Real-time News

On August 17th, it was learned from the Zhuhai Border Inspection Station that, with the approval of the National Immigration Administration of the People's Republic of China, the Zhuhai Border Inspection Station, in consultation with the Macao Public Security Police Force, will officially implement three convenient measures to optimize the "cooperative inspection, one-time clearance" inspection model at the three cooperative inspection ports of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Hengqin, and Qingmao, starting from 00:00 on August 18, 2026. These measures cover the optimization of the document submission process for Hong Kong and Macao residents, the expansion of the scope of personnel using the cooperative fast track and the "joint one-stop" lane, etc., aiming to further improve the passenger clearance experience and facilitate the convenient movement of people within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

August 17th - The Third APEC Senior Officials' Meeting and related meetings will be held in Dalian, Liaoning Province, from today (August 17th) to August 28th. This meeting is the largest in terms of attendance and number of sessions among all the senior officials' meetings to date, and will promote greater cooperation across various fields and mechanisms within the APEC framework, preparing for the Leaders' Meeting in November. More than 2,300 representatives from APEC member economies and the Secretariat are expected to attend.

Japanese Economy and Fiscal Policy Minister Minoru Shirou: The economy may be supported by employment, improved wage conditions, and government policy measures.

Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Minoru Shirou: It is necessary to closely monitor the impact of the situation in the Middle East.

Japanese Economy and Fiscal Policy Minister Minoru Shirou: The Japanese economy continues its moderate recovery.

Futures Commentary by Everbright Futures: With multiple US inflation data points showing signs of cooling and consumption weakening, the market lowered its expectations for a September rate hike, causing gold prices to retreat after an initial surge last week. Short-term resistance for gold is evident, but stagflation, geopolitical risks, and central bank gold purchases provide support, limiting the potential for a significant pullback. Following the unexpectedly weak US non-farm payrolls data in July, both CPI and PPI figures confirmed a marginal easing of inflationary pressures. The market's extreme pricing of a September rate hike has significantly decreased from previous highs, driving a substantial rebound in gold prices. However, as the data was released, the probability of a rate hike decreased, and the market became uncertain again, leading to profit-taking and a slight decline in gold prices. Furthermore, according to Bloomberg, the Japanese government supports a near-term rate hike by the Bank of Japan, with the next rate hike likely occurring in September or October, causing a brief liquidity panic in the market. In the short term, gold prices face significant resistance in the upper range and require time to digest the situation and further catalysts from news events. However, it is foreseeable that with the deepening of stagflation in the United States, persistent geopolitical risks, and continuous increases in holdings by the domestic central bank, all of these factors will provide structural support for gold, and the probability of a significant correction remains low.

August 17th - It was learned today (August 17th) from China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. that the national railway completed 440.6 billion yuan in fixed asset investment from January to July this year, a year-on-year increase of 1.8%. Since the beginning of this year, China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. has focused on serving and supporting major national strategies and regional economic and social development, solidly promoted the "Strengthening the Network and Strengthening the Supply Chain" action, and scientifically and orderly promoted railway planning and construction. In the first half of the year, 355.2 kilometers of new lines were put into operation.

On August 17, the foreign ministers of eight countries—Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia—issued a joint statement on August 16, strongly condemning Israel's recent rejection of the Gaza peace plan. The statement said the plan, accepted by all Palestinian factions, is a significant achievement resulting from extensive efforts by mediators. Israel's public refusal to implement the Gaza peace plan is a direct denial of it and fundamentally undermines collective efforts towards a just and lasting peace. The statement also pointed out that Israel bears direct and full responsibility for all the consequences, including the deterioration of the situation and the obstruction of the Gaza peace process. The eight foreign ministers stated in the statement that the United States should continue to actively participate in the implementation of the Gaza peace plan to ensure Israel's full compliance with the plan and fulfillment of its commitments, and to prevent further obstruction of its implementation.

On August 17th, sources close to the deal revealed that Zhou Bingshu, CEO of Lingxi Interactive Entertainment, confirmed in an internal letter that Alibaba Group and CITIC Capital's Xinchen Capital have officially reached a transaction agreement. According to the agreement, Alibaba will transfer its shares in Lingxi Interactive Entertainment, and Xinchen Capital will become the new shareholder. Previously, reports indicated that CITIC Capital's Xinchen Capital would acquire Alibaba's Lingxi Interactive Entertainment for over US$1.5 billion (over RMB 10.1 billion).

Piper Jaffray: Raises its price target for PayPal (PYPL.O) from $42 to $59.

The Hang Seng Tech Index rose 2%, with tech and chip stocks leading the gains. SenseTime (00020.HK) jumped over 8%, and Hua Hong Grace (01347.HK) rose 6.76%.

