According to BlockBeats, on August 4th, the US recently stated that the Bank of Japan may have used approximately $87 billion, equivalent to 11 trillion yen, in its latest round of foreign exchange intervention to support the yen's exchange rate. The report states that, based on the latest money market data from the Bank of Japan, it is estimated that the central bank used $53 billion and $34 billion respectively in its foreign exchange interventions on July 30th and 31st, totaling $87 billion, equivalent to 11 trillion yen, to buy yen and support its exchange rate. (CCTV)

According to a report by DigiTimes on August 4th, BlockBeats reports that DRAM and HBM production capacity for the entire year of 2027 has already been sold out ahead of schedule. While NAND flash memory supply is not as tight as DRAM, its 2027 capacity bookings are also expected to be completed by the end of this month.

Industry sources say some companies have not publicly acknowledged needing to secure storage supply this month, fearing that more vendors joining the capacity competition will further reduce their available quotas. Currently, storage manufacturers typically only deliver 60% to 70% of customers' initial requests, prioritizing the needs of cloud service providers and large AI companies.

As a result, the amount of DRAM that smartphone and PC manufacturers will be able to obtain in 2027 is expected to decrease significantly compared to 2026. DigiTimes says that with almost all production capacity sold out, companies that have not yet finalized their purchases may face an even more severe "want to buy but can't buy" situation next year.

The report also stated that high storage prices will become the norm. While price increases in 2027 may be lower than the previous sharp rises as competition for production capacity eases, the overall supply gap and cost pressures borne by the end-product industry will remain difficult to alleviate in the short term.

According to BlockBeats, on August 4, US President Trump criticized ExxonMobil and Chevron for making huge profits during the Iran war that drove up energy prices, saying that the two companies "made too much" and should return some of their profits to the public and lower gasoline retail prices.

ExxonMobil and Chevron reported combined profits of $29 billion in the second quarter, averaging about $318 million per day, more than three times that of the same period last year. The Strait of Hormuz crisis pushed up oil prices, while refining margins for gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel increased. The average retail price of gasoline in the United States is currently around $4.10 per gallon, more than 30% higher than before the U.S. and Israel attacks on Iran earlier this year.

Trump stated that he supports free enterprise but cannot accept the current profit levels in the oil industry. He said that if a company earns 12 times more than the previous year, it should return some of those profits to the public, and demanded that oil companies proactively reduce consumer costs until the Iran war ends and energy prices fall. On Monday, Chevron shares fell about 2%, and ExxonMobil shares fell 0.6%.

Analysts say that the U.S. strategic petroleum reserves have fallen to their lowest level since the early 1980s, and commercial crude oil inventories are also declining. Both the government and oil companies lack the tools to quickly lower oil prices, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz is key to restoring global supply and driving down oil prices.