US Daily Equity Opening News - MU edges higher after results/guidance; Huawei plans smartphone price hikes; SNPS guides above expectations; GOOG unveils Gemini 4 Argon AI model; TCEHY signs USD 7bln ORCL data centre lease

• The S&P/ASX 200 is expected to decline on Thursday, October 1, following a sudden selloff in United States stock markets. • Spain's inflation reached 5%, while France and Italy also reported higher-than-expected price increases.

• Major European stock markets opened mostly higher on Wednesday as investors reviewed new economic reports. • Traders analyzed data including the United Kingdom's GDP report, French inflation figures, and German retail sales.

• The Indian stock market plunged on Thursday, with the Sensex and Nifty 50 indices both falling by more than 1%. • This decline marks the fourth consecutive session of losses driven by massive foreign institutional investor outflows and soaring bond yields.

• Singapore led gains among Asian stocks in the third quarter of 2026, while South Korea lagged behind. • The U.S. dollar rose approximately 2% in September, creating a typical headwind for markets across the region.

• Japanese chipmakers saw their stock prices rise following a positive earnings report from U.S.-based Micron Technology. • The rally was driven by increased investor confidence in the artificial intelligence trade after Micron's financial results.

• Nitin Bhasin of Ambit stated that India is currently failing to excite Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) due to headwinds that are not yet fully reflected in market prices. • Bhasin predicts the Nifty index will likely remain within a narrow range of plus or minus 5 per cent from current levels over the next 12 months.

• Most Asian stock benchmarks rose during early Wednesday trading as investor optimism regarding artificial intelligence and computer chips outweighed concerns over the war in Iran. • Japan's Nikkei 225 index jumped 1.3% to reach 66,318.81, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.9% to 8,791.30.

• Sandeep Bhatia, Managing Director and Head of Equity India at Macquarie Capital, identified growth opportunities in the banking, capital markets, autos, and power sectors. • Bhatia expects corporate earnings for the July-September quarter of 2026 to positively surprise the market.

• US monetary tightening is creating a deepening economic divide between Asian countries with low inflation and those facing heavy deficits and spiraling prices. • Markets with high financial weightings stand to benefit most, including Singapore at 47 percent, Hong Kong at 32 percent, Malaysia at 31 percent, and India at 26 percent.

• Most Asian stock markets rose in early Thursday trading on October 1, 2026, as investors bought technology, chip, and AI-related stocks. • Japan's Nikkei 225 index jumped 2.4 per cent to 68,355.81, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 1.7 per cent to 8,638.10.

• Brent crude futures rose to $98.15 per barrel as Asian markets showed mixed trading cues on Tuesday. • Brent's active December contract increased by approximately 14% during September.