Futures News, August 17th: The progress of diplomatic contacts between the US and Iran has slowed, and the geopolitical dynamics are exhibiting multiple characteristics. Changes in expectations regarding the Strait of Hormuz's reopening: Initial estimates of US-Iran negotiations and the resumption of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz pushed down crude oil prices. However, with Iran demanding the lifting of sanctions and compensation, and the US also making corresponding claims, the pace of negotiations slowed, and previous expectations for a rapid resumption of navigation were revised. Traders are now incorporating the uncertainty of the shipping route into asset pricing. Supply recovery progress assessment: The ongoing geopolitical situation in the Middle East continues to affect the recovery of regional oil production and logistics. Assessment data indicates that although OPEC's total production in July is estimated at approximately 19.4 million barrels per day, this is still below the pre-war level of 27 million barrels per day. According to EIA estimates, approximately 5.5 million barrels per day of production capacity in the Middle East remained shut down in July. If shipping through the Strait of Hormuz continues to be disrupted in August, the scale of production shutdowns is estimated to expand to 6.6 million barrels per day. From the perspective of market capital and position changes, with the increasing uncertainty of diplomatic negotiations, short positions previously established based on the expectation of a rapid resumption of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz have been adjusted, and geopolitical risk factors are once again reflected in market pricing. Against the backdrop of low traffic volume in the Strait of Hormuz, short-term prices have broken away from the previous downward trend, and the market's sensitivity to geopolitical news has significantly increased. Overall, the fluctuating progress of US-Iran negotiations and expectations of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz have prompted the market to reassess the risk premium on the supply side of crude oil. The core focus of the market going forward will remain on: the actual navigation status of the Strait of Hormuz, the subsequent progress of US-Iran diplomatic negotiations, and the evolution of the regional geopolitical situation. The subsequent development of these fundamental and logistical variables will continue to serve as the main basis for the market's assessment of the supply structure.

On August 17th, the General Office of the Hunan Provincial People's Government issued the "Implementation Opinions on Accelerating the Development of the Intelligent Robot Industry." The opinions propose cultivating a number of leading enterprises across the entire intelligent robot industry chain, establishing a regular support mechanism involving provincial and municipal governments, supporting enterprises in integrating resources across industries, and promoting their transformation into technology-exporting and ecosystem-operating enterprises. The opinions also call for improving the listing service mechanism for various intelligent robot companies and supporting them in accelerating their access to the capital market. Furthermore, the opinions encourage leading enterprises to take the lead in establishing innovative application consortia to undertake major national and provincial scientific and technological research projects.

On August 17th, the General Office of the Hunan Provincial People's Government issued the "Implementation Opinions on Accelerating the Development of the Intelligent Robot Industry." The opinions propose focusing on industrial robots, service and consumer robots, and special-purpose robots, to build an intelligent robot industry chain integrating key materials, core components, complete machine R&D, pilot testing and verification, intelligent manufacturing, scenario applications, and data feedback, promoting collaborative research and development and industrialization across all links. By 2028, the province aims to achieve a revenue exceeding 100 billion yuan for the intelligent robot industry chain; significantly improve the development level of key basic materials, advanced manufacturing processes, and core components; cultivate approximately 5 leading enterprises in the chain; and create a number of specialized and innovative supporting enterprises. By 2030, the province aims to achieve a revenue exceeding 200 billion yuan for the intelligent robot industry chain; mature the independent supporting system for core components and key materials such as precision transmission, high-precision sensing, motion control, and lightweight alloys; cultivate approximately 10 leading enterprises in the chain; and achieve a comprehensive industrial strength ranking among the top tier nationwide.

According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea says the $200 billion investment plan reached with the United States in tariff negotiations still has unresolved issues.

August 17th - The State Council Information Office will hold a press conference at 3:00 PM on August 18th, 2026. Assistant Minister of Commerce Yuan Xiaoming and relevant officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the State Administration for Market Regulation will introduce the relevant situation regarding stimulating the vitality of lower-tier markets and boosting county-level consumption, and answer questions from reporters.

On August 17, according to Iran's Tasnim News Agency on August 16, the Iranian parliament passed an anti-infiltration bill that day to combat infiltration by enemy intelligence agencies and foreign governments or institutions. Hassan Kashkawi, spokesman for the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, explained that while Iran already has laws against espionage, there is a legal gap regarding anti-infiltration, and this bill aims to fill that gap.

The China Earthquake Networks Center officially determined that a magnitude 3.0 earthquake occurred at 10:02 on August 17 in Longchang City, Neijiang City, Sichuan Province (29.22 degrees north latitude, 105.21 degrees east longitude), with a focal depth of 5 kilometers.

August 17th - According to Shanghai Customs statistics, in the first seven months of this year, Shanghai's ship exports reached 40.09 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 64.1%, with high-end vessels such as liquid cargo ships and large container ships accounting for 83.9%. Shanghai is an important industrial base for high-end shipbuilding and marine engineering equipment in my country, possessing a relatively complete system for R&D, design, assembly, construction, core components, and supply chain services. Surveys show that major shipbuilding companies in Shanghai currently have full production capacity and ample order backlogs, with some companies' production schedules extending to 2030.

According to Shanghai Customs statistics, in the first seven months of this year, Shanghai's ship exports reached 40.09 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 64.1%, with high-end vessels such as liquid cargo ships and large container ships accounting for 83.9%. Shanghai is an important industrial base for high-end shipbuilding and marine engineering equipment in my country, possessing a relatively complete system for R&D, design, assembly, construction, core components, and supply chain services. Surveys show that major shipbuilding companies in Shanghai currently have full production capacity and ample order backlogs, with some companies' production schedules extending to 2030.