Canada CPI rose 3.1% YoY in September, up from 3.0% in August and just below the 3.2% analyst forecast. The increase was driven by energy, which surged 19% YoY (August 15.4%), with gasoline up 27.8% YoY. September CPI is the last inflation print before the BOC’s Oct. 28 policy decision; markets expect the BOC to hold the policy rate at 2.25% on Oct. 28 but price a 25bps hike in December. The reading is the first in three months to breach the BOC’s upper bound.

China A-share PCB sector rallied; Kent Co. hit the 20% daily limit and Wote Co. hit limit-up. Sihui Fushi, Aohong Electronics, Jialichuang, Hongtian Co. and Zhongtian Technology also gained.

Research firm TrendForce says demand from AI data centers, cross‑data‑center interconnects and high‑capacity backbone builds will widen the global optical‑fiber supply gap to about 180 mln core‑km by 2026. The report warns supply tightness could push finished optical‑fiber spot prices up 2.8–5x or more YoY, and notes telecom vendors are shifting procurement from short‑term purchases to longer‑term contracts to lock in supply.