Australia's S&P/ASX 200 opened down 11.8 points (-0.13%) at 9,072.00 on Friday, Aug. 21.

US Dollar: 1. US 30-year Treasury yields erased gains from the Treasury's buyback announcement. 2. Fed's Daly: No evidence yet of an imminent rate hike; rising long-term yields are a global issue. 3. US Treasury Secretary Bessant: Bond buyback cap may exceed $4 billion; $40 trillion debt figure is not particularly significant. 4. Citigroup strategists lowered their three-month dollar index forecast from 102.12 to 98.34. 5. Investment Company Institute (ICI): US money market fund assets rose to $7.93 trillion. 6. Fed's foreign reverse repurchase balance rose to its highest level since October 2022. Euro: 1. German producer prices rose in July to their highest level in over three years. Pound Sterling: 1. UK consumer confidence rose to its highest level in two years. Korean Won: 1. According to a Reuters poll: bullish bets on the Korean won reached their highest level since mid-June 2025. 2. South Korean Finance Minister: Measures will be taken to address volatility in the foreign exchange market. The government bond market will be monitored. Trading volume of single-stock leveraged ETFs has shrunk to one-tenth. 3. Bank of Korea Deputy Governor: The USD/KRW exchange rate is expected to trend downwards from a fundamental perspective. He does not want to be labeled as hawkish or dovish, and will make decisions based on circumstances and data. Japanese Yen: 1. Japan's core inflation accelerated for the second consecutive month, reinforcing expectations of another interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan in the near future. 2. With strong AI business, Japan's new export orders for manufacturing grew at their fastest pace in eight years in August. Other: 1. According to a Reuters survey: Short bets on the Indonesian rupiah have fallen to their lowest level since September 2025; investors are optimistic about the Malaysian ringgit for the first time in nearly three months. 2. Bankers: The Turkish central bank has launched an auction for government domestic securities purchases. 3. Swedish Central Bank: Maintained interest rates at 1.75%. If the unexpectedly high inflation this summer is the beginning of a larger and more persistent rise in inflation, the Swedish central bank will take a more tightening approach. 4. According to CNBC: Iran's inflation rate has surged to 89%, with food prices rising by 164%. 5. Central Bank of Turkey: As of August 14, Turkey's foreign exchange reserves stood at $75.17 billion, an increase from $71.02 billion a week earlier. 6. OCBC Bank: The new governor of Central Bank Indonesia has shifted from a high-yield policy to testing the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate. 7. People's Bank of China: Will issue 30 billion yuan in central bank bills.

US Treasury Secretary Bessenter: Coordinated economic isolation measures will be implemented.