PRE-MARKET AUSTRALIAN, JAPANESE & SOUTH KOREAN STOCK NEWS: Samsung Electronics (005930 KS) head of memory business met with NVIDIA (NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang and discussed long-term cooperation in next-generation HBM products

AUSTRALIA

BHP Group (BHP AT) - Co.’s Spence and Sierra Gorda signed an MoU in Chile to explore cost reduction and efficiency savings at neighbouring copper operations in northern Chile. (Newswires)

James Hardie Industries (JHX AT) - Co. was served with a class action proceeding in the Supreme Court of Victoria brought by people who bought shares between May 21, 2025 and Aug. 19, 2025, alleging breaches of laws in statements made about forecasted financial performance, while the Co. denies liability and will vigorously defend the proceedings. (Dow Jones Newswires)

Qube Holdings (QUB AT) - Co. said outstanding approvals for scheme implementation are progressing and its board intends to declare a fully franked special dividend of AUD 0.35/shr. (Newswires)

Woodside Energy (WDS AT) - Superannuation giant HESTA has emphasised the importance of the Co. appointing more Australian directors to its board while pushing for a more climate-focused strategy. (AFR)

Broker Ratings/Price Target

• 29Metals (29M AT) Price target raised 15% to AUD 0.30/shr by Jefferies. 
• Aurelia Metals (AMI AT) Price target raised 5% to AUD 0.40/shr by Jefferies. 
• Nickel Industries (NIC AT) Downgraded to Hold from Buy, price target cut 17% to AUD 1.00/shr by Jefferies. 
• South32 (S32 AT) Price target raised 10% to AUD 5.80/shr by Jefferies.

JAPAN

Nintendo (7974 JT) - Co. has been fined EUR 35mln in France in relation to Switch controllers. (Nikkei)

Nippon Steel (5401 JT) - Co. will spend USD 2.0-2.5bln to upgrade US Steel’s (X) Mon Valley Works in Pennsylvania, more than double the amount initially pledged, with the investment to support over 6,000 jobs. (Nikkei)

NTT (9432 JT) - Co. will establish a multinational investment fund worth around USD 500mln with US and South Korean investors to advance its next-generation optical communications technology. (Nikkei)

Panasonic Holdings (6752 JT) - Co. plans to nearly quadruple AI infrastructure-related sales to JPY 2tln by FY2030 as it introduces new products and boosts production for data centre batteries. (Nikkei)

Sony Group (6758 JT) - Co. will release a new flagship Xperia smartphone with AI camera capabilities as it seeks to recover from power malfunctions that affected its predecessor. (Nikkei)

Subaru (7270 JT) - Co. confirmed Toyota Motor (7203 JT) as an affiliated company with 21.5% voting rights. (Newswires)

SOUTH KOREA

Hyundai Motor (005380 KS) - Co. discussed future mobility technologies and AI cooperation with NVIDIA (NVDA). (Yonhap)

Samsung Electronics (005930 KS) - Co.’s head of memory business met with NVIDIA (NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang and discussed long-term cooperation in next-generation HBM products. (Yonhap)

Samsung Heavy Industries (010140 KS) - Co. signed a final contract worth KRW 3.65tln to build a floating liquefied natural gas facility. (Yonhap)

SK Hynix (000660 KS) - Co. ordered new HBM production equipment from Hanmi Semiconductor (042700 KS) in a deal worth KRW 44.2bln. (Yonhap)