π° Hourly Briefing | 2026-08-10 23:00 CST
Fed Chair Wash completes divestment of all financial assets and signs ethics compliance certification; Colombia earthquake kills 18, multiple airports damaged; Hormuz Strait talks stall, WTI crude rebounds from $77.67 low to $79.92; South Korea plans special legislation for semiconductor and AI mega-projects; Zhipu API users approach 7 million with 50,000+ domestic AI chips deployed.
π Market Snapshot
π₯ Gold $4345.88 | -0.11% | Intraday range $4313-$4362 π’οΈ WTI Crude $79.92 | -4.68% | Rebounded from $77.67 low, high $80.08 π₯ Silver $64.80 | +2.00%+ β‘ U.S. Natural Gas Futures surged, biggest gain in 2+ months π Mexico IPC -1% π UK 10Y Gilt Yield 4.988% (6-day high) π German 2Y Bund Yield 2.7835% (+5.13bp)
π₯ Key News This Hour
1. Fed Chair Wash Completes Divestment of All Financial Assets Wash has sold all financial assets he committed to divest and signed an Office of Government Ethics compliance certification last Thursday, with the document made public on Saturday. This removes potential conflict of interest concerns for the new Fed Chair.
2. Colombia Earthquake Kills 18 A powerful earthquake struck western Colombia, with the mayor of Pereira confirming 18 deaths. At least 2 dead in Manizales. Airports in Pereira, Manizales, QuibdΓ³, and other cities reported damage, with terminal operations suspended. President Delaespriella returning to BogotΓ‘ to manage the crisis.
3. Hormuz Strait Talks Stall, Middle East Tensions Support Oil Iran reiterated conditions before agreeing to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, leaving negotiations deadlocked. Persistent Middle East tensions supported U.S. and Brent crude’s continued rise during the U.S. session. Yemeni drone strikes targeted Saudi proxies in the Mocha region, further escalating regional tensions.
4. Ukraine Strikes Russian Petrochemical Facility in Tyumen Oblast Ukrainian military announced striking a Russian petrochemical facility in Tyumen Oblast β another deep strike into Russian territory. On the same day, Zelensky held substantive talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on food security cooperation.
5. South Korea Plans Special Legislation for Semiconductor and AI Mega-Projects The South Korean government plans to enact special legislation by year-end to support three “super projects” in semiconductors, physical AI, and AI data centers, aimed at enhancing Korea’s competitiveness in key sectors.
6. U.S. Natural Gas Futures Surge A dramatic shift in weather forecasts drove natural gas prices to their biggest gain in over two months. Incoming heatwaves combined with rising exports pushed prices higher, with short positions at their highest level since 2020 prior to the rally.
7. Zhipu API Users Approach 7 Million, 50,000+ Domestic AI Chips Deployed Chinese AI company Zhipu’s MaaS platform has registered nearly 7 million API users, up about 2 million from early July, including 23,000 enterprise clients. Over 50,000 domestic AI compute chips have been newly deployed, with developer product ZCode launching just one month ago.
8. Iranian President: U.S. and Israel Using AI Data to Attack Iran Iranian President Pezeshkian stated that the U.S. and Israel are using artificial intelligence data to attack Iran, further escalating the regional information warfare narrative.
π§ Situation Assessment
Fed Chair Wash completing asset divestment and signing the ethics compliance certification removes a potential source of market uncertainty.
WTI crude gapped down sharply from approximately $83.5 previous close before rebounding from $77.0 to $79.9, with the Hormuz Strait reopening stalemate providing short-term support.
The Colombia earthquake’s severe casualties and infrastructure damage warrant monitoring for potential commodity supply chain disruptions.
Ukraine’s deep strike against a Russian petrochemical facility signals an escalation trend, with energy infrastructure remaining a primary target.
South Korea and China’s policy acceleration in semiconductors and AI underscores intensifying tech competition, with relevant supply chains likely to see continued catalysts.
β° Upcoming Key Data
β’ 23:30 U.S. 3-month/6-month T-bill auctions β’ Tomorrow (8/11) 12:30 π¦πΊ RBA Rate Decision (expected 4.35%) β’ Tomorrow 18:00 πΊπΈ U.S. July NFIB Small Business Optimism Index β’ Tomorrow 20:15 πΊπΈ U.S. Weekly ADP Employment Change (week ending Jul 25) β’ Tomorrow 22:00 πΊπΈ U.S. July Existing Home Sales Annualized (expected 4.04M)