Sims Limited plans to invest US$21.6 million in downstream processing across its North American recycling network to increase value recovery from shredded material, including copper and other non-ferrous metals. Its North America Metal and SA Recycling operations currently span around 230 sites and 35 auto shredders, with FY26 non-ferrous sales reaching 1.228 million tonnes. Sims is also investing in copper fines processing and its Pinkenba recycling hub as strong copper demand from AI infrastructure, electrification and grid investment supports further non-ferrous recovery.

[8.19 Morning Meeting Minutes] The National Bureau of Statistics: In July, the value-added of industrial enterprises above designated size grew 4.5% YoY in real terms; sales prices of new commercial residential buildings in first-tier cities turned flat MoM after a 0.1% increase in the previous month. The most-traded SHFE nickel 2609 contract moved sideways in the morning session, ending at 128,410 yuan/mt, up 0.19%. Driven by factors including the mild cooling of the US July PPI and further easing of interest rate hike expectations, nonferrous metals broadly rose, and nickel prices rebounded from last week's lows. While Indonesia’s nickel ore RKAB quota is expected to be loose, sulfur prices remain elevated above $1,000/mt, providing ongoing cost support. In the short term, the most-traded SHFE nickel contract is expected to trade in the range of 125,000-130,000 yuan/mt.

National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported: From January to July, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, all regions and departments thoroughly implemented the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, adhered to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, effectively responded to various external shocks and internal difficulties, focused on implementing more proactive and effective macro policies, and solidly advanced high-quality development. Production and supply grew steadily, employment and prices remained generally stable, resilience in foreign trade continued to stand out, new growth drivers expanded and strengthened, and overall economic performance remained stable, sustaining a development trend featuring renewed momentum and an improved structure. From January to July, the value added of industrial enterprises above the designated size nationwide increased by 5.3% YoY. By the three major sectors, value added in mining increased by 2.5% YoY, manufacturing by 5.6%, and the production and supply of electricity, heat, gas and water by 5.4%. Value added in equipment manufacturing increased by 9.7% YoY, and value added in high-tech manufacturing increased by 13.8%, respectively 4.4 and 8.5 percentage points faster than the overall value added of industrial enterprises above the designated size. In July 2026, the value added of industrial enterprises above the designated size increased by 4.5% In July, the value added of industrial enterprises above the designated size increased by 4.5% YoY in real terms (all value-added growth rates are real growth rates after deducting price factors). On a MoM basis, in July, the value added of industrial enterprises above the designated size increased by 0.11% from the previous month. From January to July, the value added of industrial enterprises above the designated size increased by 5.3% YoY. By the three major sectors, in July, value added in mining decreased by 4.2% YoY, manufacturing increased by 5.5%, and the production and supply of electricity, heat, gas and water increased by 5.0%. By ownership type, in July, value added of state-controlled enterprises increased by 1.6% YoY; joint-stock enterprises increased by 5.0%, and foreign-funded enterprises as well as enterprises with investment from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan increased by 2.8%; private enterprises increased by 3.7%. By industry, in July, among the 41 major industry categories, 25 industries maintained YoY growth in value added. Specifically, coal mining and washing declined by 10.8%, oil and natural gas extraction increased by 6.1%, processing of agricultural and sideline food products increased by 3.8%, manufacturing of liquor, beverages and refined tea increased by 2.6%, textiles increased by 2.3%, manufacturing of chemical raw materials and chemical products declined by 1.2%, manufacturing of non-metallic mineral products declined by 3.3%, smelting and pressing of ferrous metals increased by 0.3%, smelting and pressing of non-ferrous metals declined by 2.5%, manufacturing of general-purpose equipment increased by 9.5%, manufacturing of special-purpose equipment increased by 12.6%, automobile manufacturing increased by 8.7%, manufacturing of railway, ship, aerospace and other transport equipment increased by 13.6%, manufacturing of electrical machinery and equipment increased by 8.8%, manufacturing of computers, communications and other electronic equipment increased by 19.1%, and the production and supply of electricity and heat increased by 5.3%. By product, in July, output increased YoY for 279 of the 626 products produced by industrial enterprises above designated size. Specifically, steel products totaled 116.46 million mt, down 4.1%; cement 126.71 million mt, down 11.6%; ten nonferrous metals 6.97 million mt, up 2.5%; ethylene 3.48 million mt, up 0.1%; automobiles 2.529 million units, down 0.1%, including NEVs at 1.55 million units, up 29.9%; power generation 943.9 billion kWh, down 0.1%; and crude oil processing volume 53.11 million mt, down 15.8%. In July, the sales-to-production ratio of industrial enterprises above designated size was 96.9%, down 0.6 percentage points YoY; the export delivery value realized by industrial enterprises above designated size was 1,413.3 billion yuan, up 10.4% YoY in nominal terms. From January to July, the national economy remained generally stable and maintained a development momentum toward new and better growth. From January to July, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, all regions and departments earnestly implemented the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, adhered to the general principle of pursuing progress while maintaining stability, effectively responded to various external shocks and internal difficulties, focused on implementing more proactive and effective macro policies, and solidly advanced high-quality development. Production and supply grew steadily, employment and prices were generally stable, foreign trade resilience continued to stand out, new growth drivers expanded and strengthened, and overall economic performance remained generally