BlockBeats reported on Aug. 14 that a series of key U.S. premarket developments touched semiconductors, crypto regulation, exchange compliance and AI-related companies.
Storage shares lead premarket gains
According to market data from BIT (bit.com), semiconductor stocks, storage names and optical communications shares all moved higher in U.S. premarket trading, with storage stocks leading the advance. Sandisk (SNDK) rose 7.39%, Western Digital (WDC) gained 4.55%, Micron Technology added 3.68%, Seagate Technology (STX) climbed 2.94%, and SK Hynix was up 2.25%.
Binance to stop handling transactions involving HTX and EXMO
Binance said that, due to recent changes in regulatory requirements, it will no longer process related transactions involving platforms including HTX and EXMO. The exchange said the change is intended to keep complying with relevant rules and to protect user assets.
SEC cancels public meeting on crypto asset investment contracts
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission canceled a public meeting that had been set for Friday. The meeting had been scheduled to review a tailored issuance framework for crypto asset investment contracts.
The SEC said the cancellation was due to "unforeseen scheduling issues" and did not provide more detail. The move came after the Senate entered its August recess without holding a full Senate vote on the Cryptocurrency Market Structure Act, also referred to as the CLARITY Act. BlockBeats said that left the outlook for crypto market structure legislation more uncertain.
Sandisk sees AI data centers reshaping flash demand
Sandisk said AI data center construction is changing the demand mix across the flash industry. The company expects the flash market to reach about 1.2ZB in 2026, with data centers overtaking edge demand to become the largest source of demand.
By 2027, it expects industry revenue total addressable market, or TAM, to jump from a historical cyclical midpoint of about $60 billion to more than $300 billion, approaching $500 billion.
BofA and JPMorgan weigh in on AI and Sandisk
Bank of America chief investment strategist Michael Hartnett said the 2026 midterm elections could become a key dividing line for the AI rally in U.S. equities. If Republicans retain the Senate and Texas Governor Greg Abbott wins reelection, markets may read that as a sign that AI capital spending and data center expansion will continue, with U.S. stocks, especially AI names, potentially gaining more strength and possibly entering a "bubble-style" phase in 2027.
JPMorgan upgraded Sandisk to "Overweight" from "Neutral" and set a $2,250 price target. Based on the figures cited by BlockBeats, that target implies about 47% upside from Thursday's close. Sandisk shares are already up 544% this year.
Citi lifts targets on Nebius and Coreweave
Citigroup raised its target price on AI and cloud services company Nebius to $324 from $278. It also increased its target on Coreweave to $159 from $142.
Musk backs memory bottleneck view
Elon Musk publicly agreed with a view from futurist and XPRIZE founder Peter H. Diamandis, who wrote: "Memory, not compute, is the rate-limiting factor in the agent era." Musk replied: "Very few people realize this."
MSCI proposal could affect Strategy and Metaplanet
MSCI is seeking comments on a new method for identifying non-operating companies. Under the proposal, Strategy and Metaplanet could be removed from the MSCI Global Investable Market Index, while companies including SharpLink would be placed on a public watch list.
Moonshot AI rejects fundraising claims
Moonshot AI, the company behind Kimi, issued a firm statement saying it has reported suspected illegal activity to public security authorities after some parties used the company's name in fake fundraising schemes.
The company said there is no so-called "friends fund" or "special channel," no "old share quota" or "reserved allocation," and no "official agent" or "authorized intermediary."
SpaceX completes $60 billion acquisition of Cursor
BlockBeats also said SpaceX has completed a $60 billion acquisition of AI coding startup Cursor, calling it a key step for Musk as he tries to catch up with Anthropic and OpenAI in AI.