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The UK's CBI Retail Sales Expectations Index for August was -22, compared to -26 previously.

The UK CBI retail sales balance for August was -48, compared to -26 in the previous month.

An Iraqi analyst has warned that the United States may be pursuing a new policy toward Iraq through its chargé d'affaires in Baghdad, Steven Fagin, and stated that US interference in Iraq's internal affairs should not be allowed. Iraqi media quoted Iraqi analyst Ibrahim al-Sarraj as saying that he warned of the chargé d'affaires' actions in Baghdad, adding that given the complexity of the political situation in Iraq and the region, the policies Fagin might pursue are seriously worrying.

1. Early 2025: Initiated exchange rate inquiries, contacting banks to request yen quotes; the goal was to gauge market sentiment regarding the yen's exchange rate and prepare for subsequent intervention; this move surprised a former Japanese official. 2. June 2025: A single Treasury bond repurchase operation reached $10 billion, the largest in the Treasury's history; the goal was to improve liquidity in the Treasury bond market and cushion the decline in US Treasury bonds; the market generally interpreted this as paving the way for larger-scale repurchases later. 3. October 2025: Directly purchased Argentine pesos, exceeding $1 billion; the goal was to stabilize the Argentine peso exchange rate before the Argentine midterm elections on October 26; the Argentine peso, stocks, and bonds reversed their downward trend and rose across the board. 4. October 2025: Finalized a $20 billion currency swap framework agreement with the Central Bank of Argentina; the goal was to provide Argentina with more dollar liquidity as a "bridge to a better economic future." 5. November 2025: Stated that it would gradually adjust the scale of interest-bearing government bond auctions to avoid market chaos; the goal was to maintain the stability of the government bond market and adhere to the principle of "regularity and predictability"; this move was interpreted by the market as sending a stability signal, but the auction scale was not immediately changed. 6. July 2026: Led the US in its first direct purchase of yen in nearly 30 years, selling euros and buying yen through Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, with a scale of $5 billion to $10 billion; the goal was to prevent the yen from depreciating excessively and to prevent Japan from selling US Treasury bonds to push up US Treasury yields; the yen once quickly rebounded from 164 to around 157. 7. August 2026: The repurchase program for 10- to 30-year Treasury bonds will be "at least doubled" from $2 billion per transaction to $4 billion, effective September 9th; the goal is to lower long-term Treasury yields and curb the rise of the 30-year yield, which is approaching 5.3%; the 30-year yield once fell by about 10 basis points; all three major US stock indices closed higher; the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index once fell to a three-month low. 8. August 2026: Bessant continued to hint that the repurchase program could be further expanded; considering using approximately $950 billion to $1 trillion in funds from the Treasury's General Account (TGA); the goal remains to further suppress long-term yields and eliminate market concerns about the source of repurchase funds; this move led to a slight decline in long-term Treasury yields.

UK August CBI retail sales difference is due in ten minutes.

Volkswagen CEO Bruno Bruegel the Elder: Currently, labor costs are more than double those of comparable European factories.

Currently, the Iranian stock market is more accurately described as a "strong asset revaluation rally in a high-inflation environment" rather than a "bull market driven by economic fundamentals." The real focus going forward is on: ① Whether the TEDPIX can hold above 6 million points; ② Whether the rial continues to depreciate; ③ Whether Iranian inflation continues to approach 90%; ④ Whether gold/USD continues to rise; ⑤ Whether the actual profits of export-oriented companies in petrochemicals, steel, and mining have improved. If we see a scenario where: the stock market rises + the rial stabilizes + inflation declines + corporate profits improve, that would be a very strong signal of economic recovery. If it's merely a scenario where: the stock market rises + the rial falls + gold rises + inflation continues to approach 90%, then this rally should be understood more as capital fleeing cash, a revaluation to hedge against currency depreciation and inflation.

