Oct 15, 2026
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Hotter than expected US inflation and rising bond yields drove a sell-off in technology shares from New York to Seoul. Another container ship sank in the Strait of Hormuz, and Ukraine's president won fresh British support in London. Taiwan's TSMC and Anthropic reported surging revenue on artificial intelligence (AI) demand.
US inflation rises to 3.7% on fuel costs
US consumer prices rose 3.7% in September from a year earlier, up from 3.4% in August and above the 3.6% economists expected, government data showed on Wednesday, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Prices rose 0.6% on the month, the largest gain in five months. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, climbed to 2.6% from 2.4%. Gasoline prices jumped 9.1% from August, AP said, linking the rise to the war with Iran. The data raised bets on another Federal Reserve rate rise.
Tech sell-off spreads from Wall Street to Asia
The S&P 500 fell 1.1% to 7,718.94 on Wednesday and the Nasdaq Composite lost 1.9% to 26,692.87, as rising bond yields hit AI stocks, AP reported. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.1%. CoreWeave dropped 15.5%. The 10-year Treasury yield briefly topped 5.32%. Selling deepened in Asia on Thursday: South Korea's Kospi fell as much as 8% and Japan's Nikkei 225 about 5%, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix each down more than 9%, AP and Yahoo Finance reported.
Container ship sinks after Hormuz attack
The Singapore-registered container ship GFS Pride has sunk in the Strait of Hormuz after being struck by an unidentified projectile, and all 21 crew were evacuated, Singapore's maritime authority said, according to The National and Container News. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday that a ship carrying 2,500 containers sank after hitting a mine on an "illegal and dangerous route", AP reported. A maritime security firm said it found no evidence of a mine. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran would keep fighting until Washington accepted its demands.
Zelenskiy wins UK backing during London visit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and King Charles in London on Wednesday. Burnham announced a £45 million package of surface-to-air missiles to shoot down Russian jet-powered drones, with £10 million to be delivered early, Reuters reported. Burnham said Britain's support would not change, acknowledging recent days had been "dark and difficult" for Ukraine, AP reported. The visit followed a call by US President Donald Trump at the weekend for Zelenskiy to be replaced.
TSMC profit jumps 69% on AI demand
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker, reported a 69% rise in third-quarter net profit on Thursday to NT$763.1 billion (about $23.6 billion), beating forecasts. Revenue rose about 51% to around $47 billion. TSMC raised its forecast for 2026 revenue growth in dollar terms to about 44% and expects fourth-quarter revenue of $52.3 billion to $54.3 billion. "AI-related demand is extremely robust and far above our supply capability," Chairman and Chief Executive C.C. Wei said.
Anthropic revenue reaches $16.8 billion
Anthropic told investors its third-quarter revenue rose to $16.8 billion and that it turned a profit in the quarter, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, according to Reuters. Revenue grew about 45% from $11.6 billion in the second quarter, SiliconANGLE reported, and the company reached adjusted profitability for the first time. The figures were shared with prospective investors ahead of a planned stock market listing.
IMF urges rich nations to cut debt
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva urged the United States and other wealthy nations on Wednesday to reduce deficits, saying growth "cannot deliver fast enough the necessary adjustments", AP reported. "There is no magic," she said at the IMF and World Bank autumn meetings in Bangkok. US national debt exceeds $40 trillion, AP said. The IMF's Fiscal Monitor found interest payments in the poorest countries at historic highs relative to revenue. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband called for "a new deal on debt".
Pope Leo walking and celebrating Mass
Pope Leo XIV has begun walking in his room and resumed a regular diet after lung cancer surgery, his doctors said on Wednesday, AP reported. Blood tests and a chest X-ray showed recovery was "proceeding as planned", they said. The pope celebrated Mass with his secretaries in the afternoon. Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori said his planned 6 to 17 November trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru could be affected. Results showing whether the cancer has spread have not been made public.
Netflix to cut about 1,000 jobs
Netflix is cutting about 6% of its workforce, or roughly 1,000 jobs, its largest reduction since 2022, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. Product, technology, legal and human resources teams are affected, CBS News said. Revenue growth has slowed amid competition and a saturated North American market. Co-Chief Executives Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters told staff the business was "strong and growing" and on track for its full-year forecast. Netflix reports results on 20 October.
Denmark rebuffs Trump's Greenland drilling claim
Denmark's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that a September agreement with the United States did not change the rules on resource extraction in Greenland, after Trump said "massive" exploration was about to begin. In a Truth Social post, Trump referred to "our new and beautiful Greenland" and said oil, gas and mineral exploration was "getting ready to begin", Al Jazeera reported. The ministry said the deal "does not grant investors from the US any preferential treatment". Greenland also contradicted Trump's claim, CNN reported.
Russell Brand rape trial opens in London
Prosecutors described Russell Brand as a "ruthless" sexual predator as his trial opened at Southwark Crown Court in London on Wednesday, AP reported. The 51-year-old comedian and actor has pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault involving six women between 1999 and 2009. Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones said Brand had an "indiscriminate and voracious" desire for sexual contact. She told jurors that to him women were "simply a means to an end", ITV News reported.
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