stable, sustaining a development momentum toward new drivers and a better structure. I. Industrial production grew rapidly, with strong growth in the equipment manufacturing sector and high-tech manufacturing sector From January to July, the value added of industrial enterprises above designated size nationwide increased by 5.3% YoY. By three major sectors, value added increased by 2.5% YoY in mining, 5.6% in manufacturing, and 5.4% in the production and supply of electricity, heat, gas, and water. Value added increased by 9.7% YoY in the equipment manufacturing sector and by 13.8% in the high-tech manufacturing sector, exceeding the overall growth of industrial enterprises above designated size by 4.4 and 8.5 percentage points, respectively. By ownership type, value added increased by 3.9% YoY for state-controlled enterprises; 5.8% for joint-stock enterprises; 3.1% for enterprises with investment from foreign countries and from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan; and 4.5% for private enterprises. By product, the production of 3D printing equipment, lithium-ion batteries, and industrial robots increased YoY by 52.3%, 40.2%, and 28.5%, respectively. In July, the value added of industrial enterprises above designated size nationwide increased by 4.5% YoY and by 0.11% MoM. In July, the manufacturing PMI was 49.2%, and the expectations index for enterprise production and business activities was 54.1%. From January to June, industrial enterprises above the designated size nationwide recorded total profits of 3,948 billion yuan, up 18.7% YoY. II. The Service Sector Maintained Steady Growth, With Modern Services Showing Positive Momentum From January to July, the national service sector production index rose 4.7% YoY. By industry, the production indices for information transmission, software and information technology services; leasing and business services; financial services; and transportation, warehousing and postal services increased 10.6%, 9.5%, 6.3%, and 5.1% YoY, respectively. In July, the national service sector production index rose 4.3% YoY. In July, the business activity index for the service sector was 49.3%, and the business activity expectations index for the service sector was 56.0%. Among them, the business activity indices for industries such as postal services, telecommunications, radio and television and satellite transmission services, and culture, sports and entertainment were in the relatively high prosperity range of 55.0% or above. From January to June, operating revenue of service enterprises above the designated size rose 5.9% YoY. III. Market Sales Expanded, With Faster Growth in Service Retail Sales From January to July, total retail sales of consumer goods and services rose 2.6% YoY, of which service retail sales increased 5.0% and goods retail sales increased 1.1%. Within service retail sales, retail sales in categories such as communications and information services, tourism consulting and leasing services, and cultural, sports and leisure services grew relatively quickly. From January to July, total retail sales of consumer goods reached 28,774.4 billion yuan, up 1.2% YoY. By location of business unit, urban retail sales of consumer goods were 24,928.5 billion yuan, up 1.1% YoY; rural retail sales of consumer goods were 3,845.9 billion yuan, up 2.4%. By type of consumption, goods retail sales were 25,492.2 billion yuan, up 1.1% YoY; catering revenue was 3,282.2 billion yuan, up 2.6%. Sales of basic necessities and some upgraded goods grew relatively quickly, with retail sales of grain, oil and food; communications equipment; and cosmetics by units above the designated size rising 7.2%, 15.1%, and 6.3% YoY, respectively. In July, total retail sales of consumer goods were 3,902.2 billion yuan, up 0.6% YoY and up 0.06% MoM. From January to July, nationwide online retail sales of goods and services were 11,721.4 billion yuan, up 4.8% YoY. Of this total, online goods retail sales were 7,396.5 billion yuan, up 4.6%; online services retail sales were 4,324.9 billion yuan, up 5.2%. IV. Fixed-Asset Investment Declined, While Investment in Intellectual Property Products Grew Rapidly From January to July, nationwide fixed-asset investment (excluding rural households) was 26,032.8 billion yuan, down 6.7% YoY; fixed-asset investment excluding real estate development fell 3.7%. Among them, investment in intellectual property products rose 9.1% YoY. By sector, infrastructure investment fell 3.6% YoY, manufacturing investment fell 1.7%, and real estate development investment fell 19.2%. Nationwide, the floor space of commercial buildings sold (newly built) totaled 450.21 million m², down 11.8% YoY; sales of newly built commercial buildings totaled 4,271.8 billion yuan, down 13.1%. By industry, primary industry investment fell 0.5% YoY, secondary industry investment fell 2.1%, and tertiary industry investment fell 9.5%. Private investment fell 9.4% YoY; excluding real estate development, private investment fell 5.7%. Investment in high-technology industries rose 5.0% YoY, with investment in information services, aircraft and spacecraft and equipment manufacturing, and electronic and communications equipment manufacturing rising 19.2%, 12.3%, and 7.1%, respectively. In July, fixed asset investment (excluding rural households) fell 1.42% MoM. V. Goods Imports and Exports Grew Rapidly, and the Trade Structure Continued to Improve From January to July, total goods imports and exports reached 30,126.4 billion yuan, up 17.3% YoY. Of this total, exports were 17,440 billion yuan, up 14.0%; imports were 12,686.4 billion yuan, up 22.0%. From January to July, imports and exports under Ordinary Trade rose 10.2% YoY. Imports and exports with Belt and Road partner countries rose 15.5%. Imports and exports by private enterprises rose 17.2%, accounting for 56.9% of the total. Exports of mechanical and electrical products rose 21.2%, accounting for 63.8% of total exports. In July, total goods imports and exports reached 4,658 billion yuan, up 19.2% YoY. Of this total, exports were 2,712.5 billion yuan, up 17.8%; imports were 1,945.4 billion yuan, up 21.2%. VI. The Employment Situation Remained Generally Stable, and the Urban Surveyed Unemployment Rate Rose Seasonally From January to July, the national average urban surveyed unemployment rate was 5.2%, unchanged from January to June and the same period last year. In July, the national urban surveyed unemployment rate was 5.2%, up 0.2 percentage points from the previous month. The surveyed unemployment rate for the local registered labor force was 5.2%; that for the migrant registered labor force was 5.2%, including 4.9% for the migrant agricultural registered labor force. The urban surveyed unemployment rate in 31 major cities was 5.2%, up 0.2 percentage points from the previous month. The national average weekly working hours for enterprise employees were 48.2 hours. VII. Market Prices Rose Mildly, and the Increase Moderated Somewhat in July From January to July, the national consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.9% YoY. By category, prices of food, tobacco and alcohol, and dining out fell 0.2% YoY; clothing prices rose 1.6%; housing prices fell 0.2%; prices of household goods and services rose 1.7%; transport and communications prices rose 1.6%; education, culture and entertainment prices rose 1.2%; healthcare prices rose 2.1%; and prices of other goods and services rose 10.8%. Among food, tobacco and alcohol, and dining-out prices, pork prices fell 13.4%, grain prices fell 0.3%, fresh fruit prices rose 1.1%, and fresh vegetable prices rose 3.5%. In July, the national CPI rose 0.5% YoY and fell 0.1% MoM. From January to July, the core CPI excluding food and energy prices rose 1.1% YoY. Of this, the core CPI rose 0.9% YoY in July. From January to July, national industrial producer EXW prices rose 1.8% YoY. Of this, they rose 3.5% YoY and fell 0.7% MoM in July. From January to July, national industrial producer purchase prices rose 2.8% YoY. Of this, they rose 5.5% YoY and fell 1.0% MoM in July. Overall, from January to July, the national economy operated generally steadily, maintaining a development momentum toward new, better, and improved. However, it should also be noted that the external environment is complex and volatile; in China, the contradiction of strong supply and weak demand is prominent; some enterprises face operational difficulties; and the foundation for the economy’s steady improvement still needs to be consolidated. In the next stage, we should adhere to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guidance, uphold the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy, accelerate the building of a new development paradigm, remain committed to deepening reform and opening up, accelerate efforts to replace old growth drivers with new ones, step up counter-cyclical adjustments, intensify efforts to expand domestic demand and optimize supply, effectively safeguard and improve people’s wellbeing, strengthen development momentum and invigorate social vitality, and promote sustained economic development toward new, better, and improved.

SMM, August 12: Foxconn Industrial Internet’s semi-annual report posted substantial profit growth, further confirming the strong momentum of AI computing infrastructure and driving a recovery in sentiment across the high-speed interconnect industry chain. Against the backdrop of expanding computing power, high-speed copper cables have drawn attention from some market funds as a key short-range interconnect solution for AI servers. At the same time, SMM observes that the installation rush for power batteries, high prosperity in energy storage, and surging AI computing-end demand have collectively driven an ongoing climb in operating rates in the copper foil industry. As of the close on August 12, the high-speed copper cable concept rose 2.22%. Among individual stocks, Taichenguang and Hengdongguang jumped over 6%, while the biggest gainers included Xianying Technology, Ruikeda, Dingtong Technology, Far East, Changxin Bochuang, ZTT, and Zhaolong Interconnect. Market News [Shanghai: Build 100,000-card-level ultra-large intelligent computing clusters in Songjiang, Lingang, Qingpu, etc.] The Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization issued the “15th Five-Year Plan for the Development of the Software and Information Services Industry in Shanghai.” The plan mentions creating a tiered supply system that synergizes “large clusters + small clusters + edge computing,” building 100,000-card-level ultra-large-scale intelligent computing clusters in Songjiang, Lingang, and Qingpu, and constructing 1,000-card-level clusters in Baoshan, Pudong, and Jiading. It guides the transformation of traditional data centers and ICT server rooms into 100-card-level edge intelligent computing centers to meet ultra-low-latency computing demands from enterprises and individuals. Focusing on industries such as finance, education, healthcare, culture and tourism, and manufacturing, the plan supports building Model as a Service (MaaS) platforms, providing industry application marketplaces, model customization and hosting, agent building, low-code development, API interfaces, computing power provision and management, and AI inference services, thereby upgrading intelligent computing cloud service capabilities. It also highlights tackling next-generation model architectures and promoting exploration of multiple technology routes based on non-Transformer architectures such as state space models, recurrent neural network variants, and liquid neural networks. Efforts will be accelerated to lay out technology systems for cutting-edge foundation models, including physical intelligence, world models, quantum intelligence, and brain-inspired intelligence. The plan further addresses breakthroughs in networking technologies for ultra-large-scale intelligent computing clusters, focusing on core segments such as high-performance computing chips (GPU/NPU), quantum chips (QPU), high-speed optical interconnects (CPO), high-bandwidth memory (HBM), and heterogeneous servers to boost supply capacity for intelligent computing hardware and facilitate the deep integration of proprietary chips with mainstream large models. With an emphasis on new storage retrieval and data-model collaboration, the plan aims to achieve breakthroughs in high-precision heterogeneous processing, native multimodal fusion, and dynamic value alignment, and to build automated complex reasoning covering the full life cycle of corpus data. [Foxconn Industrial Internet: H1 2026 net profit up 95.99% YoY; AI computing demand continued to surge during the reporting period] Foxconn Industrial Internet announced on August 11 that its H1 2026 revenue was 557.861 billion yuan, up 54.63% YoY. Net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company was 23.74 billion yuan, up 95.99% YoY. Net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company after deducting non-recurring profit or loss was 22.984 billion yuan, up 96.99% YoY. Basic earnings per share was 1.2 yuan. The company plans not to distribute cash dividends, not to issue bonus shares, and not to convert capital reserve into share capital. The change in operating revenue was mainly due to the benefit from the continued