Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said the US sent the carrier Lincoln to the region as a show of force. After months of war and more than 200 consecutive days without port calls, the ship is now sailing to Thailand for crew rest.

Ifo Institute said Wednesday that German export-sector confidence rose sharply to its highest level since February 2022. Its export expectations index from a manufacturers’ survey climbed from -2.8 in July to 9.6 in August. Ifo said exports are accelerating, led by robust demand to the EU. Electrical-equipment, data-processing, electronics and optical-products makers are particularly upbeat amid increased digitisation and AI investment. Automotive and fabricated-metal goods firms also showed notably improved export sentiment, while paper and metal production/processing firms expect export declines.

Exchange documents show Vietnam raised $479 mln via government bond auctions, the highest amount since May.