This is not simply a market trend driven by economic fundamentals, but rather a mixed phenomenon of "asset revaluation following the war + inflation expectations + liquidity re-entering the stock market." ① The Iranian stock market recently experienced a very unusual "shutdown-reopening" cycle. The Iranian stock market had been closed for an extended period due to the war, only reopening in late May. The Tehran Stock Exchange was closed for approximately 80 days due to the US-Israeli military strikes against Iran, with the TEDPIX index at around 3.7 million points before the suspension. Now, the index has surpassed 6.38 million points, a significant change from its initial reopening level. ② Funds may be seeking "anti-inflation assets." The Iranian economy faces severe inflationary and currency devaluation pressures. Tindex data shows that Iran's inflation rate in July remained as high as approximately 87.9%. In this environment, holding cash leads to a rapid decline in currency purchasing power, prompting investors to seek assets such as stocks, gold, real estate, and foreign exchange. This could result in a strong nominal rise in the stock market. Therefore, a rise in the TEDPIX does not necessarily equate to a simultaneous increase in the real purchasing power and profitability of Iranian companies. ③ Stocks themselves can also serve as a tool for hedging against rial devaluation. A significant portion of Iranian listed companies belong to the petrochemical, steel, copper, mining, energy, and export sectors. These companies' revenues or assets are linked to the US dollar and international commodity prices. Therefore, when the local currency depreciates and inflation is severe: nominal corporate revenue increases – assets are revalued – stock prices rise. Thus, a unique phenomenon may occur in the Iranian stock market: the economy is struggling, yet the stock index still surges. This is not uncommon in countries with high inflation. ④ This round of price increases also exhibits a very clear "liquidity-driven" characteristic. Over 90% of stocks rose, and over 80% rose by 2%-3%, indicating that the index was not driven by a few heavyweight stocks, but rather by widespread buying across the entire market. Funds flowed into the stock market → a large number of stocks rose → the index broke through key psychological levels continuously, rather than simply a few sectors performing well.

According to TASS, the Russian and Syrian presidents expressed their willingness to deepen dialogue and economic cooperation.

Kremlin: It is too early to discuss the impact of the CIA director's contacts with Russian intelligence agencies on easing the crisis in US-Russia relations.

Japanese Foreign Ministry: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Jalah Jaber Ahmed Al-Sabah and welcomed his visit to Japan, stating that Japan is willing to actively contribute to enhancing the economic and energy resilience of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states.

Kremlin: Putin has had no contact with the CIA director.

Kremlin: (Regarding the CIA Director's visit to Moscow) Russian President Vladimir Putin is aware of the matter; contacts between intelligence agencies are continuing.

Hyundai CEO: We are concerned about U.S. tariffs and we must address these issues.

Invesco Nasdaq Technology ETF: Trading in this fund will be suspended from the opening of the market on August 27, 2026, and will resume at 10:30 on August 27, 2026. Redemption services will continue as usual during the suspension period.

GF Fund Management's Nasdaq ETF: Trading in this fund will be suspended from the opening of the market on August 27, 2026, and will resume at 10:30 on August 27, 2026. Redemption services will continue as usual during the suspension period.

A Reuters poll indicates that India's NIFTY 50 index is projected to rise 5.0% to 25,556 points by the end of 2026, up from Tuesday's close; and to 26,300 points by mid-2027 (compared to 26,000 and 27,000 points in the May poll).

Kremlin: Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with the Syrian president.

Market news: Amazon (AMZN.O) expects parcel volume to grow faster in Canada than in the United States in the coming years.

Ukrainian President Zelensky: In the past day, strikes were carried out against 16 targets inside Russia. Specifically, long-range strikes were carried out against oil facilities—the “oil wallets” through which Russia funds its war effort—as well as attacks on airports, a missile unit, and infrastructure continuously used to launch attacks against Ukraine. Additionally, a military-industrial enterprise and Russian logistics facilities were also targeted.