Overnight Headlines 11th August 2026

 

Morning Pack — Tuesday 11 August 2026

Market snapshot around 06:20 BST / 05:20 GMT. Calendar times shown in GMT.

Japan holiday: Japanese cash markets are closed today for Mountain Day. Nikkei figures below are Monday's close.

Top Headlines

• Oil prices rise, Asia stocks drift amid U.S.–Iran stalemate — Reuters

• Oil steadies near one-week highs as U.S.–Iran peace-deal hopes dim— Reuters

• Nvidia partners with Wall Street giants to raise more than $500bn for AI buildout — Reuters

• Wall Street ends lower as expectations of a Hormuz deal fade — Reuters

• Trump extends Jones Act waiver for 90 days and narrows scope — Reuters

• Singapore raises 2026 growth forecast after robust Q2 growth and AI boom — Reuters

• Intel launches $15bn share sale as turnaround rally lifts stock — Reuters

• RBA keeps cash rate at 4.35% as inflation risks remain tilted higher — Reuters

Asia-Pacific

Market	Last	Net	%
Nikkei 225*	66,970.22	+1,363.51	+2.08%
Shanghai Composite	3,964.79	-1.803	-0.05%
Shenzhen Composite	14,410.339	+93.378	+0.65%
Hang Seng	25,773.56	-163.93	-0.63%
ASX 200	9,273.70	+41.10	+0.45%
KOSPI	6,400.17	+100.51	+1.60%
Straits Times	5,745.15	+46.72	+0.82%
NZX 50	13,860.66	-27.58	-0.20%

* Monday close; Japan closed today.

U.S. Futures

Contract	Last	Day change	Implied open
Dow futures	54,068.00	+5.00 (+0.01%)	-47.98 (-0.09%)
S&P futures	7,787.75	+11.00 (+0.14%)	+3.64 (+0.05%)
Nasdaq futures	29,847.25	+110.25 (+0.37%)	+90.45 (+0.30%)
Russell 2000 futures	3,031.50	+6.50 (+0.21%)	+1.10 (+0.04%)

U.S. Cash Close

Index	Close	Net	%
Dow Jones	53,975.98	-60.95	-0.11%
S&P 500	7,753.11	-4.53	-0.06%
Nasdaq Composite	26,605.357	-85.258	-0.32%
Russell 2000	3,017.397	-17.097	-0.56%
VIX	15.46	+0.56	+3.76%

U.S. Treasuries

Tenor	Yield	Change
2Y	4.243%	+0.4 bp
5Y	4.410%	+0.5 bp
10Y	4.705%	+0.7 bp
30Y	5.250%	+0.7 bp

FX

Pair	Last	Net	%
USD/JPY	159.17	-0.13	-0.0816%
EUR/USD	1.1540	-0.0002	-0.0173%
GBP/USD	1.3507	+0.0004	+0.03%
AUD/USD	0.7043	-0.0009	-0.1276%

Commodities

Asset	Last	Net	%
WTI crude (Sep)	$82.30	+$0.17	+0.21%
Brent crude (Oct)	$87.81	+$0.09	+0.10%
Gold	$4,397.789	+$7.14	+0.16%
Natural gas (Sep)	$2.776	-$0.018	-0.64%

Economic Calendar — GMT

Time	Event	Forecast	Previous
12:15	US ADP Employment Change — Weekly	—	15.00K
14:00	US Existing Home Sales (Jul)	4.05M	4.09M
14:00	US Existing Home Sales MoM (Jul)	—	-2.4%
16:00	EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook	—	—
17:00	US 3-Year Note Auction	—	4.179%
20:30	API Weekly Crude Oil Stock	—	2.690M

Morning Commentary

Risk tone is mixed rather than outright defensive. U.S. cash equities finished modestly lower on Monday, but futures are firmer this morning, led by the Nasdaq. Asia is split: Korea, Australia and Singapore are higher, while Hong Kong is weaker; Japan is closed for Mountain Day.

Middle East headlines remain the main macro driver. Hopes for a U.S.–Iran/Hormuz agreement have faded as both sides add demands. Oil is holding near one-week highs, with Brent around $88 and WTI above $82, keeping the inflation premium alive in rates and supporting the dollar.

Treasury yields are edging higher. The 10-year is at 4.705% and the 30-year at 5.250%, both up about 0.7bp. That fits the market's renewed inflation focus ahead of this week's U.S. CPI and follows hawkish Fed commentary suggesting further hikes may still be required if inflation remains persistent.

Gold remains elevated. It traded above $4,400 overnight before easing back to roughly $4,398 in the supplied snapshot. The combination of geopolitical risk and inflation uncertainty is keeping demand supported even as yields rise.

AI remains the key corporate theme. Nvidia's plan with major Wall Street firms to mobilise more than $500bn for AI infrastructure is a major focus, while Intel's equity raise highlights the scale of funding being directed toward chip manufacturing and data-centre capacity.