Canada national economic confidence index 53.4 as of Aug. 14, up from 53.0 previously.

IMF staff will visit Dakar, Senegal from Aug 19 to Sep 1.

China's fixed‑asset investment fell year‑on‑year in the first seven months, NBS spokesperson and chief economist Fu Linghui said at a State Council briefing on Aug 17. He attributed the decline to localized heat and heavy rain delaying construction, a complex external environment and a domestic economic transition and adjustment phase. Officials said assessment should emphasize investment structure, quality and efficiency as well as headline growth. Strengthened innovation and more effective policy implementation this year have pushed investment to play a larger role in promoting industrial transformation, shoring up infrastructure and supporting livelihoods, shown by wider, higher‑quality investment in new sectors, continued increases in key areas and bigger allocations to people‑focused spending. NBS said investment structure is steadily optimising and quality rising, which should help sustain growth momentum.