Real-time News

On August 26, the State Council Information Office held a press conference on the theme of "Starting the 15th Five-Year Plan," where officials from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology introduced the progress made in implementing the 15th Five-Year Plan and accelerating the promotion of new industrialization. The press conference stated that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, my country's new industrialization continued to deepen and solidify, with a significant acceleration in the upgrading of industries towards "new, superior, intelligent, and green" development, successfully completing all the goals and tasks of the 14th Five-Year Plan.

JERA, Japan's largest power company, will invest in Emerald AI in the United States to advance energy solutions for artificial intelligence data centers.

SK Innovations: A shareholders' meeting is scheduled for next month to explain the SKIET merger plan.

The yield on Japan's 20-year government bonds fell 2.0 basis points to 4.040%.

Microsoft 365: Maintenance activities unexpectedly impacted Microsoft Teams services, causing a decrease in functionality for users in the Asia Pacific region. Maintenance activities have been suspended, and services have been restored to standard availability levels.

August 26th - The Bank of Korea (BOK) will announce its policy decision on Thursday, with analysts almost evenly divided on whether it will raise interest rates or keep them unchanged. Of the 31 analysts surveyed by The Wall Street Journal, 16 expect the BOK to implement its first consecutive rate hike in three years in July, while 15 expect it to hold rates steady until the fourth quarter. The market generally expects the BOK to raise its economic growth forecast for this year, given that inflation remains above its 2% target. Morgan Stanley economist Kathleen Oh stated that a "favorable macroeconomic backdrop" is sufficient to support a BOK rate hike in August; HSBC economist Jin Choi believes that given the apparent weakening of consumption, the BOK is in no hurry to raise rates. Barclays economist Bum Ki Son stated, "We believe there is a division within the Monetary Policy Committee between keeping rates unchanged and a precautionary rate hike."

On August 26, NASA announced that two astronauts on the International Space Station successfully installed and connected a backup high-speed ground-to-air communication antenna during a spacewalk lasting approximately 6 hours and 30 minutes. The two astronauts who exited the spacecraft were NASA astronaut Anil Menon and European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adno. During a spacewalk on August 18, they removed a malfunctioning ground-to-air communication antenna. Due to the lengthy operation, they were unable to install a replacement antenna that day. In this mission, the two successfully installed and connected the backup communication antenna and secured the previously removed malfunctioning antenna to a spare parts platform on the space station's truss structure.

August 26th - Data released on Wednesday showed that Australia's consumer price index (CPI) rose more than expected in July, driven by soaring fuel and travel costs, while core inflation also exceeded expectations, increasing the risk of another interest rate hike. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that the CPI rose 1.0% in July compared to June, higher than the market forecast of 0.8%. The year-on-year CPI increase slowed to 3.5% in July from 3.8%, also higher than the market median forecast of 3.3%. The trimmed mean of the CPI, which assesses core inflation, rose 0.5% month-on-month, far exceeding the market expectation of 0.3%, while the year-on-year increase remained at 3.6%. The Reserve Bank of Australia has raised interest rates three times this year, aiming to bring core inflation back to its target range of 2% to 3%.

On August 26th, Frank Flett, head of macro strategy at Citadel Securities, who warned last month that U.S. Treasury investors were underestimating the risks of a July rate hike by the Federal Reserve, now believes the risk balance has shifted to a bond rally, citing crowded short positions and improving inflation data. Long-term U.S. Treasuries have been under pressure in recent weeks, and Flett stated that Citadel's simulations of trend-following strategies such as CTAs show that short positions are "quite excessive" relative to recent historical levels. This means that further declines in U.S. Treasuries would only trigger limited selling, while a sustained rise could force short covering. This bullish assessment contrasts sharply with his previous stance. In early July, he warned that bond investors were underestimating Warsh's determination to curb inflation. Flett now believes that concerns about the Fed's credibility are exaggerated, as recent economic data, including weak jobs and inflation reports, "seem to justify a more dovish policy response."

SK Innovation: Weak demand for electric vehicles has impacted its battery separator business.

August 26 - The State Council Information Office will hold a press conference at 10:00 AM on Friday, August 28, 2026. Vice Minister of Commerce Yan Dong and Vice Mayor of Beijing Tang Wenhong will introduce the development of China's service trade and the progress of preparations for the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), and answer questions from reporters.

On August 26th, the highest 7-day annualized yield of Tencent Wealth Management's "Current Account +" was 1.1950%, and the lowest was 0.7060%. The highest 7-day annualized yield of WeChat Pay's "Lingqian Tong" was 1.0110%, and the lowest was 0.8710%. The highest 7-day annualized yield of Alipay's "Yu'ebao" was 1.0340%, and the lowest was 0.9000%.

August 26th - According to foreign media reports, sources familiar with the matter revealed that Meta Platforms (META.O) has discussed the possibility of reaching a settlement during the trial of a major case involving allegations that Meta intentionally designed Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive for teenagers. The case exposes Meta to potential legal risks amounting to billions of dollars, as top law enforcement officials in 29 states are attempting to seek massive financial penalties on behalf of the public and to mandate changes to the platforms' operations. Meta denies the allegations and accuses the attorneys general of seeking unreasonable product design changes and "outrageous damages." According to Meta's own calculations, if it loses the trial, the company could face fines of up to $1.4 trillion, an amount close to its market capitalization and unprecedented in legal history. A settlement would likely result in a much lower amount.

Japan offered 650 billion yen in Japanese government bonds through an enhanced liquidity auction.

On Wednesday, August 26, the Hang Seng Index opened 124.14 points higher, or 0.49%, at 25,635.24; the Hang Seng Tech Index opened 34.44 points higher, or 0.75%, at 4,622.98; the H-share Index opened 55.18 points higher, or 0.65%, at 8,500.55; and the Red Chip Index opened 3.39 points higher, or 0.08%, at 4,232.46.

Bank of Japan: Bank of Japan policy board member Naoki Tamura will replace Kazuo Ueda at the Jackson Hole meeting and will not be given an interview opportunity to the media.

Futures News, August 26th: Crude oil prices fell for two consecutive days, leading to a bearish sentiment in the fuel oil market. Traders are adopting a wait-and-see approach, with fears of further declines gradually intensifying. While news is unstable, tight supply of some fuel oil products is supporting prices. The market is experiencing a tug-of-war between upstream and downstream players, and today's trading is expected to be partially stable with some areas seeing slight declines to adjust volume.