Newsquawk Daily Asia-Pac Opening News - 13th August 2026

• US stocks traded higher on Wednesday, with the Nasdaq outperforming as strong earnings from CoreWeave (CRWV), Lumentum (LITE), Super Micro Computer (SMCI) and Nebius (NBIS) supported the AI trade. The equal-weight S&P 500 (RSP) posted more modest gains, while sectors were predominantly firmer. Real Estate, Technology and Consumer Staples outperformed, while Consumer Discretionary, Materials and Communication Services lagged. The major macro event of the session was the July CPI report, which came in line with expectations. The report saw money markets increase confidence in a September hold, while still maintaining expectations for a 25bps hike by year-end. Overall, the inflation data gives the Fed greater scope to remain patient, particularly following last week's weak July jobs report, although it was not soft enough to eliminate the prospect of further tightening later in the year.
• USD was firmer following an in-line July CPI report. The initial reaction was lower, which held for a short time, before reversing to the upside as seen in the US 2yr yield. The report will keep debates over hikes in play; however, coming shortly after a poor NFP report, September bets on a Fed hike have slightly pulled back given the bar has been raised for the next inflationary readings before the next FOMC to shift the Fed in a more hawkish direction. Money markets shifted dovish following the CPI release, pricing in a 40% chance of a 25bps Fed rate hike at the September meeting (prev. 50%); however, a 25bps hike is still fully priced by year-end. Separately, ING notes recent reports of Trump weighing capital gains tax cuts to boost Midterm performance would prove a mild dollar negative from a pro-risk perspective.
• Looking ahead, highlights include UK RICS House Price Balance, Japanese PPI, Comments from RBA's Kent.

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SNAPSHOT

STOCKS
S&P 500	+0.3%	Nasdaq Comp.	+0.5%
DJIA	Flat	Russell 2000	+0.6%
ES Sep'26	+0.3%	RTY Sep'26	+0.6%
NQ Sep'26	+0.6%	YM Sep'26	Flat

FX
DXY	+0.2% (99.97)	EUR/USD	-0.1%
USD/JPY	+0.1%	GBP/USD	-0.1%

BONDS
US T-Note Sep'26	Flat	10yr Bund Sep'26	-17 ticks
US 10yr Yield	4.69%	German 10yr Yield	3.16%

ENERGY & METALS
WTI Sep'26	-0.8%	Brent Oct'26	-0.5%
Spot Gold	+0.9%	LME Copper	-0.3%

CRYPTO
Bitcoin	Flat	Ethereum	+0.2%

As of 21:50BST/16:50EDT

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LOOKING AHEAD

• Highlights include UK RICS House Price Balance, Japanese PPI, Comments from RBA's Kent.
• Click for the Newsquawk Week Ahead.

