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Gold prices edged higher on Thursday as a softer U.S. dollar supported bullion before fresh U.S. inflation data. Spot gold rose 0.3% to $4,414.28 an ounce by 0419 GMT. U.S. gold futures for December delivery slipped 0.1% to $4,457.20. The early gain kept spot gold above $4,400 after a sharp reversal during Wednesday’s trading. Gold had initially moved lower before finishing that session more than 1% higher.

The Panama Canal may reduce daily ship traffic to about 29 vessels in February or March 2027 if drought conditions continue, its new administrator said. Ilya Espino de Marotta took office on Sept. 7 and raised the possibility as El Niño pressures reservoir levels. The canal needs freshwater from rainfall-fed lakes to operate its locks. The Panama Canal Authority has already begun staged capacity cuts after below-expected precipitation across the watershed.

German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen AG agreed on Monday to sell its Osnabrück assembly plant to Israeli private equity firm Aurelius Capital and the German state of Lower Saxony. Under the preliminary agreement, the new owners will convert the vehicle manufacturing site into a dedicated security and defense production facility. Israel Aurelius German state to take over VWs Osnabrueck plant defense projects to supply air defense equipment for European security markets.

Egypt’s net international reserves rose to a record $57.2145 billion at the end of August 2026. The Central Bank of Egypt released the provisional figure on September 7. Reserves stood at $56.2939 billion at the end of July. That means the total increased by about $920.6 million during August, or roughly 1.6%. The latest reading extends a series of monthly gains in 2026 and takes Egypt’s official foreign reserves above $57 billion for the first time.

The ministerial summit, running from September 8 to 11, operates under the theme of leveraging artificial intelligence and communications networks for African structural transformation. South Korean Prime Minister Han Seong-sook is scheduled to deliver opening addresses alongside leadership delegations from the African Development Bank Group. Delegations will focus on combining South Korean technological manufacturing expertise with African human capital and critical mineral reserves. Korea Africa chart new course AI digital infrastructure strategies as continental planners seek to bridge an estimated $400 billion annual development financing deficit.

Fuel costs remained a major source of price pressure during the month. Petroleum product prices climbed 14.2% from a year earlier, though the increase slowed from July. Diesel prices jumped 19.6%, while gasoline prices rose 11.5%. Petroleum products added 0.54 percentage point to annual consumer price growth. South Korea relies heavily on imported energy, leaving domestic fuel costs sensitive to changes in global energy markets.

Semiconductor exports, the primary driver of national trade performance, soared 209% year-on-year to an all-time high of $46.65 billion. Growth in chip shipments was fueled by sustained capital expenditure programs among major global technology operators expanding data center networks and enterprise AI hardware deployments. The performance marks the third consecutive month in which semiconductor export volumes exceeded the $40 billion threshold. Additional information distributed by the Yonhap News Agency highlighted that computer product exports expanded 419.5% to $6.24 billion amid elevated global NAND memory pricing.

Manufacturing grew 9.2% during the quarter, while financial, real estate and professional services expanded 12.1%. Agriculture, livestock, forestry and fishing grew 3.6%. Household consumption increased 7.1%, maintaining its role as a major component of domestic demand. Investment also strengthened, with gross fixed capital formation rising close to 12% from a year earlier. Its share of nominal GDP reached 34.3%, compared with 31.4% in the corresponding quarter last year.

Japanese stocks came under sharp pressure Monday as the Nikkei 225 dropped nearly 2% in early trading. The benchmark fell 1.97% to 65,096.63 and later touched an intraday low of 64,832.10. Technology shares led much of the decline as investors reacted to higher bond yields and tighter interest rate expectations. The broader Topix also weakened early, falling 0.84% to 4,111.71. Japanese government bond yields rose at the same time, adding pressure to rate sensitive parts of the equity market.

The agreement brings the Ministry of Investment and Downstreaming together with the Ministry of Youth and Sports on business licensing. It also covers investment promotion and services for companies operating in sports-related fields. The ministries will coordinate through Indonesia’s Online Single Submission system, known as OSS. Their cooperation also includes compliance monitoring, regulatory coordination and data sharing. The framework applies to investment development across Indonesia’s sports sector rather than establishing a US$521 billion domestic industry target.