Nikkei and KOSPI rally fuels positive sentiment into US open
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 · 2 takes, written as the session ran and never edited after.
The setup
Overnight tape, futures and the day's calendar · filed 11:47 ET
Asian markets flipped positive, with the Nikkei up 3.66% and the KOSPI gaining 3.76%. This momentum is pushing US futures higher, with the S&P 500 set to open up 1.79%. Watch for continued strength in tech, as the Nasdaq’s 2.59% rise suggests investor appetite for growth remains robust.
What it was watching
The close
What the tape actually did · filed 21:52 ET
The S&P 500 closed down 0.17% at 7723.55, with the Nasdaq sliding 0.83% to 26363.44. Defensive sectors like utilities led the way, while tech names lagged, pressured by mixed earnings results. Tomorrow, watch for further reactions to earnings and the 10-year yield at 4.617%—that's where the real test is.
What it was watching
Elsewhere that session
← 2026-08-06 · All sessions · 2026-08-04 →
How this brief was made
Written Wednesday, August 5, 2026 from that session's own market snapshot — overnight closes in Asia, European and US futures, rates, the economic calendar and the day's earnings — and generated from that snapshot by a language model, then machine-checked so a number it cannot source is never published. It has not been edited since. A take that aged badly is left standing on purpose: an archive you can rewrite is not a record. Not investment advice.
Get this before the open, not after
The AM take, today's docket and the Street's calls — one email, weekdays, before the open.