high
GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks rise as Alphabet gains after results; gold hits record high
Oct 31, 2024
* U.S. stocks higher * UK shares fall as govt unveils new budget * Gold hits record high in risk-off mood * Bitcoin nears record high (Updates to midday) By Caroline Valetkevitch NEW YORK Oct 30 (Reuters) - Global stock indexes mostly inched higher on Wednesday after upbeat results from Google parent Alphabet, while gold prices rose to a record...
Japan's Nikkei trades higher after three sessions of falls
Japan's Nikkei trades higher after three sessions of falls
Oct 31, 2024
TOKYO, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average inched higher on Thursday after three straight sessions of falls, with market participants focussing on the upcoming lower house election. The Nikkei had risen 0.19% to 38,177.51 by 0130 GMT, after earlier falling to its lowest since Oct. 2 at 37,712.19. Local media have reported that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party...
GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian stocks dragged by tech, yen gains on BOJ's hawkish hints
GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian stocks dragged by tech, yen gains on BOJ's hawkish hints
Oct 31, 2024
* BOJ holds rates as expected, yen a fraction firmer * Nikkei down slightly, US and European futures dip * All eyes on Apple ( AAPL ) and Amazon ( AMZN ) earnings updates (Updates prices at 0620 GMT) By Kevin Buckland TOKYO, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Asian stocks slid on Thursday as chip-sector stocks tracked overnight declines by Wall...
Euro zone bond yields dip before PMIs
Euro zone bond yields dip before PMIs
Oct 31, 2024
LONDON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Euro zone government bond yields edged lower on Thursday as investors awaited business activity data that could confirm the region's sluggish growth and potentially justify a pick-up in the pace of European Central Bank rate cuts. Traders are fully pricing a 25 basis point (bp) rate cut from the ECB in December, and around a...
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved