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SK Hynix Explores First US Memory Chip Production With Intel

Intel’s unfinished Ohio manufacturing buildout could wind up getting an unexpected tenant: SK Hynix, according to Reuters.

The Korean memory giant is exploring several ways to establish chip production in the United States, including a possible arrangement involving Intel’s Ohio facilities. One concept would give SK Hynix access to unused factory capacity there. A more ambitious structure could bring Intel, SK Hynix and major cloud companies together in a new partnership aimed at increasing the supply of memory needed for AI infrastructure.

Reuters reports that nothing has been finalized, and exactly what SK Hynix might produce in Ohio remains an open question. The company makes everything from conventional DRAM and NAND storage to high-bandwidth memory, where it has become a critical supplier to the AI industry.

The timing makes sense for both companies. AI data-center construction has created enormous demand for memory, while SK Hynix is being pushed by customers and governments to increase production. Intel, meanwhile, has billions of dollars tied up in an Ohio expansion that has taken much longer than originally planned. The first factories there are now expected around 2030 and 2031.

Building memory chips in America would carry a higher price tag than doing so in Asia, where SK Hynix already benefits from an established semiconductor ecosystem. But economics are no longer the only consideration. Washington has been aggressively trying to move more semiconductor manufacturing onto American soil, including by threatening steep tariffs on overseas producers that fail to expand U.S. capacity.

That creates an awkward balancing act for SK Hynix.

South Korea also wants more semiconductor investment at home and treats some advanced chip technologies as strategically important.

Moving production of sophisticated memory such as HBM or DRAM overseas could therefore face additional scrutiny from Seoul.

SK Hynix says it is examining different options for expanding its manufacturing base but has made no final decision regarding Intel or U.S. memory production. Intel has declined to discuss the reported negotiations while reiterating that work on its Ohio site continues.

For Intel, even an exploratory deal offers an intriguing possibility: turning part of a delayed and enormously expensive manufacturing project into capacity for one of the biggest beneficiaries of the AI boom. Investors liked the idea.

Tyler Durden Wed, 09/16/2026 - 10:25

We hear the couple are currently in the States and will soon move to London, where Felber is from.

We hear the couple are currently in the States and will soon head back to their home in North London.

The Bears certainly could use a pass rusher in their quest to repeat as NFC North champions after their defense did its best matador impression Sunday.

The pop star chatted with Cruise on Sunday while watching her husband, Travis Kelce, play his first NFL game of the season against the Denver Broncos.

The pop star chatted with Cruise on Sunday while watching her husband, Travis Kelce, play his first NFL game of the season against the Denver Broncos.

Nate Soares, co-author of the bestselling AI doomsday book “If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies,” has been publicly described as a partner by Aella, an online writer who has made her sexual exploits and proclivities a recurring subject of her work.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey proposed providing free home visits by nurses to all parents with newborns as well as updated regulations governing mental health screening of new mothers.

A veteran NBC anchor sat broken in a police car after learning his colleagues had just died in a tragic helicopter crash in Los Angeles' Chatsworth neighborhood.

Pivots

By Bas van Geffen, senior macro strategist at Rabobank

The situation in the Middle East remains on an escalatory path, with Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia now a regular event. Attacks have already damaged the east-west pipeline, which allowed Saudi Arabia to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

The damage to the pipeline increases Iran’s leverage. It forces Saudi Arabia to pivot back to oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz. Bloomberg reports that the country is already increasing sales of spot cargoes for ship-to-ship delivery in the Gulf of Oman, which means that the Saudis are taking the responsibility and risk of transporting the crude through Hormuz.

Saudi Arabia has been loading 8.7 million barrels of crude oil today (2026-09-15) at its east coast terminals.#OOTT #IranWar #Tankers pic.twitter.com/Md6iM6ehgi

— TankerTrackers.com, Inc. (@TankerTrackers) September 15, 2026

Further supply risks follow from the Houthis taking key areas around the Bab el-Mandeb strait and rumors they have laid mines in the waterway, which puts new constraints on tanker movements. Following the unfolding escalation in the Middle East, we have updated our energy forecasts.

The energy market had already shifted higher on the news of re-escalation, and prices of crude and refined products are drawing new attention from motorists and lawmakers. Yesterday, US Senate Majority Leader Thune said he is “open to exploring” a diesel export ban if that helps ease domestic price pressures. If this idea gets more traction, it would predominantly be at the cost of Europe and South America. Or could these new supply chain disruptions be the catalyst for more countries to send military assets to the region?

The energy supply shock is also creating an increasingly difficult situation for central banks. Interest rates continue to rise in tandem with energy prices. Our US strategist still believes that the nature of the shock does not warrant a hike, but a credibility problem is pushing the Fed into a corner.

Markets expect much more than a one-and-done hike, but the same goes for expectations embedded in curves where central banks have shown a more proactive response. Yesterday, EUR money markets priced more than four additional rate hikes on top of the two the ECB has already delivered.

Policymakers probably do not mind some financial tightening that follows from rate hike expectations, but markets have probably gotten a bit too far ahead of the central banks – which are increasingly struggling to balance inflation and growth risks, and growing uncertainty.

If rate setters do not give any pushback, the market could wag the central bank into further rate hikes and more restrictive policy than they may deem necessary. Yet, pushing back is difficult. Inflation risks remain to the upside, and central bankers don’t want to sound complacent since this could affect inflation expectations.

In her press conference last week, ECB President Lagarde already refused to reaffirm that markets “understand the ECB’s reaction function well,” which we construed as a hint that the market may be moving faster than the policymakers like. Even though energy-driven inflation is set to increase further, price pressures are still mostly driven by that supply shock and there is no evidence that inflation is spreading.

Yesterday, anonymous sources “leaked” to MNI News that any next move would probably not be in October, but in December. Market-implied odds for the October meeting dropped from a likely hike to a coin toss after the news broke. And interestingly, the story also suppressed pricing for the next 12 months – suggesting that the pushback helped to dampen expectations of a more forceful response across the board. We imagine there may be more leaks in the coming weeks to at least lessen the expectations for the October meeting.

Likewise, the market pared back expectations for the Bank of England somewhat after today’s inflation data. UK inflation was in line with expectations, with higher energy and fuel prices the main cause of the rise to 3.1% y/y. Beyond that, there is very little that may alarm the MPC ahead of their meeting: core CPI and services CPI are both unchanged, and food CPI is also not doing what was expected.

Combined with yesterday’s labor market report, which showed slack continuing to rise, and survey evidence from the DMP that showed relatively muted selling price expectations, this all suggests that second-round risks remain contained. The data clearly support a hold tomorrow at 3.75%, which is already around 50bp above economists’ estimates of the UK’s neutral rate.

Whereas the ECB provided some hints about their next move, the central bank has yet to provide clarity on its leadership. The central bank’s staff have reportedly urged President Lagarde to state whether she does or does not intend to serve her full term, so that uncertainty does not undermine the institution. Rumors of Lagarde’s early departure still rampant, and Ms. Schnabel has also been tipped to leave early to fill a vacancy at the IMF.

In addition to personal motivations, the prospect of Le Pen winning the French presidential elections is fuelling speculation that European leaders want to fast-track key decisions to avoid that the Eurosceptic can delay or derail them.

Indeed, France may have started horse trading for the three soon-to-be-vacant seats in earnest. Reuters reported that President Macron may support Klaas Knot’s candidacy for ECB president if the chief economist job goes to a French candidate. We can certainly name a couple of French economists who would be suitable. However, Germany may also eye the economist role instead of Schnabel’s current focus on market operations.

Internal divisions already complicate decision making on multiple fronts. European diplomats poured some cold water on PM Carney’s hopes to strengthen the ties between Canada and the bloc, to strengthen the countries’ position versus the US and China. Unsurprisingly, the countries that rely most on NATO’s deterrence are wary of the damage this could do to EU-US ties.

Tyler Durden Wed, 09/16/2026 - 10:05

Keenan Allen exhibited around half a dozen signs of being highly intoxicated during his drunk driving arrest last month, according to a new court filing obtained by the California Post.

Foot pain relieved.

A charity worker who allegedly took massive bribes in exchange for pouring millions of taxpayer dollars into the pockets of a corrupt homeless service bigwig was busted by the feds in a sweeping operation that targeted infamous homeless services fraud in that’s crippling Los Angeles. FBI agents in a dramatic raid swarmed the South Los...

Poor sleep is linked to a poor diet, and if your partner isn't getting good rest, it could mess with both of your eating habits.

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NATO fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace overnight, officials said Tuesday, less than a day after NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that strikes close to the alliance’s territory would drive the trans-Atlantic organization to increase its support for Kyiv. The drone was downed near the village of Pratkūnai in the Kaišiadorys...

Diesel Crack Spread Explodes To Record As Russia Weighs Longer Export Ban, US Eyes Its Own

Diesel futures and refining spreads climbed to record highs as worsening supply disruptions in the Gulf and Russia tightened availability of the industrial fuel that powers the global economy.

Potential export restrictions, or at least extending risk, are compounding the squeeze: Moscow is reportedly considering extending its diesel export ban, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Tuesday he was "open to exploring" a US diesel export ban.

Nymex heating oil futures, the US benchmark for diesel, jumped 6.1% Tuesday to their highest settlement in records dating to 1986. European gasoil futures climbed 6.2% to a record in data going back to 1989. 

The squeeze was even more severe in refining spreads. The US heating oil crack, which measures the difference between fuel and crude prices, surged to $117 a barrel on Wednesday morning, the highest level in Bloomberg data going back to 2009.

Moves in diesel and refining spreads show the energy shock isn't necessarily in crude available on global markets but is, in fact, festering deep inside the industrial fuel market as a global refining crisis. 

Russia is considering extending its diesel export ban through October, potentially adding pressure as the Northern Hemisphere approaches winter.

Barclays refining and midstream analyst Theresa Chen commented to clients on Tuesday about Thune's comments on a potential US diesel export ban. She said, "Given renewed discussion surrounding a diesel export ban, we discuss the potential implications across our refining coverage. We continue to view the possibility of an export ban as both detrimental to the US refining complex and unlikely to provide the intended price relief."

At the start of the week, Bloomberg Intelligence senior commodity strategist Mike McGlone warned that the diesel price shock echoes similar moves gasoline made during the 2008 energy shock.

Tyler Durden Wed, 09/16/2026 - 09:45

Anna Wintour sat next to the Metropolitan Museum's fashion curator Andrew Bolton at a New York Fashion Week show yesterday, as the dust has yet to settle after the duo's ill-fated Met Gala celebrating John Galliano that crashed and burned.

Fourteen weeks seems to be the agreed-upon time frame among both Republicans and Democrats for getting the federal film tax credit bill over the finish line, which leaves little room for error. 

Mysterious new Apple boss John Ternus got his Hollywood closeup at the Emmys on Monday night, and the "subdued" CEO brought the ultimate ice breaker: the unreleased, foldable iPhone Duo.