Euro area construction output unchanged MoM in July at 0.0%; prior -1.3%.

South Korea's President Lee said on the 18th that Seoul and Washington remain in talks on a South Korea–US investment package and that some proposed US-side terms are "hard to accept." He said negotiators secured a "commercial reasonableness" clause — a provision he described as very difficult to obtain and absent from other countries' agreements. As talks move to detailed terms, Lee said disputes have emerged over fund repatriation, profit allocation and treatment of project losses. The government is pursuing intensive negotiations to advance projects without harming South Korea's national interest while seeking mutual benefit.

UEDA, governor of the BANK OF JAPAN, said underlying inflation is near 2% and the risk of inflation overshooting is rising.