WTI crude fell 3.88% to $81.27/bbl; Brent crude slipped below $87, also down 3.88% intraday. Both benchmarks dropped roughly $0.80 in the short term.

Korea Tourism Organization said on Aug 25 that foreign arrivals to South Korea in July totaled 2.093223 million, up 20.8% YoY. Cumulative arrivals Jan–Jul rose 21.3% YoY to 12.8 million.

PwC’s mid‑year China deal review shows a strong 1H 2026 rebound as capital markets and policy support boosted activity. Deal count rose to 7,316 (+~30% YoY), a record high; deal value climbed to $241.6bn (+56% YoY), the best half‑year since 2023. Recovery was led by financial investors—deal count and value up roughly 50% and 85% YoY, respectively. Strategic buyers’ deal count fell ~7% YoY while deal value rose nearly 40%. Mega deals (> $1bn) held steady at 27, broadly flat YoY. PwC says M&A capital is concentrating in high‑tech and hard‑tech and that state capital is increasingly acting as a stabilizing force in industry consolidation, which PwC expects to be a primary driver of future structural market growth.