Overnight Headlines 17th August 2026

 

Morning Pack — Monday 17 August 2026

Snapshot approx. 05:40–05:49 BST • Calendar in GMT

Asia-Pacific

Index	Price	Net	%
Nikkei 225	68,927.71	+213.91	+0.31%
Shanghai	3,960.188	+33.011	+0.84%
Shenzhen	14,534.458	+180.152	+1.26%
Hang Seng	25,521.99	+405.14	+1.61%
ASX 200	9,080.00	-35.20	-0.39%
KOSPI*	6,977.94	+164.60	+2.42%
STI	5,722.31	-21.28	-0.37%
NZX 50	13,763.46	-90.92	-0.66%

*KOSPI screen carries 14 Aug reference close.

Asia: China and Hong Kong lead gains. Japan is higher despite Q2 GDP missing expectations: +1.1% annualised versus +2.0% expected and +0.3% q/q versus +0.5% expected. June industrial production was +1.9% m/m and +4.9% y/y; the tertiary industry index slipped 0.2% m/m. JGB yields are climbing as BoJ hike expectations rise.

Headlines

• Trump says US will scale back military drills with South Korea — FT
• Iran's Secret Plan to Escalate the War — WSJ
• Jamie Dimon warns UK chancellor against higher bank taxes — FT
• Private credit under strain as troubled loans swell — FT
• Why Big Tech's AI Spending Is $3 Trillion Higher Than It Seems — WSJ
• Andy Burnham faces climate test over North Sea oil decision — FT

United States — Friday Close

Index	Close	Net	%
Dow	53,732.41	-107.58	-0.20%
Nasdaq	26,729.164	-73.861	-0.28%
S&P 500	7,785.76	-13.23	-0.17%
Russell 2000	3,068.415	+15.568	+0.51%
VIX	14.25	-0.38	-2.60%

U.S. Futures / Implied Open

Contract	Futures	Day chg	Implied
Dow	53,747.0	-60 (-0.11%)	-65.41 (-0.12%)
S&P	7,812.25	+7.25 (+0.09%)	+3.49 (+0.04%)
Nasdaq	30,238.0	+96.25 (+0.32%)	+121.86 (+0.40%)
Russell	3,074.6	-0.30 (-0.01%)	-2.81 (-0.09%)

U.S. Treasuries

Maturity	Yield	Change
2Y	4.152%	-1.9 bp
5Y	4.344%	-2.0 bp
10Y	4.678%	-1.8 bp
30Y	5.251%	-1.5 bp

Rates: Treasuries are firmer across the curve, with yields down around 1½–2bp. The front end is benefiting as traders pare some Fed hike expectations, although the long end remains elevated with the 30-year above 5.25%.

FX

Pair	Price	Net	%
USD/JPY	159.04	-0.26	-0.16%
EUR/USD	1.1586	+0.0017	+0.15%
GBP/USD	1.3553	+0.0023	+0.17%
AUD/USD	0.7102	+0.0021	+0.30%
NZD/USD	0.5910	+0.0021	+0.36%

Commodities

Commodity	Price	Net	%
WTI Sep	$82.26	-$0.14	-0.17%
Brent Oct	$88.67	+$0.15	+0.17%
Gold	$4,396.83	+$20.67	+0.47%
Nat Gas Sep	$2.665	-$0.068	-2.49%

Today's Calendar — GMT

Time	Event	Forecast	Previous
09:30	EUR — ECB's Lane speaks	—	—
12:30	USD — NY Empire State Manufacturing (Aug)	10.60	15.60
20:00	USD — TIC Net Long-Term Transactions (Jun)	—	232.7B

Morning Commentary

Asia starts the week on a mixed but broadly constructive footing. Hong Kong and mainland China outperform while Australia and New Zealand lag. Japan's GDP miss has not stopped the Nikkei rising, with markets simultaneously weighing weaker domestic demand against increasing expectations of further BoJ tightening.

U.S. futures are mixed after Friday's modest losses, with Nasdaq futures strongest. Cross-asset trading shows a softer dollar and lower Treasury yields, supporting gold. Oil remains caught between geopolitical risk and hopes that U.S.–Iran diplomacy can contain disruption around Hormuz.

Today's macro calendar is relatively light: ECB's Philip Lane at 09:30 GMT and Empire State manufacturing at 12:30 GMT are the main scheduled events. Geopolitics, Fed repricing and the developing BoJ story should therefore remain important drivers.