π° Hourly Briefing | 2026-08-13 10:00 CST
Anthropic to acquire AI startup Decart for $6B; Tencent Q2 revenue 204.8B yuan +11% YoY, cash flow turns negative due to computing prepayments; PBoC signals incremental policy measures; US July deficit surges 48% YoY; Gold flat at $4,408, Oil down 0.5%.
π Market Snapshot
| Asset | Last | Change | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold XAUUSD | 4408.32 | -0.10 | -0.00% |
| WTI Crude USOIL | 81.27 | -0.41 | -0.51% |
Gold traded in a narrow range with intraday high of 4449.84 and low of 4398.32, roughly a $50 range, closing essentially flat. Crude oil remained soft, briefly dipping below 81 before stabilizing.
Other markets: A-shares opened higher β Shanghai +0.27%, Shenzhen +0.85%, ChiNext +1.52%; Hang Seng opened -0.6% with Tencent down 3.29% post-earnings; Korea KOSPI surged 4%+ into technical bull market; Taiwan Weighted +1.38%. USD/CNY mid-rate at 6.7888, RMB slightly weaker by 6 pips.
π₯ Key News This Hour
1. Anthropic to Acquire AI Startup Decart for $6 Billion
Anthropic is reportedly spending $6 billion to acquire AI startup Decart. This marks another major M&A in the AI space, showing large model companies accelerating vertical integration.
2. Tencent Q2 Earnings: Revenue 204.8B Yuan +11% YoY, Cash Flow Turns Negative on Computing Prepayments
Tencent’s Q2 total revenue reached 204.8 billion yuan, up 11% YoY. However, cash flow turned negative at -13.8 billion yuan; excluding computing prepayments, it would be 37.6 billion yuan. Stock fell 3.29% on open as markets worried about AI capex compressing margins.
3. PBoC Signals Incremental Policy Measures
The People’s Bank of China stated it will “timely plan and introduce practical incremental policies” to strengthen counter-cyclical adjustment. It previewed overnight reverse repo operations for Aug 14 and Aug 17-19, and signaled a shift away from focusing solely on loan data toward a broader view including bond financing.
4. US July Fiscal Deficit Surges 48% YoY
The US federal deficit in July surged 48% year-over-year. The cumulative deficit for the first 10 months reached $1.8 trillion, with the CBO projecting $2.1 trillion for the full year. Total national debt has reached $40 trillion, raising fiscal sustainability concerns.
5. DeepSeek V4 Pro Official API Update
DeepSeek released the official V4 Pro API update, with performance approaching Fable 5 in multiple benchmarks. Chinese LLMs continue to close the gap, intensifying the AI competition landscape.
6. Korea KOSPI Enters Technical Bull Market
Global AI trading resurgence drove Korea’s KOSPI up over 4%, rebounding more than 20% from its July 30 low to enter a technical bull market. This follows a historic sell-off last month.
π§ Market Assessment
Gold consolidates above the 4400 level with narrowing intraday volatility, as markets await a new directional catalyst.
Crude oil remains weak with the 81-dollar handle contested; supply and demand sides lack clear drivers.
AI sector stays hot β Anthropic’s $6B Decart acquisition, DeepSeek V4 Pro update, and Korea’s AI-driven rally all signal continued capital concentration in AI infrastructure.
Tencent’s earnings reveal the other side of AI investment: computing prepayments directly caused negative cash flow, and markets are beginning to price in the sustainability of Big Tech AI capex.
The PBoC has clearly signaled policy easing, with rising expectations for incremental measures; A-shares responded positively.
US fiscal deficit is accelerating β $2.1T annual deficit plus $40T total debt creates long-term upward pressure on interest rates.
β° Upcoming Key Data
- Tonight 20:30 CST β US Initial Jobless Claims (week of Aug 8, Thursday routine release)
- Tomorrow β US July PPI data (watch for producer-side inflation trends)
- Aug 14 β PBoC overnight reverse repo operations