Nikkei leads Asia's gains; US futures slip ahead of CPI
Wednesday, August 12, 2026 · 2 takes, written as the session ran and never edited after.
The setup
Overnight tape, futures and the day's calendar · filed 06:45 ET
Asian equities finished mixed overnight. The Nikkei rose 0.83%, while KOSPI surged 3.68%, indicating a strong risk-on sentiment. Watch today's CPI readings at 8:30 AM — Core CPI m/m is expected at 0.2%, crucial for market direction.
What it was watching
The close
What the tape actually did · filed 17:25 ET
The tape closed mixed, but tech stocks led the charge, with the Nasdaq up 0.54%. The S&P 500 climbed 0.26%, buoyed by strong performances from mega-cap names like AAPL and MSFT. Tomorrow, watch for any shifts in sentiment as traders digest today's rally and assess upcoming earnings reports.
What it was watching
Elsewhere that session
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How this brief was made
Written Wednesday, August 12, 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.
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