EUR/USD
1.15776
-0.009%
Gold
4430.25
0.310%
Oil
83.994
-0.114%
USD/JPY
159.466
0.003%
GBP/USD
1.35453
0.021%
GBP/JPY
216.006
0.033%
Real-time News
August 18 - According to Al Jazeera, a spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces stated that in the past 24 hours, the armed forces conducted 133 military operations against Houthi militants, focusing on striking their combat capabilities and personnel. The armed forces used rocket launchers, artillery, and drones in these operations, which were carried out by military units stationed at frontline positions.On August 18th, it was reported that Alphabet, Googles parent company, is offering Australian dollar bonds with four maturities, one of which is as long as 20 years. Sources previously revealed that Google plans to raise approximately A$5 billion (about US$3.6 billion) in this round of financing. Last month, Alphabet raised its capital expenditure forecast for this year to as high as US$205 billion, reigniting concerns about how large tech companies will recoup profits from their trillions of dollars in artificial intelligence investments. Currently, among large US companies, Alphabet ranks second only to Amazon in utilizing the global debt market to finance its AI projects. In addition to the US market, Alphabet also plans to issue bonds in currencies such as the Swiss franc, British pound, euro, Canadian dollar, and Japanese yen in 2026.On August 18th, according to US media reports on the 17th, Jared Kushner, US President Trumps son-in-law, who is currently visiting the Middle East, stated that the "demilitarization" process in the Gaza Strip could begin within 30 days. Kushner made these remarks during an interview with Fox News after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. He said, "We could see progress as early as 30 days, hopefully starting to clear some weapons and filling in some tunnels within the next 60 to 90 days." He also threatened that if Hamas fails to fulfill its promises, "Israel will receive stronger support from the United States and other parties." Kushner further stated that the US will not allow reconstruction in the Gaza Strip before demilitarization is achieved. Furthermore, the US "will not restrict Israels right to self-defense" should an imminent threat be faced.On August 18th, Wang Qing, chief macro analyst at Golden Credit Rating, stated that the recent zero volume of 7-day reverse repurchase operations, coupled with the overnight reverse repurchase operation conducted in mid-August, indicates that the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC) is now more precise in its control of market interest rates. This suggests that market interest rates will operate more smoothly in the future. Furthermore, it implies that overnight reverse repos may gradually replace 7-day reverse repos, becoming the PBOCs core policy tool for short-term liquidity adjustment.August 18th - BHP Billitons annual profit rose by nearly a third, driven by higher commodity prices, and for the first time, its copper revenue surpassed its iron ore revenue. BHP Billiton announced on Tuesday that its underlying profit for the fiscal year ending in June reached $13.2 billion, a 30% increase year-on-year, exceeding analysts expectations. The company also announced a final dividend of 99 cents, equivalent to a 72% payout ratio. Copper prices surged to record highs during the past fiscal year, and iron ore, another core product of BHP Billiton, continued its strong performance. BHP Billiton expects global copper demand to increase from approximately 34 million tons currently to 50 million tons per year by 2050. However, with declining grades and aging mines, BHP Billitons copper production at its Chilean mines is currently declining, prompting the company to invest billions just to maintain production.
