Morning Pack — Wednesday 19 August 2026
Market snapshot from supplied screens around 06:40–06:43 BST. Calendar times are GMT.
Risk tone: Asia is sharply weaker, led by Korea and Japan, while U.S. equity futures remain modestly lower. Long Treasuries are catching a small bid after the recent sell-off, but yields remain elevated and oil is firm above $91 Brent.
Overnight headlines
Asia-Pacific
| Market | Price | Net | % |
|---|
| Nikkei 225 | 65,286.86 | -2,173.87 | -3.22% |
| Shanghai | 3,894.38 | -95.924 | -2.40% |
| Shenzhen | 13,940.42 | -682.075 | -4.67% |
| Hang Seng | 25,422.10 | -49.05 | -0.19% |
| ASX 200 | 9,049.30 | -20.70 | -0.23% |
| KOSPI | 6,497.50 | -372.33 | -5.42% |
| STI | 5,686.40 | -15.00 | -0.26% |
| NZX 50 | 13,929.67 | +63.49 | +0.46% |
U.S. cash close
| Market | Price | Net | % |
|---|
| Dow | 53,343.40 | -116.38 | -0.22% |
| Nasdaq | 26,289.711 | -355.20 | -1.33% |
| S&P 500 | 7,691.76 | -53.30 | -0.69% |
| Russell 2000 | 3,017.887 | -39.653 | -1.30% |
| VIX | 15.84 | +0.65 | +4.28% |
U.S. futures
| Market | Price | Net | % |
|---|
| Dow fut. | 53,356.0 | -47.00 | -0.09% |
| S&P fut. | 7,703.75 | -10.25 | -0.13% |
| Nasdaq fut. | 29,504.5 | -81.50 | -0.28% |
| Russell fut. | 3,022.7 | -3.70 | -0.12% |
U.S. Treasuries
| Maturity | Yield | Net chg |
|---|
| US 2Y | 4.158% | -1.7 bp |
| US 5Y | 4.348% | -1.9 bp |
| US 10Y | 4.688% | -1.8 bp |
| US 20Y | 5.262% | -1.7 bp |
| US 30Y | 5.271% | -1.4 bp |
FX
| Pair | Spot | Net | % |
|---|
| USD/JPY | 159.23 | -0.39 | -0.2443% |
| EUR/USD | 1.1587 | +0.0013 | +0.1123% |
| GBP/USD | 1.3540 | +0.0011 | +0.08% |
| EUR/GBP | 0.8554 | +0.0003 | +0.04% |
Commodities
| Contract | Price | Net | % |
|---|
| WTI Sep | $85.49 | +$0.55 | +0.65% |
| Brent Oct | $91.52 | +$0.50 | +0.55% |
| Nat Gas Sep | $2.785 | +$0.009 | +0.32% |
Today’s calendar — GMT
UK July CPI/PPI figures are still pending at pack time; release due 06:00 GMT (07:00 BST).
| Time | Cur. | Event | Forecast | Previous |
|---|
| 06:00 | GBP | CPI YoY (Jul) | 2.9% | 2.6% |
| 06:00 | GBP | CPI MoM (Jul) | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 06:00 | GBP | PPI Input MoM (Jul) | 0.0% | -2.0% |
| 07:10 | EUR | ECB President Lagarde speaks | — | — |
| 09:00 | EUR | Core CPI YoY (Jul) | 2.5% | 2.4% |
| 09:00 | EUR | CPI YoY (Jul) | 2.9% | 2.8% |
| 09:30 | EUR | German 10Y Bund auction | — | 3.130% |
| 14:30 | USD | Crude oil inventories | 0.200M | 17.423M |
| 14:30 | USD | Cushing crude inventories | — | 1.611M |
| 17:00 | USD | 20Y Treasury auction | — | 5.163% |
| 18:00 | USD | FOMC meeting minutes | — | — |
| 18:30 | USD | President Trump speaks | — | — |
Market commentary
The overnight picture is decisively risk-off in Asia. Korea is the standout laggard, with the KOSPI down more than 5%, while Japan and mainland Chinese indices are also under heavy pressure. The move follows renewed weakness in semiconductor shares as elevated bond yields continue to challenge the valuation case for long-duration technology assets.
Wall Street had already softened on Tuesday, with the Nasdaq losing 1.33% and the S&P 500 down 0.69%. U.S. futures point to a further, but comparatively modest, decline at the open. The combination of high long-end yields and firm energy prices remains the principal macro headwind.
Treasuries are firmer this morning, with the 10-year yield down about 1.8bp to 4.688% and the 30-year down about 1.4bp to 5.271%. That is a small reversal after the recent global bond sell-off rather than a decisive change in trend. The long end remains close to multi-year extremes.
Geopolitics remains a material risk premium. Brent is above $91 as the U.S.–Iran confrontation and disruption around the Strait of Hormuz keep energy supply concerns elevated. A tentative U.S.–Canada trade agreement and three-day tariff pause provides some offsetting relief on trade tensions.
The first major macro event is UK CPI at 06:00 GMT, followed by euro-area inflation data. Later, the focus shifts to the U.S. 20-year auction and, most importantly, the FOMC minutes at 18:00 GMT. With markets sensitive to the possibility of renewed Fed tightening, any indication that policymakers remain concerned about inflation could quickly re-pressure both bonds and growth equities.
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