iPhone 17 Released! Mainland Tires Use Lanxess New Additive; Volkswagen Deploys Artificial Intelligence

International News Brief:

Raw Material News-ECI Group Provides Power Technology for Vioneo Green LDPE Plant；

Automobile News-Volkswagen will invest 1 billion euros to develop artificial intelligence, focusing on three major areas.

Electronic News-The thinnest iPhone in history is coming!

Device requirements -Sepro's new generation robot control system completely transforms injection molding operations.

Additive News-The carbon footprint is reduced by more than 30%! LANXESS Vulkanox HS Scopeblue adopted by Continental Tires.；

Macroeconomic NewsJPMorgan, Barclays, and several other banks are reportedly facing potential losses of hundreds of millions of dollars due to loans.

Price Information-The RMB midpoint rate against the US dollar is reported at 7.1062, down 54 points.。

The following are details of international news:

1. ECI Group Provides Power Technology for Vioneo Green LDPE Plant

Vioneo has awarded a significant contract to ECI Group, a global leader in polymer technology licensing and engineering services. The project will deliver the world's first low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plant operating entirely with fossil-free feedstock.The facility will be built in Antwerp, Belgium, and is a key step towards the transition to sustainable plastics. It will use ECI Group's proprietary high-pressure sterilizer technology to produce 110,000 tons of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) annually from certified green methanol. The joint venture is supported by A.P. Moller, with ECI Group's product partner Repsol providing the necessary market knowledge and product expertise.

Volkswagen will invest 1 billion euros in artificial intelligence, focusing on three key areas.

On Tuesday local time, German automaker Volkswagen announced that the company will invest up to 1 billion euros (approximately 1.2 billion US dollars) in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) by 2030, and will fully integrate this technology into all aspects of its operations in order to achieve billions of euros in cost savings.

This news was released on the first day of the Munich International Auto Show. As the largest auto show in Europe this year, European car manufacturers are actively launching electric vehicle models and technological upgrades to cope with fierce competition from foreign car companies.

3. Sepro's New Generation Robot Control System Completely Transforms Injection Molding Operations

Sepro Group is set to revolutionize the injection molding automation paradigm with its next-generation Visual 4 control system. This system features a modern interface that is more powerful, intuitive, and connected than its predecessor. The new platform will debut at K 2025, held in Düsseldorf, Germany, from October 8 to 15, 2025, and will be rolled out across Sepro’s entire line of robotic products in 2026.

4. Carbon footprint reduced by over 30%! LANXESS Vulkanox HS Scopeblue adopted by Continental Tire

Continental has become the first tire manufacturer to adopt Lanxess’s new Vulkanox HS Scopeblue rubber additive. This product is an upgraded version of the well-established additive Vulkanox HS (TMQ, a diphenylamine antioxidant), offering not only superior sustainability but also ISCC Plus (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification Plus) certification. During the vulcanization process, this additive effectively protects rubber compounds from the effects of oxygen, heat, and other factors.

5. Global Impact Coalition (GIC) Launches Spin-off Project "Sustainable Olefins Initiative"

The Global Impact Coalition (GIC) has announced the launch of a dedicated spin-off structure to advance its "Sustainable Olefins Program." The project will begin with a feasibility study, marking the first step for Europe in new process routes for methanol-based e-Sustainable Aviation Fuel (e-SAF) and low-carbon chemicals.

A group of GIC member companies have joined forces to assess the technical and economic potential of Methanol-to-Olefins (MTO) technology as a sustainable alternative to conventional fossil-based production processes. The team will evaluate the feasibility of converting sustainable methanol into olefins, which are key fundamental feedstocks for fuels and high-end materials. The newly established spin-off structure is aimed at facilitating deeper collaboration, exploring investment opportunities, and laying the foundation for potential project development.

Apple holds a launch event, the thinnest iPhone in history is coming!

Apple officially held a launch event today, unveiling the latest iPhone 17 series, the A19 and A19 Pro chips, the new AirPods Pro 3 wireless earphones, as well as three new watches: Series 11, SE3, and Ultra 3!

The "thinnest in history" phone, iPhone Air, is launched with a thickness of only 5.6mm and the removal of the physical SIM card slot.

Dell China layoffs involve Shanghai and Xiamen, with compensation of N+3.

Recently, American computer manufacturer Dell Technologies has initiated a layoff plan targeting some employees in China, marking the latest case of a U.S. company withdrawing from the world's second-largest economy.

According to two informed sources who have received notifications, Dell will hold one-on-one conversations with affected employees this week, with their last working day set for October 10. They added that employees can apply for any vacant positions within the company before leaving.

According to informed sources, this round of layoffs primarily involves Dell's EMC storage department and Client Solutions Group (CSG) located in Shanghai and the southeastern coastal city of Xiamen, Fujian. One person disclosed that this is the third round of layoffs in recent months, with the previous two rounds having departure dates of August 15 and September 12, respectively.

Overseas macro market:

Hawkish signals from the Bank of Japan flash as hedge funds increase their positions in bullish yen options.

Amid political instability in Japan, Bank of Japan officials have not ruled out another rate hike this year, prompting hedge funds to increase their bets on yen call options on Tuesday.