surge in AI computing power demand, steady increase in market share among major clients, and strong performance of cloud service business, driving overall revenue growth. The change in net profit was mainly due to the benefit from the continued surge in AI computing power demand, with the company's main business operations achieving steady improvement in profitability. (Jin10 Data) [CoreWeave Second-Quarter Revenue Doubles, Shares Surge 12% After Hours] CoreWeave (CRWV.O) rose 12% in after-hours trading on Tuesday after reporting second-quarter revenue of $2.58 billion, up 112% YoY and surpassing Wall Street expectations, indicating that demand for AI computing power is still growing rapidly; net loss was $626 million, compared to $290 million in the same period last year; order backlog reached $104 billion, with projects under construction totaling 1.5 gigawatts of capacity. CoreWeave is accelerating the expansion of its data center business, competing with cloud computing giants such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft to capture the market for data centers equipped with chips capable of running generative AI models. However, CoreWeave has yet to achieve profitability. As of the end of the quarter, its debt on the balance sheet reached $35 billion, used to cover NVIDIA GPU and other equipment procurement costs. This quarter, Meta said it would invest an additional $21 billion in CoreWeave. Additionally, CoreWeave announced a multi-year cooperation agreement with Anthropic and received a $6 billion commitment from quantitative trading firm Jane Street. (Jin10 Data) [Axera Next-Generation High-Power AI Chip Completes Tape-Out, Supports Multi-Chip Cascading for Full-Fledged Large Model Inference on the Edge] From the earnings call of Axera's 2026 semi-annual report, it was learned that the company's next-generation high-performance, high-power AI chip has completed tape-out, with a significant increase in computing power specifications, equipped with high bandwidth, and supports two-chip or four-chip cascading, enabling high-performance inference of full-fledged large models on the edge. [Strategic Cooperation Intent Reached, Huawei to Provide Ascend Computing Equipment to Beijing Data Group] According to Beijing Data Group, on August 7, Beijing Data Group and Huawei held working talks and reached a strategic cooperation intent. Next, the two sides will focus on deepening cooperation in computing power clusters and city-level computing infrastructure construction. Beijing Data Group’s subsidiary Tongniu Information will participate in the construction of Beijing's city-level computing infrastructure, coordinating the deployment, daily operations, and computing services of the group's self-innovated computing clusters. Huawei will fully support Beijing Data Group in advancing the city-wide layout of self-innovated computing, providing advanced Ascend computing equipment, comprehensive technical solutions, and service support to jointly build a trusted city-level computing foundation in Beijing, continuously releasing the value of computing engines and offering stable, reliable computing support for the development of “Digital Intelligence Beijing.” [Nvidia Announces Partnership with Six Financial Giants to Arrange $500 Billion AI Infrastructure Financing System] Nvidia (NVDA.O) announced on the 10th local time that it has established a strategic partnership with Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield, Goldman Sachs, and KKR to create an independent computing financing platform, aiming to mobilize over $500 billion in third-party capital over the long term for building artificial intelligence infrastructure. Nvidia stated that the new financing platform transforms Nvidia’s computing and full-stack AI infrastructure into an investable asset class for global capital, expands access to AI factories, achieves long-term revenue tied to usage, and supports Nvidia’s ecosystem growth in hardware sales and software applications. [Tesla: Terafab Plan Launches in Texas, Targeting Over 1 Terawatt of Computing Capacity Annually] On August 6, Tesla (TSLA.O) stated that earlier this year, SpaceX and Tesla announced the launch of the “Terafab” project—the world’s largest chip manufacturing initiative, integrating logic chips, memory chips, and advanced packaging technology within a single facility. In April, Tesla broke ground on a new R&D fab at the northern campus of its Texas Gigafactory, which served as the predecessor to Terafab. And today, we officially announced that Terafab will be located in Grimes County, Texas. This facility will be an advanced semiconductor wafer fab, designed to bridge the vast gap between current global chip supply capability and future computing demand. The combined chip demand of SpaceX and Tesla is expected to exceed 1 terawatt (TW) of computing power, far surpassing the current global supply capability. We greatly appreciate our existing chip suppliers and encourage them to expand capacity where possible, but the widening supply-demand gap in the future is the core reason for the Terafab project. Terafab’s goal is to manufacture new computing capacity at unprecedented scale and speed. The project plans to build a vertically integrated factory with a manufacturing area exceeding 100 million square feet. The facility will cover the manufacturing, packaging, and testing of advanced logic chips and memory chips. Concentrating these processes at a single location will facilitate rapid iteration and accelerate the deployment of new computing power. [ZTE Partners With Sky47 to Build Pakistan's Largest Intelligent Computing Data Center] Recently, the inauguration ceremony of Sky47 Karakoram-01, the largest integrated general-purpose and intelligent computing data center in Pakistan, jointly built by ZTE and Pakistan's leading cloud service provider Sky47, was held in Islamabad. As Pakistan's first customized AI-native Tier III data center, Sky47 Karakoram-01 has a total power supply capacity of 8.5 MW. The center will provide robust cloud computing, data hosting, and advanced digital service support across Pakistan, fully meeting the computing power needs of government and enterprises in fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and high-performance computing (HPC). Power Battery Cell Installation Rush and Robust AI Industry Chain Demand Keep Copper Foil Operating Rate Climbing According to SMM, In July, the operating rate of the copper foil industry continued to climb, supported by strong end-use demand from downstream. In the lithium battery sector, production schedules of major Chinese lithium battery companies hit another record high in July. The installation rush for power battery cells boosted production schedules, and demand for lithium battery copper foil remained positive. In the electronic circuit segment, AI industry chain-related demand remained strong; capacity continued to shift toward high-end products, and demand for electronic circuit copper foil across all specifications stayed robust. Voices From All Parties CSC Financial’s research report notes that the scaling of frontier models has entered a stage of parallel multi-path development. Anthropic Mythos 5 and Fable 5 are estimated by the industry to have 8 trillion and 5 trillion parameters respectively; Kimi K3 has a total of 2.8 trillion parameters; and ByteDance is reportedly pretraining a model with up to 10 trillion parameters. Post-training is further extended to million-token agent trajectories, thousands of tool calls, and complex tasks lasting several hours. The RSI review published on July 8 covered 1,250 papers, 74% of which were published in 2026, indicating a clear acceleration in AI R&D automation. We believe that model competition is shifting from single-parameter expansion toward coordinated evolution involving pretraining, reinforcement learning, inference-time computing, RSI, and long-term agent capabilities. Computing power demand will expand from training to inference and agent execution. We remain bullish on the Capex ecosystem of major players, domestic chips and super-nodes, computing services, Pre-AI, B-end AI applications, and local inference. Founder Securities' research report indicates that the market's oversold rebound has entered a critical phase, with divergence unfolding across tech and cyclical growth sectors. Continue to focus on allocation opportunities in three areas. First, tech stocks also require selective positioning by structure. At the index level, the Sci-Tech Innovation Board and ChiNext have rebounded about 10% from their lows, and there remains upside relative to the typical oversold rebound amplitude of major themes. The AI narrative has seen some shifts after US CSP earnings reports, with competitive capex marginally weakening; cloud business and healthy cash flow are decisive factors. Therefore, within AI, hardware and applications will become more balanced. Focus on core overseas computing power names with low crowding, as well as domestic computing power segments with high earnings visibility such as semiconductor equipment and materials; relatively undervalued AI applications and Hang Seng Tech deserve attention. Second, watch for opportunities in HALO assets, as expectations for US Fed interest rate hikes are easing. Beyond core resource-related non-ferrous metals and chemicals, oversold old and new energy, including power grids and electrical equipment, coal and petrochemicals, etc. Third, leading pharmaceutical names with improving fundamentals, low crowding, and abating headwinds. CITIC Securities' research report notes that since 2023, the rapid development of AI has driven the iterative upgrade of optical module technology. New technologies such as optical chip speed upgrades, silicon photonics integration, and CPO architecture are jointly driving the iterative upgrade of optical module testing equipment. Combined with the rapid expansion of AI computing power infrastructure, this is driving a "volume and price increase" for optical module testing equipment. Currently, international players remain relatively ahead in the 1.6T high-end market, but domestic enterprises are accelerating their catch-up, with the gap steadily narrowing. We are bullish on the long-term development of the domestic optical module industry and the trend of import substitution for high-end optical module testing equipment. China Merchants Securities, reviewing nine sharp A-share market corrections since 2015, found that sharp declines were mostly triggered by external shocks or liquidity risks, with stabilization marked by policy responses. The average rebound window after a correction is 34 trading days, with the Wind All A-Share Index rebounding by more than 19% on average, and the larger the prior decline, the greater the subsequent rebound tends to be. Sector performance exhibits "two-phase" rotation: in the first 10 trading days of a rebound, high-beta, oversold sectors such as electronics and computers lead the gains; after 20 to 60 trading days, the market shifts to themes with fundamental support, such as electrical equipment and food & beverage. For the current cycle, a two-step allocation is recommended: initially, prioritize TMT and other oversold, high-beta sectors (with focus on computing power leaders in China and overseas); after 10 to 20 trading days, return to a rebalancing of fundamentals, focusing on electrical equipment, chemical pharmaceuticals, coal, and non-bank financials. Along sector themes, key opportunities to capture are the catch-up potential in the overseas computing power price-hike chain, the elasticity of domestic computing power hardware, and gold's value as a safe-haven and rebalancing asset. The overall allocation revolves around three main themes: technology innovation, enterprises going global, and rebalancing of traditional low-valuation sectors. According to CICC research, since mid-to-late June, global AI chains experienced notable pullbacks, with South Korea—characterized by high leverage, high crowding, and high retail participation—being the most severe. Behind this were the amplifying effects of high crowding and high leverage, disturbances from macro factors (such as rising expectations for US Fed interest rate hikes and the renewed blockade of the Strait of Hormuz driving up oil prices), and market concerns over a re-emerging AI bubble (e.g., Meta renting out computing power, declining token spending). In fact, before the bubble finally burst in March 2000, the tech stock market saw at least four rounds of large-scale, prolonged corrections. The triggers for these declines are highly similar to the current adjustment: short-term setbacks in industry trends, headwinds in the macro environment, and overheated valuation sentiment. The eventual rebound in tech stocks was also due to the easing of these three pressures. Therefore, corresponding to the present, for the market to stabilize and even start a new round of increases, these three factors are needed: the digestion of high crowding and high leverage (largely achieved), the easing of expectations for US Fed interest rate hikes or the actual announcement (watch the July FOMC meeting), and more importantly, new catalysts from earnings reports and industry developments (the July-August earnings season). Recommended reading:

