Public Markets 3 Hours

Last updated: August 12, 2026, 8:44 AM ET

Equities

U.S. equity futures edged higher Wednesday morning as traders awaited a crucial inflation report. Performance Food logged higher sales and profit in its fiscal fourth quarter as both costs and prices increased. Brinker International also reported rising profit and revenue, fueled by momentum at its Chili’s brand. Shares of India’s Tata Group companies erased 433 billion rupees ($4.5 billion) in market value after Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran announced his planned exit. Optical component makers surged as optical stocks re-emerged as a momentum play on rising confidence in AI spending. Norway’s $2.3 trillion sovereign wealth fund delivered a record first-half return; its CEO said the performance is “as good as it gets” and that he is now more nervous. Separately, the WSJ reported the fund’s portfolio returned 9.4%, earning a profit of nearly $185 billion before currency effects, buoyed by Asia tech stocks — the full article is here.

Fixed Income & Macro

Treasury yields edged down overnight as traders priced in the latest inflation data. A benign CPI reading would reduce urgency around a September rate rise, while a stronger-than-forecast number would revive rate-hike concerns. The bond market also inflated the Powerball jackpot to $1 billion as yields affected annuity pricing. Homeowners tight on cash are tapping into their home equity at an increasing pace. The labor market slowed as employers grew wary of hiring, adding to the softening picture. India’s inflation held within the RBI’s 2%-6% target range in July, supporting expectations for a prolonged pause on interest rates. China’s commodity markets are defying the economic rulebook by surviving on lower prices, complicating Beijing’s struggle with weak inflation.

Currencies & Commodities

The U.S. dollar was mixed ahead of the CPI release. The Japanese yen weakened after stronger-than-forecast U.S. inflation would renew rate-hike fears; the yen level is being closely watched alongside katsu curry prices. South African bonds attracted foreign investors at the fastest pace since January as the rand carry trade became the month’s most lucrative EM carry. Energy prices are expected to fall in the latest inflation data, though the war with Iran has injected volatility into oil and gas markets — see NYT article. A Colombian earthquake disrupted a key coffee export road, pausing operations at the port handling most of the country’s bean shipments.

Corporate & Sector

Carnival’s CFO discussed restoring the company’s balance sheet after the pandemic, focusing on debt reduction. GM set a $4.5 billion supply-chain safety net to guard against future disruptions. Energy startup Form Energy raised $750 million for rust-powered iron-air batteries that can run for 100 hours continuously, pushing total fundraising past $2 billion. A judge dismissed Adani fraud charges in a risk report that also covered flight-tracking platform suing Kalshi. New York City launched a sweeping investigation into Polymarket and Kalshi over their marketing practices. Meanwhile, exchange operator MEMX filed to list prediction-market-style binary bets on corporate earnings metrics. Xero’s CEO shared leadership lessons learned from a tennis legend.

Market Roundups

In technology, media and telecom, analyst insights covered Samsung Electronics, Life360, and CoreWeave. The energy and utilities roundup included commentary on E.ON and Channel Infrastructure. The auto and transport roundup featured updates on TKMS, Austal, and Yangzijiang Maritime. Emerging-market stocks rose led by tech, as currency traders awaited the U.S. CPI; read the full emerging markets report.