Public Markets 3h Briefing

Last updated: August 12, 2026, 11:36 PM ET

Equities

The Nikkei index wsj.com advanced 1.8% on Friday, led by chip and electronics stocks, as easing fears of a Federal Reserve rate hike boosted sentiment. In Mumbai, Tata Group shares lost roughly $4.5 billion in combined market value Wednesday as investors shifted focus to succession planning and strategy after the chairman’s announcement. Down under, Australia banks bloomberg.com slid on mounting housing market jitters, with lenders revealing the extent of depressed sentiment and underscoring profitability pressures.

Commodities & Currencies

Oil futures fell in early Asian trade after U.S. crude inventories unexpectedly rose last week on higher imports and lower exports. Gold prices wsj.com gained, however, as expectations of a Fed rate hike were pared following July’s marginal increase in consumer prices. In a related shift, Asian currencies wsj.com consolidated against the greenback, supported by the prospect of future Fed rate cuts. Meanwhile, China’s coal-to-chemicals bloomberg.com push delivered record profits for industry leader Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group as crude prices soared.

Policy & Investigations

Tariff refunds wsj.com are turbocharging earnings for Apple, Nike and FedEx, which are recovering big sums relatively quickly. Australia’s softening housing market is contributing to a more restrictive financial stance, the Reserve Bank’s assistant governor said, as a home price drop bloomberg.com adds to the outlook. A yearlong investigation traced North Korea’s hidden workforce wsj.com inside American companies, using stolen identities and AI tools to fund the regime. Another report detailed North Korea’s operation wsj.com to generate $800 million a year through job scams. Separately, a third immigrant detention death nytimes.com occurred at Delaney Hall after a Guatemalan migrant suffered a seizure.