US stocks on Aug. 21 (Friday) closed higher: Dow Jones Industrial Average +517.60 pts (+0.98%) at 53,276.81; S&P 500 +33.15 pts (+0.43%) at 7,674.31; Nasdaq Composite +113.29 pts (+0.43%) at 26,180.45.

Baker Hughes said U.S. energy firms reduced the number of active drilling rigs, the first decline in four weeks.

Kweichow Moutai told investors on Aug. 21 it has addressed market concerns about a reported rise in revenue alongside a decline in net profit and a year-on-year drop in Q2. Chairman Chen Hua said the industry remains in deep adjustment but the company’s market-oriented reforms, launched and implemented in an orderly way, have kept overall sales stable and the core pricing structure intact. Sales volumes of Kweichow Moutai and its sauce-aroma series rose, producing stable-to-slight growth in operating revenue and, the company said, evidence that reform and transformation are delivering as expected. Kweichow Moutai cited a 10-year net margin range of 44.65–51.49% (mean 49.57%); H1 2026 net margin was 49.89%, which the company described as a reasonable level.