China brings a new piece to the chip puzzle

Oil prices have pulled back after an unexpectedly calm weekend in the Middle East, giving global markets a breather. But is the relief temporary? This week, investors face a packed calendar with Federal Reserve, Bank of England and Bank of Japan policy decisions, while four of the world's biggest technology companies—Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and Apple—report earnings. Meanwhile, a blockbuster IPO in Shanghai has put China's memory-chip champion CXMT firmly on investors' radar. The company has quietly become the world's fourth-largest DRAM maker, underscoring China's rapidly expanding AI ecosystem and raising questions about future competition for Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron. In today's Market Talk, we discuss the outlook for central banks, the implications of easing oil prices, the growing importance of China's semiconductor industry, and why Big Tech's AI spending—not earnings—could be the biggest market-moving story of the week. Listen to find out more! Ipek Ozkardeskaya has begun her financial career in 2010 in the structured products desk of the Swiss Banque Cantonale Vaudoise. She worked at HSBC Private Bank in Geneva in relation to high and ultra-high net worth clients. In 2012, she started as FX Strategist at Swissquote Bank. She worked as a Senior Market Analyst in London Capital Group in London and in Shanghai. She returned to Swissquote Bank as Senior Analyst in 2020, and launched her own website ipekScope.com in 2025.