On Aug. 17 local time, Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, said dialogue between U.S. and Iranian government departments had reached "unprecedented" levels but that the sides had "not yet reached consensus".

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.

富國投資研究所：將全球能源行業評級從“不利”上調至“中性”。