On August 10, Chifeng Gold's share price rose, closing up 3.9% at 43.73 yuan per share as of the end of trading. In news developments: On August 8, Chifeng Gold issued an announcement regarding its controlled subsidiary suspending operations at the Mengkang Rare Earth Ore Project in Laos. The announcement stated: In response to and in strict compliance with policy requirements for rare earth resource development, and to earnestly fulfill corporate social responsibility, on August 7, 2026, the 9th Board of Directors of Chifeng Jilong Gold Mining Group Co., Ltd. at its 9th session reviewed and approved the "Proposal on the Controlled Subsidiary Suspending Operations at the Mengkang Rare Earth Ore Project in Laos," agreeing that its controlled subsidiary, Xiamen Chijin Xiamen Tungsten Metal Resources Co., Ltd., shall suspend operations at the Mengkang Rare Earth Ore Project located in Mengkang County, Xieng Khouang Province, Lao People's Democratic Republic. The project overview provided in Chifeng Gold's announcement showed: In 2022, the company formed a joint venture with Xiamen Tungsten Co., Ltd. ("Xiamen Tungsten") named Shanghai Chijin Xiamen Tungsten Metal Resources Co., Ltd. (the company held 51%, Xiamen Tungsten held 49%, now renamed "Xiamen Chijin Xiamen Tungsten Metal Resources Co., Ltd."), aiming to leverage the strengths of both parties to build a cooperation platform for rare earth resource development and to advance the implementation and growth of the company's rare earth resource development business in Laos. On March 4, 2024, the company's controlled subsidiary Chijin Xiamen Tungsten and its wholly owned subsidiary CHIXIA Laos Holdings Limited ("CHIXIA Laos"), along with China Investment (Properties) Co., Ltd. ("CIP") and its wholly owned subsidiary China Investment Mining (Laos) Sole Co., Ltd. (now renamed "Chixia Mining (Laos) Co., Ltd.", the "Target Company"), entered into an Equity Transfer Agreement. CHIXIA Laos acquired 90% equity of the Target Company held by CIP through cash and debt assumption. As of March 25, 2025, all parties had confirmed in writing that the transaction was completed. The Target Company primarily operates the Mengkang Rare Earth Ore Project. Apart from this project, Chijin Xiamen Tungsten and its controlled subsidiaries do not operate any other rare earth projects. Since completion, the project has been in the trial production stage. The retained resource volume of the Mengkang Rare Earth Ore is as follows: Regarding the suspension of operations at the Mengkang Rare Earth Ore Project by Chijin Xiamen Tungsten, Chifeng Gold's announcement stated: As the national rare earth resource policy system becomes increasingly comprehensive, Chijin Xiamen Tungsten will comprehensively review and optimize its relevant operations to ensure all business activities are conducted in compliance with laws and regulations. In response to and in strict compliance with policy requirements for rare earth resource development, and to earnestly fulfill corporate social responsibility, after prudent study and assessment, Chijin Xiamen Tungsten has decided to suspend operations at the Mengkang Rare Earth Ore Project. It will continue the renewal process for mining rights and certificates, closely monitor relevant policy changes, and actively seek solutions. The board of directors of the company has approved the suspension of operations at the Chijin Xiamen Tungsten's Mongkhon rare earth project in Laos and authorized management-designated personnel to handle related matters within the board's purview, including but not limited to asset disposal, personnel settlement, and debt restructuring. Should any related matters exceed the board's decision-making authority, a separate shareholders' meeting will be convened for deliberation. When discussing the impact on the company, Chifeng Gold stated: The Mongkhon rare earth project is still in the trial mining phase. In 2025, Chijin Xiamen Tungsten produced 998.56 mt of rare earth products, with a net loss attributable to Chifeng Gold of -54.0637 million yuan, representing an absolute value of 1.75% of Chifeng Gold's consolidated net profit attributable to parent company shareholders for 2025. In Q1 2026, the company produced 63.6 mt of rare earth products, with a net profit attributable to Chifeng Gold of 372,800 yuan, representing 0.04% of its consolidated net profit attributable to parent company shareholders for Q1 2026. The suspension of operations is expected to have a relatively small overall impact on the company's operating performance. Specific details are subject to the company's audited financial reports. Currently, it remains uncertain when the project will resume operations, and the company will continue to monitor relevant policy changes and subsequent project developments. The company's main operations, such as gold and copper cathode, are performing well, with a sound and stable financial position and an asset-liability ratio at a relatively low industry level, providing a solid guarantee against various force majeure events. The company will actively respond and make its best effort to mitigate the adverse effects of the rare earth development suspension. Meanwhile, it will continue to focus on its main business, increase investment and accelerate project progress in resource exploration, technological transformation, and new expansion projects to lay a solid foundation for achieving its medium and long-term strategic goals. Chifeng Gold also announced on August 8: To ensure the production continuity and capacity utilization rate of its holding subsidiary, Lane Xang Minerals Limited Company (an indirectly held subsidiary operating the Sepon gold-copper mine in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, hereinafter referred to as "Laos," and referred to as "Lane Xang Minerals"), and to advance the development and mining of the Khanong project as planned, with primary ore mining commencing in Q2 2027 to ensure the designed capacity of 1.3 million mt/year reaches full production and to optimize the utilization rate of the newly commissioned 1.2 million mt/year mill, the company, following multiple rounds of tenders and technical and commercial evaluations, intends for Lane Xang Minerals to sign a Mine Development and Mining Services Contract as an independent contractor with China Railway 19th Bureau Group Laos Sole Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the "Contractor"). Under this contract, the Contractor will provide open-pit mining services (including ore mining and waste rock removal) and other mining services and activities related to Lane Xang