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Market news: EU merger and acquisition regulators have approved the $9.2 billion acquisition of InPost by a consortium led by Advent and FedEx (FDX.N). The EU stated that FedEx and InPost's businesses are largely complementary, with limited potential for market share growth.

Harvest Nasdaq ETF: Trading in this fund will be suspended from the opening of the market on August 19, 2026, and will resume at 10:30. Redemption services will continue as usual during the suspension period.

Defense analyst and retired Romanian naval officer Alexandru Hudisteanu stated that the conflict between Iran and the United States is increasingly exhibiting regional characteristics. While the war itself remains localized, the entire region is now essentially in a state of conflict. The Houthi rebels have extended their front lines to the Red Sea, threatening Saudi shipping. The attacks in the Caspian Sea a few weeks ago have, to some extent, linked the broader region to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The instability triggered by the US-Israel war against Iran in February could further spread and escalate in other regions, creating a "mixed landscape of ambiguity and instability." He bluntly stated that describing the current situation as a new security reality is not an exaggeration. The military measures taken by the United States so far have failed to break the deadlock, at least failing to resolve the Strait of Hormuz issue. Washington is currently in a "strategic pause" phase to reassess subsequent options. The US blockade of Iranian ports is its most impactful action since the military strike phase. But the problem is that the same methods the US used to block the Iranian economy are now being used by Iran to retaliate against the world.

Moody's: Supported by a flexible economy, effective institutions and proactive policymaking, the Australian economy is expected to continue to be resilient.

Moody's: Despite rising oil prices due to global tariffs and conflicts in the Middle East, the Australian economy remains resilient.

According to Axios, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering a “capability-based approach” similar to physician assessment to evaluate medical devices that employ generative artificial intelligence technology.

According to RIA Novosti, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that on the evening of August 17, attack drones struck fuel storage tanks used by the Ukrainian military in the port of Odessa.

According to RIA Novosti, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that troops have seized two settlements in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.

Invesco Nasdaq Technology ETF: Trading in this fund will be suspended from the opening of the market on August 19, 2026, and will resume at 10:30 on August 19, 2026. Redemption services will continue as usual during the suspension period.

US-listed storage stocks fell across the board in pre-market trading, with Micron Technology (MU.O) down 4.8%, and SanDisk (SNDK.O), SK Hynix (SKHY.O), and Western Digital (WDC.O) all down about 5.5%.

Pony.ai (PONY.O) shares rose 5% in pre-market trading, with Q2 revenue increasing by 68.8% year-over-year.

The Eurozone's ZEW Economic Situation Index for August was -21.5, compared to -37.7 previously.

German think tank ZEW: Despite the record low Rhine River water level posing additional acute risks to economic activity, the economy continues to benefit from government infrastructure projects.

German think tank ZEW: The positive trend expected in August has been further consolidated, which may be related to good quarterly results and recent high export levels.

Baidu (BIDU.O) reported revenue of 31.3 billion yuan in Q2 2026, compared to 32.713 billion yuan in the same period last year.

Nvidia (NVDA.O) shares fell 2% in pre-market trading.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has lodged a strong protest with the Japanese ambassador regarding the Japanese Prime Minister's anti-Russian remarks.

According to Iranian state media, Qalibaf stated that the Strait of Hormuz will not open until the United States lifts its oil blockade and sanctions.

According to Iranian state media, Iran's chief negotiator, Qalibaf, stated that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States meets the conditions of a provisional agreement.

A Reuters poll of 13 economists showed that the Hungarian central bank expects to cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 5.5% on August 25. The median analyst forecast suggests that the Hungarian benchmark rate will fall to 5.0% by the end of 2026 (the same as the July forecast).