CFIB's August small-business barometer slipped to 57.6 from 58.6 but stayed above the 50 expansion threshold. The survey was conducted before senior US and Canadian officials said a reported trade pact offering tariff relief for Canadian firms was imminent. Respondents plan to raise prices 2.7% this year, unchanged from last month and below April’s 3.2% peak. For the first time since March, more firms cited wages rather than energy as their main input-cost driver.

A股房地产板块短线拉升，城投控股涨停，福星股份此前封板，特发服务、信达地产、市北高新、华发股份、上实发展等跟涨。

Aug 20 — NDRC Director Zheng Zhaojie convened a roundtable with leaders of five private companies from electrical equipment, pharmaceutical-equipment, consumer services, smart terminals and textiles/metallurgical chemicals to solicit proposals on stabilizing economic activity and promoting effective investment. Zheng said the NDRC will implement guidance from the Central Politburo meeting and follow the State Council’s 12th plenary deployment, leverage existing policy measures and timely design practical incremental policies, coordinate major projects under the 15th Five-Year Plan and six-network planning, and advance construction and new-project initiatives. He said the commission will improve long-term mechanisms for private participation in major national projects, remove implicit barriers, broaden scenario openness, strengthen factor support and protect legal rights to mobilize private investment and support a shift to new, higher-quality growth.