Minerals' mining operations in Laos. Chifeng Gold stated that this contract constitutes a daily operational transaction, and its consideration makes it a disclosable transaction under the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited. On August 7, 2026, the company convened the ninth meeting of its ninth board of directors, which reviewed and approved the proposal regarding the signing of an overseas daily operational contract by the holding subsidiary, agreeing for Lane Xang Minerals to enter into the contract with the Contractor for an amount not exceeding $220,163,577 (excluding VAT), and authorized management to handle all subsequent contract-related matters based on project progress. This contract does not involve related-party transactions and, per the securities regulatory rules of the company's stock listing venues, this matter does not require shareholder meeting approval. Regarding the impact of the contract's execution on the listed company, Chifeng Gold announced that mining operations inherently involve various risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to geological changes, equipment failures, safety incidents, and cost fluctuations. Under the company's asset-light strategy, adopting an independent professional mining contractor model locks in unit mining costs for the contract period, effectively transferring cost risks related to fuel, labour, and consumables, which aligns with industry practice and allows the company to focus on ore processing and recovery rate optimization. To ensure smooth project progress, production continuity, and capacity utilization, the company invited qualified contractors to bid through a public tender process. After multiple rounds of technical and commercial reviews, this Contractor was ultimately selected as the bid winner due to its comprehensive strength and highly competitive bid. The Contractor's parent company is an experienced international mining services firm specializing in open-pit mine operations. Leveraging its experience and advanced knowledge, outsourcing part of the open-pit operations to the Contractor offers a more cost-effective solution for developing Lane Xang Minerals' Sepon gold-copper mine over the long term. The rates quoted by the Contractor were based on local materials, labour costs, and industry market price levels for the project. The contract price structure was determined through fair negotiation between the parties based on the project's specific scope, construction requirements, and market conditions, comprehensively considering factors such as project scale, quality standards, and mining operation pace. Based on these factors, the company believes the pricing adheres to general commercial practices, is fair and reasonable, aligns with the overall interests of the company and its shareholders, has a sufficient basis in commercial reasonableness, and represents the best interests of the company and its shareholders. (1) The above contract is a daily operational transaction. Its signing and smooth implementation will have a positive impact on the company's current and future performance, enhancing its ongoing profitability. (2) The transaction adheres to fair and equitable market pricing principles, without harming the interests of the company or its shareholders, and meets the company's actual operational development needs. (3) The contract's execution does not affect the company's business independence, nor will it create a dependency on the Contractor. In terms of performance, Chifeng Gold disclosed its H1 performance forecast on the evening of July 14, indicating that, based on preliminary financial estimates, the net profit attributable to shareholders of the publicly listed firm for H1 2026 is expected to be between 1.7 billion yuan and 1.78 billion yuan, an increase of 593.1 million yuan to 673.1 million yuan compared with 1,106.9 million yuan for the same period last year, up 54% to 61% YoY. The net profit attributable to shareholders of the publicly listed firm, excluding non-recurring gains and losses, is expected to be between 1.71 billion yuan and 1.79 billion yuan, an increase of 598.09 million yuan to 678.09 million yuan compared with 1,111.91 million yuan for the same period last year, up 54% to 61% YoY. For the primary reasons behind the performance changes for the period, Chifeng Gold explained that the substantial YoY increases in both net profit metrics were mainly driven by a significant rise in gold prices compared with the same period last year, with the average gold sales price up approximately 43% YoY, alongside the company's continuous efforts to strengthen production organization and operational management. Regarding its main business, Chifeng Gold introduced in its 2025 annual report that the company operates in the non-ferrous metal mining and beneficiation industry, with key products including precious metals like gold and non-ferrous metals like copper cathode. Its core main business is the mining, beneficiation, and sale of gold, while also engaging in multi-metal mining/beneficiation and comprehensive resource recovery. The company operates 6 gold mines and 1 multi-metal mine globally, with a business footprint covering China, Southeast Asia, and West Africa. Domestically, subsidiaries Jilong Mining, Wulong Mining, Huatai Mining, and Jintai Mining focus on gold mining and beneficiation, while Hanfeng Mining concentrates on zinc, lead, copper, and molybdenum multi-metal mining and beneficiation. Its holding subsidiary, Laos-based Lane Xang Minerals, focuses on gold mining/beneficiation and copper mining/smelting. Holding subsidiary Wassa in Ghana focuses on gold mining and beneficiation. Additionally, holding subsidiary Guangyuan Technology is engaged in comprehensive resource recovery, specializing in the dismantling of waste electrical and electronic products for environmental protection. A research report from Huaxin Securities on August 10 noted: On the data front, the US July ISM Manufacturing PMI was 55.6, versus a prior reading of 53.3 and expectations for 54. The US July ISM Services PMI was 54.1, versus a prior reading of 54 and expectations for 54.5. US initial jobless claims for the week ending August 1 were 199,000, versus a prior reading of 197,000 and expectations for 205,000. The US July unemployment rate was 4.1%, versus a prior reading of 4.2% and expectations for 4.2%. US nonfarm payrolls for July changed by -23,000, versus a prior reading of 57,000 and expectations for 80,000. A breakdown of the employment data shows that the private sector added a net 30,000 jobs, including a net gain of 25,000 in the goods-producing sector and a net gain of 5,000 in the service-providing sector, while the government sector had a net loss of 53,000 jobs. Overall, employment was mainly supported by the private sector, with the government sector declining. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, the probability of a 25bp rate hike by the US Fed in September 2026 fell to 43%, down from 67% a week ago (July 31). In summary, weakening expectations for US Fed interest rate hikes, combined with the PBOC’s continued gold purchases, which accelerated again in July, are expected to drive a continued rebound in gold prices. A Pacific Securities commentary on Chifeng Gold’s performance from May 7 indicated that multiple technological transformation projects, combined with scheduled maintenance, led to a YoY decline in gold production. In Q1 2026, the company's gold production was 2.98 mt, down 10.7% YoY and 21.7% QoQ, achieving 20% of the full-year target. The production decline was mainly due to these transformations and routine maintenance. Specifically, Jilong Mining's hoist upgrade from a single-rope to a multi-rope system and Wulong Mining's retrofitting of several blind shafts temporarily constrained ore extraction capacity. The Laos Sepon gold-copper mine's beneficiation plant underwent a large-scale annual maintenance shutdown, which, combined with a planned shutdown for one of its high-temperature autoclaves, led to a YoY decline in ore processing volume. A higher tax rate, coupled with the production decline, led to an increase in unit sales costs. Expense ratios were relatively stable, and the asset-liability ratio continued to decline. In Q1 2026, the company’s ROE was 6.9%, up 2.5 pct YoY; period expense ratio was 5.9%, down 0.6 pct YoY and up 0.1 pct QoQ. As of Q1 2026, the company’s asset-liability ratio was 29.4%, down 9.3 pct YoY and 4.5 pct QoQ. Risk warnings: price wild swings, cost side exceeding expectations, project progress falling short of expectations

The 15th Five-Year Plan officially kicks off in 2026, ushering in a critical period of transformation and upgrading for the conductor, cable, and electrical materials industry. Driven by the dual carbon strategy, new-type power system construction, energy transition, and AI technology empowerment, fields such as ultra-high voltage, new energy, computing centers, and NEVs are developing rapidly, effectively boosting demand for high-end copper and aluminum conductors and cable materials. Opportunities and challenges coexist: tight supply of copper and aluminum raw materials, significant price fluctuations, coupled with geopolitical trade and cost volatility, continue to climb operational and supply chain pressures on enterprises and intensify industry competition. Meanwhile, aluminum as an substitute for copper and new copper-aluminum composite materials are being adopted at an accelerated pace, while intelligent manufacturing and green, low-carbon technologies continue to drive industry quality improvement and upgrading. Against this backdrop, SMM will hold the November 5-6, 2026 in Yixing, Jiangsu , which will gather resources from the entire industry chain and establish a professional, efficient cooperation and exchange platform. SMM , in partnership with Shanghai Ruitong Copper International Trade Co., Ltd. , invites industry friends to attend the conference together, helping enterprises break through and boosting the industry's high-quality transformation. Click the to register immediately. We look forward to meeting you at the conference. Shanghai Ruitong Copper International Trade Co., Ltd. Shanghai Ruitong Copper International Trade Co., Ltd. is located in the Shanghai Nonferrous Metals Trading Center, specializing in bulk commodity trading and supply chain services primarily focused on nonferrous metals. It is one of the earliest companies in China to practice the integration of spot and futures trading. Growing from a startup to an industry benchmark with annual sales exceeding 100 billion yuan and serving over 2,000 manufacturing enterprises, it has carved out a distinctive path of high-quality development and is recognized by the Shanghai Municipal Government as a top-tier player. Corporate Competitiveness Research-Driven, Continuous Innovation The company's market share in copper cathode and aluminum trade volumes has consistently held a leading position in the industry. In 2025, annual sales of copper cathode reached 2.3 million mt, and together with other products (copper rod, aluminum rod, aluminum ingot, zinc ingot, nickel, silver, tin, lead, lithium carbonate, etc.) totaled 4 million mt. Deeply rooted in the industry for three decades, it is recognized annually by SMM and other professional organizations as a "Price Submitter" and "Quality Supplier," among other honors. Professional Team, Flexible Models Since its founding, the core team of Shanghai Ruitong Copper International Trade Co., Ltd. had already weathered multiple market cycles in the commodity sector. Faced with the industry changes brought by the Internet, the enterprise made two important decisions: first, adhering to the main business of non-ferrous metals and extending deeply into supply chain services; second, responding to the "Belt and Road" initiative and steadily expanding into the African market. Currently, the enterprise established nearly 30 projects in Africa, with over 3,000 Chinese and foreign employees, building momentum for expanding the international market. Robust Channels, Service First In line with the national planning guidance on accelerating the development of new-type international trade, the company has set up subsidiaries in the Shanghai Lin-gang Special Area, Singapore, and Hong Kong, actively laying out cross-border finance and trade businesses. Following the Belt and Road strategy, the company invests in Africa, and now its industries are spread across various sectors in Africa, including manufacturing, agriculture, warehousing and logistics, minerals, and recycled metals. Enterprise Vision The vigorous development of the bulk commodity industry is Ruitong's aspiration and mission. Ruitong is willing to join hands with peers to jointly build a more transparent, more standardized, and more efficient non-ferrous metal trading circle, promote the effective allocation of commodity resources in the real economy environment, and strive to enhance the competitiveness and industry discourse power of China's non-ferrous metal industry. Contact Information Business Director Xiong Li 138 1660 9892 Business Manager Xiong Xicheng 130 4415 6111 SMM Conference Contact Li Haiyang 135 2411 0203 lihaiyang@smm.cn Scan the QR code to attend immediately