European stocks opened mixed on Aug 26: Germany's DAX 30 down 20.99 pts (-0.08%) at 26,264.07; UK FTSE 100 up 4.14 pts (0.04%) at 10,890.30; France CAC 40 up 31.73 pts (0.38%) at 8,470.93; Euro STOXX 50 up 16.42 pts (0.25%) at 6,472.05; Spain IBEX 35 up 61.85 pts (0.31%) at 20,118.45; Italy's FTSE MIB up 56.69 pts (0.11%) at 52,777.00.

China’s draft Water Law, submitted for second review to the 14th National People’s Congress Standing Committee on Aug. 25, adds provisions to accelerate construction of a national water network. The draft directs the state to prioritise improving systems for optimized water‑resource allocation, river‑basin flood prevention and mitigation, and water‑ecological protection and governance; it calls for coordinating existing and incremental resources, strengthening interconnection, and speeding the build‑out of the national water network.

The Bank of Japan said policy board member Naoki Tamura will attend the Jackson Hole symposium this week on behalf of Governor UEDA, who will not attend due to a schedule conflict. Tamura will not give media interviews at the meeting. Tamura is viewed as a hawk who has publicly argued for rate increases every few months to guard against upside inflation risks. Analysts warn Fed chair Warsh’s first Jackson Hole remarks could move the yen and Japanese yields; UEDA’s absence shifts market focus to whether he will attend next week’s US-hosted G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting. A BOJ deputy governor will speak and hold a press conference on Thursday and could signal the odds of a rate hike next month.