Aug 20 ,2026
Synopsis:
Asia markets ended mostly higher Thursday. Strong gains for South Korea following two days of heavy losses but it is still down WTD; Nikkei 225 and Taiex also higher on the day. The Hang Seng was higher albeit off its peak with smaller gains in mainland China benchmarks. Australia closed with a modest advance, India is trading higher. Singapore saw some profit taking to finish lower. US futures mixed with the Nasdaq higher but S&P 500 lower, Europe paring early losses. US dollar slightly lower to build on overnight decline, yen weaker, other Asia currencies gyrated all day from overnight gains. Treasury yields inching higher, JGB yields mixed. Crude oil advancing to near its highest in a month. Precious metals mixed, base metals under some pressure following the dollar's move. Cryptocurrencies mixed as bitcoin trades just below $70K.
Asia equities trended higher Thursday as regional bond yields came off yesterday's highs and SK Hynix (000660.KS) announced a share buyback and cancellation program, and enhanced asset return goal that calmed investor jitters in the AI chain. SK Hynix stock ended more than 12% higher while Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) gained 9.5% on a local media report that it was planning similar shareholder return measures. Regional bond yields off their highs following the US Treasury's plan to double its long-dated buyback plan, which steadied Treasuries overnight, and sent the US dollar down around 1%. This in turn supported the region's currencies and provided an extra tailwind for equities.
In regional developments today, China kept its 1Y and 5Y loan prime rates on hold as widely expected and for the 15th consecutive month. Japan July exports surged on a spike in semiconductor shipments but imports also rose to expand the trade deficit. A 20Y JGB auction drew weaker demand than in July although the yield fell amid a broader decline in sovereign yields. Australia unemployment rate rose to its highest since late 2021.
Namura Shipbuilding (7014.JP) is said to be considering building a large-vessel shipbuilding dock in Japan by 2025. Kuaishou Technology (1024.HK) became the latest China AI company to invite concerns about monetization after flagging hit to profitability from investments; stock closed substantially lower. Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) has raised chipmaking prices by 10-15% on a spike in demand, according to a Reuters report; may announce a shareholder return policy worth more than KRW100T. AIA (1299.HK ) said new business value in Hong Kong and China had grown but H1 growth had missed estimates. CK Hutchison (1.HK) is seeking damages of more than $1.5B for the loss of its Panama investments. SATS (S58.SP) warned the financial impact of middle east tensions and higher oil prices could worsen if current conditions persist.
Digest:
Notable Gainers:
+16.1% 3350.JP (Metaplanet): Crypto sector move as Bitcoin trading near $69K
+12.7% 000660.KS (SK Hynix): launches KRW40.004T on-market buyback; to return at least 50% of cumulative free cash flow generated for 2025-27
+9.5% 005930.KS (Samsung Electronics): reportedly hikes prices for chipmaking services by up to 15%; reportedly to announce shareholder return policy worth more than KRW100T
+7.7% 3896.HK (Kingsoft Cloud Holdings): reports Q2 adjusted EBITDA CNY1.10B vs FactSet CNY927.7M
+6.9% 7014.JP (Namura Shipbuilding): reportedly plans to construct large-vessel shipbuilding dock in Japan by 2035
+5.5% 9926.HK (Akeso Inc): positive read-through from Moderna's successful Phase 3 mRNA vaccine trial
+1.6% 3993.HK (CMOC Group): reports H1 net income attributable CNY16.15B vs guidance CNY15.50-16.50B and year-ago CNY8.67B
+0.5% 3038.JP (Kobe Bussan): reports July non-consolidated net sales ¥50.64B, +7.6% y/y
Notable Decliners:
-13.6% S58.SP (SATS Ltd.): reports Q1 results; notes financial impact of Middle East tensions and higher oil prices could intensify if current conditions persist
-11.0% 1024.HK (Kuaishou Technology): reports Q2 adjusted net income CNY3.91B vs FactSet CNY3.87B
-8.8% 3778.JP (SAKURA Internet): reports personal data for 1.4M member accounts might have been viewed or acquired by third party due to cyberattack
-6.0% 600276.CH (Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals): reports H1 revenue CNY15.46B, (2%) vs year-ago CNY15.76B
Data:
Economic:
Japan July
Trade balance (¥634.5B) vs consensus (¥649.0B) and revised (¥409.9B) in prior month
Exports +23.2% y/y vs consensus +20.1% and +19.3% in prior month
Imports +27.8% y/y vs consensus +25.1% and +25.4% in prior month
Australia July
Employment (15.8K) m/m vs consensus +12.0K and revised +80.2K in June
Unemployment rate 4.5% vs consensus 4.4% and 4.4% in June
Participation rate 66.9% vs consensus 66.9% and 67.0% in June
Markets:
Nikkei: 890.37 or +1.36% to 66216.79
Hang Seng: 203.42 or +0.80% to 25698.49
Shanghai Composite: 9.30 or +0.24% to 3903.72
Shenzhen Composite: 19.90 or +0.79% to 2527.16
ASX200: 30.00 or +0.33% to 9083.80
KOSPI: 381.41 or +5.89% to 6852.58
SENSEX: 683.63 or +0.89% to 77593.31
Currencies:
$-¥: +0.27 or +0.17% to 158.4240
$-KRW: +3.62 or +0.26% to 1392.2400
A$-$: (0.00) or (0.03%) to 0.7124
$-INR: +0.16 or +0.17% to 95.6823
$-CNY: (0.01) or (0.10%) to 6.7247
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