IRAN CONFLICT

• US President Trump posted, "The U.S.A. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT! Our Naval Blockade is being called, by everyone, 'A WALL OF STEEL,' and there is nothing Iran can do about it."
• Iranian political and security source told Al-Mayadeen the Strait of Hormuz has not been opened, and Iran has not made any change or even modification to its policy. The source warned against any ship that violates existing Iranian procedures and regulations in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that large ships cannot cross due to existing risks and that any ship failing to comply with Iranian procedures may face technical problems or safety risks. The source reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz is under Iranian control and management.
• Iranian army official said Iran intends to maintain control and oversight of the Strait of Hormuz as a key source of its geopolitical power, according to Mehr News.
• IRGC Commander said Iran produces more missiles daily than it fires and that, even if the war lasts years, Iran's rockets will continue to be launched until the final day. He added that if conditions are favourable and orders are given, the IRGC must be able to push operations into enemy territory.
• Pakistan said it continues to activate direct and indirect diplomatic channels between the US and Iran, working to bring both sides to the negotiating table in Islamabad, while Pakistan's Interior Minister is in Tehran to meet with Iranian officials and is said to have delivered an important message to Iran.
• Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, “As a mediator, we remain optimistic. Not discouraged by escalations”. The spokesperson added that the US-Iran 60-day MoU deadline is approaching and could be extended, saying "we are not closing the chapter" and expressing hope that the parties return to dialogue.
• Pakistan's key mediator, Interior Minister Senator Naqvi, has held his second meeting with Iran's Foreign Minister Araghchi and is seeking to extend the 60-day truce, according to an informed source cited by Al Arabiya. Pakistan is working to keep the diplomatic track open by extending the 60-day period, while mediators need additional time to address outstanding issues between the US and Iran, while the Pakistani mediator is optimistic about extending the 60-day period.
• Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said there is a possibility of extending the 60-day MoU period between the US and Iran, while some reports citing sources suggested that the sides have "agreed" to extend the ceasefire. However, a later report cited a senior Iranian source who stated there are no discussions over extending the ceasefire between the US and Iran, although one issue being discussed is the US returning to the MoU and defining a time frame for implementation. Furthermore, it was stated that from Iran's perspective, there was no ceasefire start date, so there is nothing to extend and that the US violated the interim pact 48 hours after it was reached, while absolutely no progress has been made on the potential return of the US to the MoU.
• Japanese PM Takaichi held a phone call with the Iranian President and spoke on de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East and the security of maritime transit, according to Kyodo citing sources. It was later reported that Japanese PM Takaichi said Iran’s President explained that efforts are being made to resolve the Bab el-Mandeb issue while engaging in dialogue with Saudi Arabia as well.
• Yemeni Deputy Foreign Minister said there have been no direct or indirect negotiations with the Houthis, according to Al ArabyTV.
• Arab sources reported drone attacks by Yemeni armed forces on Saudi mercenaries in the port of Al-Mukha, according to Fars.
• Houthis said forces will target any military or intelligence presence of the Israeli regime in the country of "Somalia" or other places near the borders of Yemen, according to Tasnim.
• US is considering forming a committee of officers from several countries to monitor the framework agreement in Lebanon, according to Al Hadath citing sources. In relevant news, a preliminary agreement has been reached on a new round of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel at the beginning of September, according to Al Arabiya.

US TRADE

• US stocks traded higher on Wednesday, with the Nasdaq outperforming as strong earnings from CoreWeave (CRWV), Lumentum (LITE), Super Micro Computer (SMCI) and Nebius (NBIS) supported the AI trade. The equal-weight S&P 500 (RSP) posted more modest gains, while sectors were predominantly firmer. Real Estate, Technology and Consumer Staples outperformed, while Consumer Discretionary, Materials and Communication Services lagged. The major macro event of the session was the July CPI report, which came in line with expectations. The report saw money markets increase confidence in a September hold, while still maintaining expectations for a 25bps hike by year-end. Overall, the inflation data gives the Fed greater scope to remain patient, particularly following last week's weak July jobs report, although it was not soft enough to eliminate the prospect of further tightening later in the year.
• SPX +0.26% at 7,748, NDX +0.74% at 29,743, DJI -0.04% at 53,775, RUT +0.61% at 3,045.
• Click here for a detailed summary.

TARIFFS/TRADE

• US State Department announced a new programme to increase the pace of logistics for key AI goods between key allies.
• Canada and the US are not ready to make a tariff deal, while Canada is unsatisfied with the latest US offer, according to CBC.

NOTABLE HEADLINES

• US President Trump announced that White House Press Secretary Leavitt will leave her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with family.

DATA RECAP

• US CPI (Jul) M/M 0.1% vs. Exp. 0.1% (Prev. -0.4%)
• US CPI (Jul) Y/Y 3.4% vs. Exp. 3.4% (Prev. 3.5%)
• US Core CPI (Jul) M/M 0.2% vs. Exp. 0.2% (Prev. 0.0%)
• US Core CPI (Jul) Y/Y 2.5% vs. Exp. 2.5% (Prev. 2.6%)

FX

• USD was firmer following an in-line July CPI report. The initial reaction was lower, which held for a short time, before reversing to the upside as seen in the US 2yr yield. The report will keep debates over hikes in play; however, coming shortly after a poor NFP report, September bets on a Fed hike have slightly pulled back given the bar has been raised for the next inflationary readings before the next FOMC to shift the Fed in a more hawkish direction. Money markets shifted dovish following the CPI release, pricing in a 40% chance of a 25bps Fed rate hike at the September meeting (prev. 50%); however, a 25bps hike is still fully priced by year-end. Separately, ING notes recent reports of Trump weighing capital gains tax cuts to boost Midterm performance would prove a mild dollar negative from a pro-risk perspective.
• EUR gave up ground to the firmer buck, but with choppy price action in the aftermath of the US CPI data, while there was a lack of pertinent catalysts for the single currency and German CPI matched preliminary data.
• GBP pared intraday gains and trickled lower in the latter part of trade to give back the 1.3500 status.
• JPY was choppy with USD/JPY dipping beneath the 159.00 handle before rebounding on dollar strength.

