White House National Economic Council director HASSETT said overall inflation was disappointing and the main driver was an energy shock. He added broader data contain positive signals, with US consumer spending close to healthy levels and the economy remaining strong.

ASML raised the lower end of its 2026 sales guidance for a third consecutive quarter, now forecasting €44.0-45.0 bln (about $49-50 bln), up from a previous lower bound of €43.0 bln. Q3 net sales (July–Sept) rose to €11.66 bln. Industry participants are increasingly questioning whether AI-driven demand will persist; ASML’s advanced tools have order-to-delivery lead times of more than a year, making its order book a near-term signal of chipmakers’ capex plans. The company said it expects to be unable to fully meet market demand in 2027 and 2028. In July ASML announced plans to raise next year’s capacity for its second-most-advanced system, Low-NA EUV, by 30% to target roughly 85 units a year. The CEO said some customers have signalled interest in 2029 and 2030 orders and ASML is studying ways to increase 2028 capacity beyond the previously announced 30%.

CHINA FOREIGN MINISTER met LAVROV in Baku on the 14th. LAVROV said Russia fully supports China hosting the APEC leaders' informal meeting. The two said their positions on international affairs are similar and agreed to deepen coordination in multilateral forums including the UN, G20, APEC and BRICS to jointly uphold international fairness and justice. They coordinated positions on future high-level exchanges and regional hotspots and reached new consensus.