π° Hourly Briefing | 2026-08-13 19:00 CST
Houthi missile strikes commercial vessel killing crew; Saudi Arabia amassing troops for large-scale counteroffensive; Trump claims US has full control of Strait of Hormuz; JD.com Q2 revenue down 2.9% to RMB 346.4B; IBM partners with OpenAI, pre-market up 1.6%; Nomura expects ECB rate hike in September
π Market Snapshot
- Gold (XAUUSD): $4,392.91 β -0.35% (intraday high $4,449.84)
- WTI Crude (USOIL): $80.52 β -1.42% (intraday high $82.26)
- S&P 500 (SPX): 7,748.50 β -0.26% (previous close)
- Dow Jones (DJI): 53,770.27 β -0.04% (previous close)
π₯ Key News This Hour
1. Houthi Situation Escalates Sharply Houthi missile struck a commercial vessel killing crew members. Saudi Arabia is amassing troops for a large-scale ground counteroffensive aimed at retaking the Red Sea coast from Houthi control. Houthis warned that if Saudi launches a full offensive, they will target Saudi oilfields, airports, and power/water infrastructure. Red Sea shipping risk surging.
2. Trump Claims Full Control of Strait of Hormuz Trump stated the US has full control of the Strait of Hormuz and intends to maintain it. Also signed a memorandum authorizing law enforcement to use cyber tools against criminal organizations operating in foreign jurisdictions.
3. JD.com Q2 Earnings Released Q2 revenue RMB 346.4B, down 2.9% YoY (high base effect). Net profit RMB 7.1B, net margin 2.1%. Marketing expenses decreased 24.8% YoY; food delivery investment significantly narrowed. JD.com US pre-market down 2.9%.
4. IBM Partners with OpenAI IBM pre-market up 1.6% after announcing partnership with OpenAI.
5. Nomura: ECB to Hike Rates in September 83% of economists expect the ECB to raise the deposit facility rate by 25bp to 2.50% in September. 80% expect the rate to remain at 2.50% through year-end.
6. Barclays Raises CoreWeave Price Target Raised from $90 to $105. Also raised Cisco (CSCO) price target from $121 to $123.
7. Turkey-Saudi Arabia-Pakistan Establish Military Cooperation Mechanism Three nations establish political and military cooperation mechanism under a joint defense agreement, covering defense industry collaboration.
8. German Bavaria Train Station Evacuated Police evacuating buildings around a train station in Bavaria due to suspected explosive device.
π§ Situation Assessment
Red Sea and Persian Gulf tensions are escalating simultaneously. The Houthi threat against Saudi oilfields directly pressures crude supply, yet WTI fell over 1.4%, indicating the market is not pricing a full-scale conflict as the base case.
Gold spiked to $4,449 intraday before pulling back to $4,392 β clear profit-taking at highs. PPI data and the Jackson Hole symposium will be the next directional catalysts for gold.
Trump’s claim of controlling the Strait of Hormuz adds to Middle East geopolitical risk premium, but actual control capability and sustainability remain questionable β need to watch subsequent military deployments.
JD.com’s earnings reflect slowing domestic consumption growth due to high base effects, but margin improvement and food delivery loss reduction are positive signals. Pre-market decline driven primarily by revenue miss.
β° Upcoming Key Data
- Tonight 20:30 CST β US July PPI data (key catalyst for gold)
- Tonight 21:30 CST β US weekly initial jobless claims
- Aug 14 β US July retail sales data
- Aug 21-23 β Jackson Hole Global Central Banking Symposium