FIXED INCOME

• T-notes were ultimately flat after an in-line CPI report saw traders boost bets for a September hold. The Treasury curve bull steepened, led by declines in front-end yields, although the immediate reaction to CPI saw some two-way price action. Elsewhere, the 10-year note auction was not as strong as the previous offering but remained better than recent averages, pointing to healthy underlying demand for duration.

COMMODITIES

• Oil prices settled little changed as there were very few new developments in the Middle East, while downward pressure following a massive build in headline weekly crude inventories was offset by comments from US President Trump that the US has total control over the Strait of Hormuz and thinks they will keep it.
• US EIA Crude Oil Stocks Change (Aug/07) 17.422M vs. Exp. -1.4M (Prev. 2.479M)
• OPEC MOMR (Aug) said crude oil production by countries participating in the DoC increased by 1.42mln BPD M/M in July to average about 37.66mln BPD, compared with 36.28mln BPD in June, according to available secondary sources. Global oil demand is forecast to grow by 0.6mln BPD Y/Y in 2026 (prev. 0.8mln BPD) and by about 2.2mln BPD in 2027 (prev. 1.9mln BPD).
• IEA OMR sees the oil market in a 1.8mln BPD deficit in Q3 (prev. forecast 800k BPD) and sees world oil supply 1.27mln BPD lower than demand in 2026 (prev. 860k BPD). 2026 world oil supply is forecast to fall by 4.3mln BPD (prev. 3.7mln BPD). Although the market is projected to return to surplus towards the end of this year, risks remain substantial, and the urgency of reopening the Strait has increased, as previously available inventory buffers are rapidly depleting.
• A tanker was seen loading at a key Saudi hub for the first time in weeks, according to Bloomberg.
• Oman said an oil spill reached the coast in the southeast of the country and could end up impacting 40km of coastline in Ras Madraka. The spill could reach the coast of Masirah Island, while authorities are monitoring an oil slick after a vessel grounded near Al Qibliyah Island.

GEOPOLITICAL

RUSSIA-UKRAINE

• Russia said it targeted a Ukrainian forces fuel depot in Odesa.
• Russian President Putin said Russia will retaliate if Western countries seize Russian merchant ships.
• NATO North Atlantic Council held a meeting today to discuss airspace violations in Poland and Romania, alongside recent drone incidents.

OTHER

• North Korea, commenting on South Korea's nuclear submarine project, said, "We must have the strength to respond with non-viable retaliatory attacks", according to Yonhap.

ASIA-PAC

NOTABLE HEADLINES

• PBoC Q2 Monetary Policy Implementation Report stated it will boost the counter-cyclical adjustment, expand domestic demand, deepen financial reform and high-level opening, and continue to implement moderately loose monetary policy. PBoC will use comprehensive tools and adjust as needed to keep liquidity ample and social financing relatively loose, while keeping the yuan exchange rate basically stable at a reasonable level, and China's inflation is likely to maintain a reasonable rebound.
• PBoC is to conduct overnight reverse repos on August 14th and between August 17th-19th.

DATA RECAP

• Indian CPI (Jul) Y/Y 4.45% vs. Exp. 4.5% (Prev. 4.38%)

EU/UK

DATA RECAP

• German CPI Final (Jul) M/M 0.8% vs. Exp. 0.8% (Prev. -0.3%)
• German CPI Final (Jul) Y/Y 2.8% vs. Exp. 2.8% (Prev. 2.3%)
• German HICP Final (Jul) M/M 0.9% vs. Exp. 0.9% (Prev. -0.2%)
• German HICP Final (Jul) Y/Y 2.8% vs. Exp. 2.8% (Prev. 2.4%)