The FAO Sugar Price Index jumped 11.9% in August from the previous month, driven by weaker output prospects in Europe due to adverse weather and El Niño-related concerns in key Asian producers. India’s announcement of duty-free imports of raw sugar also contributed to the rise. Over the same period, FAO indexes for cereals, dairy, vegetable oils and meat also increased, according to the UN agency.

Samsung Electronics raised its global high-bandwidth memory (HBM) revenue share to 33% in the second quarter, narrowing its gap with leader SK hynix to 17 percentage points. The company expects sixth-generation HBM4 to help it close the distance further. On its earnings call, Samsung said its HBM market share in the second half could approach its overall DRAM market share.

Samsung Electronics reported second-quarter revenue of 171.5 trillion won and operating profit of 89.5 trillion won as demand for AI memory chips surged. Operating cash flow exceeded 145 trillion won in the first half, while net cash rose to 167.59 trillion won, nearly doubling from a year earlier. On a July 30 earnings call, CFO Park Sooncheol said the board and management are discussing a new shareholder-return programme, including a possible special dividend, according to the Korea Herald.

Chinese humanoid robot maker Unitree Robotics has launched an initial public offering to list on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s SciTech Innovation Board. The deal includes about 40.45 million shares priced at 150.80 yuan each, aiming to raise roughly 6.10 billion yuan (USD 904 million). The shares represent 10% of the company’s post-offering share capital. Subscriptions are now open.

Ace Software Exports Ltd (BSE: 531525) reported Q1 FY2026-27 results showing a 42.7% year-on-year rise in standalone profit before tax. Standalone operating revenue rose 8.6% to ₹3.54 crore. The company also said consolidated net profit returned to positive territory.

India’s cotton supply continues to tighten, with output down 21.5% from its CS21 peak. Exports have plunged 84% to 0.20 billion kg, while imports have risen to 0.80 billion kg. Shankar-6 cotton prices reached INR 221/kg in CS23, up 101% from CS21, before easing to about INR 155/kg, as tighter supply-demand fundamentals underpin prices.

The International Energy Agency said the clean-energy transition will require more than USD 750 billion of investment in mining and refining through 2040. Copper accounts for the largest share at about USD 310 billion, followed by nickel at USD 280 billion. The IEA projects lithium demand to more than triple by 2040 and copper demand to rise by more than 25 per cent, adding around 7 million tonnes, while supply gaps for copper and lithium could persist through 2035. These dynamics underpin medium- to long-term price support for base industrial metals such as copper and nickel.

India-listed Lord's Mark Industries Limited (SUS) said it will issue 1,028,483 equity shares to Bennett, Coleman and Co., the parent company of The Times of India, at Rs. 158 per share. The issuance will be carried out under a share and warrant subscription agreement signed between the two parties. The company said the transaction reflects a strategic investor’s recognition of its value and is a non-public equity financing action with implications for SUS’s capital structure, expectations around control, and secondary-market sentiment.

South Korea’s newly launched leveraged chip ETFs surged in popularity after debuting in May, logging more than 10 trillion won in trading value on the first day—nearly one-third of total ETF turnover. Combined assets under management later peaked at 17.6 trillion won before sliding to 9.92 trillion won after an AI-driven chip rally reversed. Using a dynamic hedging approach, the funds must buy more constituent shares such as Samsung Electronics on up days to maintain leverage, a process that can intensify market volatility.