Sept 4 early trade: Shanghai Gold Exchange Gold T+D +1.75% at 968.71 yuan/gram; Silver T+D +1.85% at 16,280 yuan/kg.

Volkswagen Group will launch a comprehensive restructuring to cut roughly 50,000 jobs and close four plants, calling it the most far-reaching transformation in the group's history. The move follows protracted talks with management, unions and the Lower Saxony state government. The supervisory board confirmed about 500,000 units of excess production capacity in Europe. Emden, Zwickau, Hanover and Neckarsulm currently have no competitive follow-on production projects over the next 5–8 years; the group said it is exploring alternative uses. The cuts will include management positions. CEO Oliver Blume had earlier proposed a larger package of up to 100,000 job cuts and up to four plant closures.

The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene to enforce U.S. Postal Service rules restricting mail-in voting.