Shanghai crude (SC) main futures fell across the board: SC crude down 1.80% at 544.2 yuan/barrel; low-sulfur fuel oil (LU) down 1.85% at 4,560 yuan/ton; fuel oil down 0.72% at 3,741 yuan/ton; asphalt down 0.02% at 4,310 yuan/ton.

South Korea’s KOSPI rose 3.21% on Thursday, completing a more-than-20% rebound from the July 30 close low and entering a technical bull market; SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics gained about 6% and 4% respectively. The index had plunged 22% in July, its worst monthly drop since the global financial crisis. KB Securities global investment strategist Peter Kim said the AI-led rally and earnings upside were present through the selloff, arguing fundamentals—not valuations—are driving the market rebound; he cited technical factors and flows as the root of the prior selloff and said regulator tightening and brokers’ resumption of normal risk controls have eased forced deleveraging. Phillip Wool, head of research at Ruilian Caizhi, said the market is effectively trading as an AI-hardware market: the rebound reflects receding forced selling, dip-buying and FOMO, and has been supported by stronger-than-expected results that lift AI spend and hardware earnings forecasts; he warned a setback—such as weak capex guidance or renewed Fed tightening—could prompt a pullback. Global X strategist Billy Leung said corporate-governance and value-unlocking plans should help narrow Korea’s valuation discount, and he leans toward a fundamentals-led rally given rising semiconductor profit forecasts, but rising retail participation and index concentration show early late-cycle signals. Fibonacci Asset Management CEO Zheng Renyun urged caution: his base case is a broader bull trend supported by semiconductor earnings and improved risk appetite, but he expects the pace to slow and for consolidation after sharp gains.

Fed official Harmack said the Fed must raise rates now, arguing current policy is not restrictive and recent shocks have pushed inflation higher. He warned rapid growth could add further price pressure; rate hikes may be painful but are necessary to prevent economic overheating. Inflation is broad-based, not confined to specific sectors, and the Fed must be accountable to inflation data.