Beijing Stock Exchange 50 Index fell more than 3%, with only 2 constituents advancing.

The U.S. ambassador to Israel said on the 18th that Israeli forces need not withdraw from the Gaza Strip until Hamas is "completely disarmed." He denied reports of a clash on the 17th between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Jared Kushner over the next phase of a Gaza peace plan, saying the U.S. does not expect Israel to withdraw while Hamas still holds weapons. He added the U.S. and Israel have reached a "good" agreement. President Trump has said Hamas must be disarmed and barred from future Gaza governance.

Preliminary shipping data and trade sources show Russia will import nearly 270,000 tonnes of refined products from Asia in August via ship-to-ship (STS) transfers to ease fuel shortages after Ukrainian strikes damaged its refineries. About one-third of the volumes reportedly originate in India; the remainder were loaded off Korea and Malaysia. Traders organised STS transfers between tankers, likely to obscure origin and route amid sanctions risk. Vortexa and Kpler data and trade sources show no comparable shipments in July. Two tankers are due to reach Russia’s Far East this week: one loaded at least 40,000 tonnes of jet fuel via STS near the Johor Strait, said to originate in India; another loaded nearly 30,000 tonnes of gasoline via STS near Yeosu, South Korea, in early August.