PRE-MARKET AUSTRALIAN, JAPANESE AND SOUTH KOREAN STOCKS NEWS: SK Hynix (000660 KS) chairman said a tie-up with Kioxia (285A JT) is an option

AUSTRALIA Bellevue Gold (BGL AT) - Co. has reportedly shifted from takeover target to potential acquirer, with market sources saying it has Catalyst Metals in its sights. (The Australian) Ramelius Resources (RMS AT) - Co. is reportedly circling Northern Star Resources’ AUD 800mln gold mine as the latter reassesses its portfolio amid activist investor pressure. (The Australian) ResMed (RMD AT) - Co. entered into a USD 450mln accelerated share repurchase agreement. (Dow Jones Newswires) Telstra (TLS AT) - Co. engineers were reportedly placed on a mandatory standdown during the outage. (The Australian) JAPAN Honda Motor (7267 JT) - Co.’s American Honda reported August vehicle sales of 133,996 units, with YTD sales up 3.5% Y/Y. (Newswires) JFE Holdings (5411 JT) - Co.’s JFE Engineering plans to field-test a carbon capture system using Nobel Prize-winning materials that is expected to halve the operating cost of removing CO2 from waste-incinerator exhaust. (Nikkei) Kioxia (285A JT) - SK Hynix (000660 KS) chairman said a tie-up with the Co. is an option. (Newswires) Kobe Steel (5406 JT) - Co. completed the acquisition of the remaining 56.52% stake in Kobelco Wire from Nippon Life Insurance, Mizuho Trust & Banking, Shinsho, Mizuho Bank, Mitsui & Co. Steel and other shareholders. (Newswires) SoftBank Group (9984 JT) - Co.-backed SB Energy filed for a US IPO after reporting a 66.4% Y/Y increase in H1 2026 revenue amid surging demand for AI data-centre infrastructure. (Nikkei) Sumitomo Corp. (8053 JT) - Co. is leading an initiative to deploy AI and drones at Japanese airports to improve maintenance efficiency, while CEO Shingo Ueno said the trading house is shifting from defence to offence by actively reallocating assets to boost capital efficiency. (Nikkei) Toyota Motor (7203 JT) - Co.’s premium Lexus brand is stepping up electrification with a new NX SUV that will be marketed worldwide from late 2026. (Newswires) Other News Japanese PM Takaichi said Japan will pursue both a strong economy and fiscal sustainability. (Kyodo) BoJ Governor Ueda met US Treasury Secretary Bessent on the sidelines of the G20 finance leaders’ meeting on Sunday and discussed future monetary policy. (Nikkei) US Treasury Secretary Bessent said he emphasised the importance of sound formulation and communication of monetary policy to anchor inflation expectations in a meeting with BoJ Governor Ueda, expressed strong support for Japan’s decisive market and monetary steps to address the substantial undervaluation of the yen, and noted the role of yen weakness in contributing to domestic inflationary pressures in Japan. (Newswires) US Treasury Secretary Bessent said Japan should stop the reflation now and that Abenomics is done, adding that Abenomics has worked and it is time for Takaichi-nomics; said Japan is now one of the most vibrant economies in the world, has succeeded in reflating and now needs to shift. (Newswires) SOUTH KOREA Hyundai Motor (005380 KS) - Co. reported August sales fell 14.2% Y/Y, while Hyundai Motor America August total sales fell 2% Y/Y to 86,977 vehicles. (Newswires) Kia Corp. (000270 KS) - Co. said August global sales rose 5% Y/Y, driven by strong demand for its SUV lineup. (Yonhap) Samsung Electro-Mechanics (009150 KS) - Co. won a KRW 1.72tln AI server capacitor supply deal in the US. (Yonhap) SK Hynix (000660 KS) - Co. chairman said a tie-up with Kioxia (285A JT) is an option. (Newswires)