Public Markets 8 Hours

Last updated: August 8, 2026, 2:34 AM ET

Equities

Sainsbury's has delivered "distinctly terrestrial returns" over the past two decades, a Financial Times analysis finds, urging the UK’s second-largest supermarket to borrow some of Big Tech’s boldness. Vistry faces a cash-flow squeeze after Allianz Trade said it would cut credit insurance cover for the UK housebuilder’s suppliers. London’s housebuilders are finally catching a break as construction picks up, though merely returning to normal will not meet the government’s ambitious targets. In the US, WuXi AppTec won a temporary reprieve after a federal judge blocked the Defense Department from enforcing its designation of the pharmaceutical contractor as a Chinese military company. Trip.com, China’s largest travel site, was fined RMB518bn by regulators who concluded it abused its dominant platform position handling more than half of the country’s hotel bookings. Netflix is trying to break a summer slump with a stunt on Sunset Boulevard, paying an actor to spend three days inside a billboard to promote an upcoming film. Chinese AI start-up Moonshot is shaking up its corporate structure to win Beijing’s approval for a Hong Kong IPO, targeting a stock market debut to raise fresh capital.

Fixed Income & Currencies

UK Treasury officials fear Prime Minister Burnham's talk of using fiscal "flexibility" to boost investment could backfire by destabilising financial markets, potentially pushing up gilt yields. City bosses are urging Burnham to rule out changes to pension lump sums in the next Budget, warning that renewed speculation would be damaging for a third consecutive year. In currency markets, the US yen intervention has bared what the Financial Times calls the "squishy underbelly" of American financial weakness, highlighting vulnerability in the dollar's safe-haven status.

Commodities

A diesel squeeze fuelled by wars in the Middle East and Ukraine is setting the stage for an even worse crunch as demand rises ahead of the Northern Hemisphere winter, threatening higher transport costs globally. In Australia, unionised workers at BHP Group's Port Hedland iron ore export hub have begun rolling 24-hour strikes, escalating a pay dispute and threatening revenue at the world's largest bulk-export port.

Regulatory & Trade

The SEC has dropped an insider-trading lawsuit against a former healthcare executive who was convicted in a related criminal case and later pardoned by President Trump. Canada has offered trade concessions to Washington but is demanding a comprehensive deal to prevent 50% tariffs on many Canadian goods scheduled for this month.

Markets & Valuation

Valuing stocks has been a lifelong pursuit for one Financial Times columnist, who wonders whether historical methods will protect against losses during the next financial crisis, reflecting broader uncertainty about current equity valuations.