Forex

Dollar pares losses to close above R$5.10 as central bank steps in
Brazilian real strengthens on U.S. yield drop and local political polls, but central bank sells 50,000 swap contracts to cap depreciation. October futures rise 0.29% to R$5.14.

IQVIA unveils AI platform to streamline clinical trials
New platform reduces study startup time by 33% and patient recruitment costs through AI-driven site selection and real-time data processing.

South African rand advances on weaker dollar and higher gold prices
The rand gained 0.3% as the dollar fell 0.6% and gold prices rose, while South African bonds and equities also strengthened. ADP data showed modest US private hiring in August.

US jobless claims rise 2,000 as labor market remains stable
Initial unemployment filings increased to 206,000 last week, slightly above forecasts, while hiring plans surged 37% and layoffs jumped 58% in August.

OpenAI debuts GPT-6 Astra model with enterprise rollout
New AI model priced at $10 per million input tokens and $50 per million output tokens via OpenAI API and AWS. Enterprise access begins today with broader user rollout planned.

IFM unveils six AI models with full development data in K2 Horizon release
Research institute based in Abu Dhabi releases six AI models alongside complete training data, code, and methodologies to promote transparency and reproducibility in AI development.

JPMorgan flags Latin American currencies buoyed by carry trades
High-yielding Latin American currencies remain supported by dollar-funded carry trades despite limited economic gains, JPMorgan Private Bank says. Colombia’s peso leads with a 27% year-to-date return.

Citi bets on U.S. dollar decline vs Canadian dollar
The U.S. bank initiated a short position at 1.3854, targeting 1.35, as divergent central bank policies and disinflation trends favor the loonie. Upcoming Canadian investment summit adds potential catalyst.

JPMorgan flags Latin American currencies supported by carry trades
High-yielding Latin American currencies like the Colombian peso and Brazilian real benefit from carry trades, with JPMorgan estimating a 27% return in Colombia year-to-date. Chile cited for macro stability amid copper gains.

Alpha Modus secures U.S. patent for in-store shopper tracking technology
The patent covers a system that converts physical-store behavior into personalized mobile offers, including pricing and promotions. The company now holds 13 granted U.S. patents.

Aeromexico August traffic rises 2.9% as load factor hits 89.7%
Mexican carrier reports a 2.9% year-over-year increase in revenue passenger miles, with international demand up 4.3% while domestic traffic declines 0.7%.

AbbVie’s etentamig meets primary endpoints in multiple myeloma trial
Investigational BCMA x CD3 bispecific antibody etentamig showed significant efficacy in a phase 3 study of 393 patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Citi initiates short position on USD/CAD at 1.3854, targets 1.35
The U.S. bank has taken a bearish stance on the U.S. dollar against the Canadian dollar, citing disinflation in the U.S. and hawkish signals from the Bank of Canada. The trade includes a stop-loss at 1.3990.

IFM releases six AI models with full development data in K2 Horizon launch
Abu Dhabi-based IFM unveils six AI models under K2 Horizon, offering complete development data including weights, training sets and code. The release contrasts with OpenAI and Anthropic practices while providing reproducibility tools for researchers.

NuRAN Wireless launches energy subsidiary for African operations
New entity, NuEnergy Ltd, will manage solar and hybrid power systems for over 5,000 contracted sites across Africa, aligning energy and connectivity infrastructure.

China’s private services PMI rises to 51.4 in August, second-lowest in 14 months
Growth in China’s private services sector accelerated in August, with the PMI rising to 51.4 from 50.4 in July, driven by stronger domestic demand despite slower export activity.

Airbus resumes A330 deliveries after halting over quality flaw
Manufacturer paused A330 jet deliveries this summer after detecting an isolated defect in the horizontal tail plane of one aircraft. Operations have since returned to normal.

Azorra expects engine disruptions to ease as regional jet demand strengthens
Aircraft lessor Azorra reports improving reliability for Pratt & Whitney engines and highlights robust demand for Embraer E2 and Airbus A220 jets amid a persistent global aircraft shortage.

North Korea study finds Kim Jong Un's authority further consolidated
Amendments to North Korea's ruling Workers' Party statutes eliminate references to predecessors and expand the leader's direct control over party, state and military structures, Seoul-based think tank says.

Canadian dollar hits nine-day low as trade tensions and Fed outlook weigh
Loonie falls 0.3% to C$1.3900 per U.S. dollar amid escalating Canada-U.S. trade disputes and hawkish remarks from Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh.

Pentagon explores 100-year lease on Venezuelan oil fields via intermediary
U.S. Defense Department in talks with investor Alejandro Betancourt to secure stakes in up to 17 Venezuelan oil fields, including Junin and Lake Maracaibo assets, as sanctions ease and crude prices rise.

AI’s New Bottleneck Could Tilt the Euro‑Dollar Balance Toward the Dollar
Citi’s warning that data‑movement, not raw compute, now limits AI growth may spark a fresh wave of US capex, strengthening the dollar and pressuring the euro.

AI systems hit limits of networking, not just compute power
As AI models scale toward trillions of parameters, Citi analysts say data movement—not raw processing speed—has become the critical bottleneck. Nvidia, Broadcom and others pivot to networking infrastructure.

AI race shifts to data movement as networks overtake chips
As AI models scale toward trillion-parameter systems, industry analysts warn that networking—not raw processing power—will determine performance. Hot Chips conference highlights rising role of interconnects, memory and data-center architecture.

