Moody's: Extreme heat and unstable water supply are threatening asset valuations across a growing number of industries, impacting everything from labor productivity to energy costs.

Hang Seng Index extended weakness, opening about 200 points down, briefly cutting losses to under 100 before resuming decline; at the midday close the index fell 0.93% to 25,160.25. Hang Seng Tech Index lost 1.79% to 4,706.73. Market turnover was HKD 135.7 bln. Sector flows: gold and nonferrous metals outperformed, optical communications and memory-chip names popped then faded, while internet and innovative-drug stocks weakened. Notable movers: China Gold International (02099.HK) +12.93%, GigaDevice Semiconductor (03986.HK) +2.30%, SMIC (00981.HK) +1.92% after results, JD.com (09618.HK) -10.08% post-results, CK Hutchison (00001.HK) -5.12% post-results, Akeso (09926.HK) -6.08%.

Domestic News: 1. The first 10-million-ton-capacity crude oil pipeline of the 15th Five-Year Plan period went into operation. 2. DeepSeek will raise prices on August 17, with a maximum increase of 500%. 3. Changxin Technology surpasses Tencent Holdings to become the largest listed company in China by market capitalization. 4. JD.com's net profit for the first half of fiscal year 2026 was 12.231 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 28.34%. 5. The People's Bank of China: On August 14, it conducted 1 trillion yuan of outright reverse repurchase operations with a term of 6 months. 6. The Ministry of Commerce: Anti-dumping duties will continue to be levied on imported single-mode optical fiber originating from India for a period of 5 years. International News: 1. OpenAI's annualized revenue reportedly exceeded $40 billion. 2. The Japanese government reportedly supports the Bank of Japan raising interest rates more quickly. 3. Trump imposed a 100% tariff on certain drones and components. 4. Ukraine reportedly proposed a ceasefire to Russia regarding civilian targets in the Black Sea. 5. The Bank of Korea bought gold assets for the first time in 13 years and may continue to increase its holdings. 6. Google launched the Gemini 3.7 Flash model, but the Gemini 3.5 Pro is still a long way off. 7. The Indonesian Nickel Miners Association: will selectively issue additional nickel ore production quotas for 2026. 8. The interest rate futures market has lowered its pricing for a Fed rate hike this year to 23 basis points, no longer pricing in a single, complete rate hike. 9. Fed—Hamak: reiterated that a rate hike is now necessary, not confident that inflation will continue to improve; Barkin: a rate hike may be needed to achieve the Fed's goals; Goolsby: many inflation drivers come from tariffs, then oil prices, hoping for a one-off increase. 10. Middle East Situation— ① Iran: No ship can safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz without approval. ② The US military has established its first multinational drone task force to strengthen its unmanned combat capabilities in the Middle East. ③ The US is deploying the USS Washington to the Middle East as planned to replace the USS Lincoln.