According to the option central limit order book data from the CME Group on Tuesday, the most active USD-JPY option is the put option expiring in October with a strike price of 142.35. The trading activity at this strike price accounted for 22% of all USD-JPY put options volume on the order book that day. If the currency pair falls below the strike price level before the put option expires, the value of the option contract will increase. USD-JPY closed at 147.31 on Tuesday.

Deutsche Bank raises its year-end target for the S&P 500 Index to 7,000 points.

Deutsche Bank raised its year-end target for the S&P 500 Index from 6,550 points to 7,000 points, citing positive corporate earnings growth, manageable current tariff impacts, and supportive investor positioning. "We expect stock valuations to remain high," strategists including Binky Chadha wrote in the report, stating that valuations will be supported by factors such as higher payout ratios, expected strengthening of earnings growth trends, and more resilient earnings performance, with a reduced frequency of major pullbacks.

[Canalys: The Mainland China wearable wristband device market reached a record high in the first half of the year, with shipments totaling 33.9 million units.]

According to Canalys data, in the first half of 2025, the shipment volume of wearable wristband devices in mainland China reached 33.9 million units, a year-on-year increase of 36%. Following a 33% growth in the second half of 2024, the market continues to rise strongly. This growth trend has set a new historical high for the first half-year shipment volume in mainland China's wearable wristband device market. The basic fitness band category, with an 80% growth rate, has become the fastest-growing segment and the main driver of the strong performance in the mainland China market. Huawei leads the market with shipments of 12 million units, accounting for 36% of the market share; Xiaomi closely follows with shipments of 11 million units and a market share of 32%. Both companies have reached the milestone of exceeding 10 million units shipped in the first half of the year for the first time.

ExxonMobil expects the European Union to sign a long-term natural gas agreement with the United States.

According to the Financial Times, ExxonMobil expects the EU to sign a long-term natural gas agreement with the United States.

A U.S. judge stated that Trump cannot currently dismiss Federal Reserve Governor Cook, who is expected to attend next week's FOMC meeting.

A U.S. judge has temporarily blocked Trump from removing Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook from her position. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb in Washington approved Cook's request to continue working for the time being. This ruling means that Cook is likely to participate in the highly anticipated Federal Reserve policy meeting on September 16-17, where a vote will be held on whether to cut interest rates.

Immigration raids cause suspension of Korean battery projects in multiple locations across the United States.

A battery plant in Georgia, USA, jointly built by LG Energy Solution, was recently subjected to an immigration raid, leading to the suspension of battery factory projects in several parts of the United States. As a result, the prospects for billions of dollars in investments by Korean conglomerates in the U.S. have been cast into doubt. On Wednesday, a lawmaker from South Korea’s ruling party called for a halt to all investments in the United States until the safety of Korean workers can be guaranteed. The lawmaker emphasized that handcuffing workers in this manner goes far beyond what is considered acceptable.

JPMorgan Chase, Barclays, and several other banks are reportedly facing potential losses of hundreds of millions of dollars due to loans.

Insiders revealed that banks such as JPMorgan Chase, Fifth Third Bancorp, and Barclays may face losses of up to hundreds of millions of dollars related to loans involving subprime auto lender Tricolor Holdings. Fifth Third stated that after discovering fraudulent activities by a commercial borrower, it faces impairment losses of up to $200 million. The bank also said it is cooperating with law enforcement agencies. Some insiders indicated that lenders are investigating whether the collateral for wholesale loans has been re-pledged.

[Japanese and South Korean stock markets both closed at record highs]

The Nikkei 225 index closed up 0.9%, breaking through the August peak and reaching a new closing high at 43,837.67 points. Japan's Topix index rose 0.6% to close at 3,140.97 points. South Korea's KOSPI index closed up 1.7%, hitting a record closing high of 3,314.53 points.

Price Information:

[Central Parity Rate of Renminbi Against US Dollar]

The central parity rate of the RMB against the US dollar was set at 7.1062, down 54 points; the previous trading day's central parity rate was 7.1008, the previous official closing price was 7.1248, and the previous night session closed at 7.1250.

[Upstream Raw Material USD Market Price]

Ethylene Asia: CFR Northeast Asia USD 840/ton; CFR Southeast Asia USD 840/ton.

Propylene Northeast Asia: FOB Korea average price is 760 USD/ton; CFR China average price is 790 USD/ton.

The CFR price for Northeast Asia is $542-543 per ton for propane and $552-553 per ton for butane, an increase of $4 per ton.

South China frozen cargo October landed price: propane $591-601/ton; butane $571-581/ton. Increased by $2/ton.

The CIF price of frozen goods in Taiwan is $542-543 per ton for propane and $552-553 per ton for butane, up $4 per ton.

[LLDPE USD Market Price]

Thin film: 860-915 USD/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Injection molding: USD 1050/ton (CFR Dongguan);

[HDPE USD Market Price]

Film: USD 910-980/ton (CFR Huangpu)

Hollow: USD 855/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Injection molding: USD 870/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Pipe material: USD 1025/ton (CFR Huangpu);

[LDPE USD Market Price]

Film: 1100-1115 USD/ton (CFR Huangpu)

Coating: USD 1280/ton (CFR Huangpu).

[PP USD Market Price]

Homopolymer: USD 915-965/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Copolymer: 890-900 USD/ton (CFR Nansha);

Membrane material: 1020 USD/ton (CFR Nansha);

Transparent: USD 955-1050/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Pipe material: USD 1130/ton (CFR Shanghai).