Market News

US Stocks Higher Ahead of Key Earnings -Nasdaq up 0.66%

US stocks pushed higher in trading yesterday as investors looked ahead to Nvidia’s latest earnings results, with the Nasdaq leading the gains. The Nasdaq rose 0.66% to close at 26,151, while the S&P 500 added 0.32% to finish at 7,677. The Dow Jones also moved higher, gaining 0.30% to close at 53,577.

Treasury yields pulled back across the curve as markets continued to price in the prospect of increased bond buybacks from the US Treasury. The 2-year yield fell 5.8 basis points to 4.174%, while the 10-year yield dropped 6.7 basis points to 4.629%. The move lower in yields helped keep the dollar under pressure, with the USD Index edging 0.09% lower to 98.91.

Oil prices were the…

IC – Asia Fundamental Forecast | 26 August 2026

What happened in the U.S. session?

The overnight U.S. session was mildly risk-on but highly headline-sensitive. Weaker consumer confidence and housing data pointed toward softer U.S. growth and reduced pressure for tighter Fed policy, while the sharp decline in crude prices helped ease inflation and bond-market concerns. This supported equities and gold while weighing somewhat on the dollar and Treasury yields. However, Iran/Hormuz developments remain a major wildcard for oil, and today’s Core PCE, preliminary GDP, and the GDP price index due later in the session are even more important.

What does it mean for the Asia Session?

The biggest Asian-session development is Australia’s…

FUNDAMENTAL OVERVIEW

 

Crude oil sold off hard yesterday following reports that Pakistan's Chief of Army, Asim Munir, was carrying a proposal to Iranian leaders that included the removal of the US naval blockade and gradual lift of sanctions under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.

Even though it wasn’t the first time we got such positive news, markets saw a stronger probability a potential deal due to the fact that US President Trump spoke with Munir ahead of his trip. Moreover, Pakistani officials described the visit as fruitful, with the outcome of the discussions expected to become clearer soon.

The losses then extended later in the day when <a href="https://investinglive.com/commodities/there-are-rumors-of-a-russian-media-saying-there-is-an-iran-us-deal/" style="color: rgba(70, 120, 134, 1); text-decoration: underline"…

• Prior was +10.0

Swiss investor confidence strengthened again in August, with the UBS Investor Sentiment Index rising to +12.1 from +10.0 in July, signalling growing optimism about the outlook for the Swiss economy and financial markets. This marks the second consecutive month in positive territory following a sharp recovery from June's negative reading.

Investors have turned more positive on Switzerland's economic prospects despite the US-Iran war and elevated oil prices. Nevertheless, the data won't change anything for the SNB, as the central bank is expected to keep monetary policy unchanged at least until the second half of 2027.

This article was written by Giuseppe Dellamotta at investinglive.com.

Nasdaq Futures Await Nvidia Earnings: 29,310 and 29,200 Define the Next Move

Nasdaq futures are trading inside a narrow decision zone ahead of Nvidia's earnings. A sustained move above 29,310 would activate the bullish scenario and a possible bull flag breakout. A sustained break below 29,200 would strengthen the bearish case. Until either gateway holds, the market may continue rotating between them.

Key takeaways for Nasdaq traders and investors today

• Bullish threshold: 29,310. Nasdaq futures need to move above this level and remain there. A brief wick or the first crossing is not enough.

• Bearish threshold: 29,200. Sustained trade below this level would take price beneath the lower edge of accepted value and increase the risk of a larger…

EUR/USD

• 1.1750 (EUR 1.31 bn)
• 1.1700 (EUR 1.01 bn)
• 1.1675 (EUR 1.12 bn)

USD/JPY

• 160.00 (US$ 782.68 mn)
• 159.00 (US$ 996.56 mn)

GBP/USD

• 1.3625 (GBP 600.03 mn)

AUD/USD

• 0.7220 (AUD 360.38 mn)
• 0.7160 (AUD 487.77 mn)

EUR/GBP

• 0.8600 (EUR 782.01 mn)
• 0.8500 (EUR 490.33 mn)

WHAT ARE OPTION EXPIRIES?

The FX option expiration price levels refer to the strike prices where option contracts are set to expire. These levels include both calls and puts.

When you see "EUR/USD at 1.1600 for €4 billion" it means there is a total of €4 billion worth of options (calls + puts combined) that have a strike price of 1.1600 and are expiring at that specific time (the "New York Cut" at 10:00 AM ET).

Traders watch these levels because they often act as a "magnet" for the price. For…

Nvidia Earnings Tonight: What NVDA Must Deliver and How Traders May Approach the Reaction

Nvidia reports its fiscal second-quarter FY2027 results after the market closes today. Wall Street expects another exceptional growth quarter, but the harder test is whether revenue, guidance, margins and AI-demand commentary can clear expectations already built into NVDA. Recent earnings reactions have become less forgiving, while options positioning offers neither a clear bullish endorsement nor a strong bearish warning.

Key takeaways for Nvidia traders and investors before earnings

• The bar is much higher than a basic earnings beat. Consensus is near $92 billion in revenue and roughly $2.09 in adjusted earnings per share, compared with Nvidia's own…