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South Korea’s consumer prices rose 3.1% in August from a year earlier, official data showed. The increase accelerated from 2.8% in July and returned headline inflation above 3%. The consumer price index reached 120.05, with 2020 set as the base of 100. Prices also increased 0.2% from July. The Ministry of Data and Statistics released the August figures on September 2.

South Korea’s outbound shipments experienced a remarkable increase of 68.7% year-on-year in August, reaching $98.25 billion. This growth was primarily fueled by persistent global demand for high-performance memory chips and infrastructure for artificial intelligence. Data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources revealed that imports also grew by 22.6% during the same period, totaling $63.51 billion, resulting in a monthly trade surplus of $34.75 billion. As Asia’s fourth-largest economy extends its trade growth streak for a 15th consecutive month, exports in August have shown significant expansion.

India’s economy grew 7.8% in Q1 FY27 as manufacturing, services and investment expanded. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation reported the real gross domestic product at ₹81.36 lakh crore for the quarter, compared to ₹75.46 lakh crore in the same period last year. Nominal GDP reached ₹88.27 lakh crore, marking a 10.3% increase from ₹80 lakh crore. Meanwhile, real gross value added, a different measure of economic activity, grew by 8.2% to ₹73.82 lakh crore. Nominal GVA also saw an 11.5% rise, totaling ₹80.53 lakh crore. During the quarter, manufacturing experienced a 9.2% growth, while financial, real estate, and professional services expanded by 12.1%. The agriculture, livestock, forestry, and fishing sector grew by 3.6%. Household consumption remained strong with a 7.1% increase, continuing its vital role in domestic demand. Investment also gained momentum, with gross fixed capital formation rising nearly 12% compared to the previous year. Its share of nominal GDP climbed to 34.3%, up from 31.4% in the same quarter last year. Broad-based growth fueled by investment and manufacturing Multiple activity indicators posted substantial year-on-year improvements, supporting the quarter’s positive results. Production of capital goods increased by 15.2%, while consumption of finished steel went up by 8.3

Japan stocks remain in focus as Nikkei volatility meets rising bond yields and rate concerns. By the close of trading on Monday, the Nikkei had recovered most of its losses, ending at 66,311.93, down only 93.63 points, or 0.14%. The Topix also finished higher at 4,156.29, gaining 0.23%, reversing its early decline. Bond yields hit levels unseen in over thirty years Technology stocks exerted significant influence on the early decline, particularly after U.S. semiconductor shares weakened at the end of last week. Financial shares performed relatively better than many technology stocks as domestic yields increased.

Indonesia expands sports investment coordination through a new business licensing framework. The memorandum unites the Ministry of Investment and Downstreaming with the Ministry of Youth and Sports regarding business licensing. It also aims to promote investment and provide services for enterprises engaged in sports-related activities. These ministries will coordinate via Indonesia’s Online Single Submission (OSS) system. Their collaboration involves monitoring regulatory compliance, sharing data, and ensuring consistent regulation. This framework emphasizes investment growth within Indonesia’s sports industry but does not set an explicit target of US$521 billion for the domestic market. Thohir noted that the global sports sector is valued at about US$521 billion, roughly equivalent to 8,000 trillion rupiah, with an annual growth rate of approximately 8%. This figure excludes sport tourism, which he estimated globally at nearly US$600 billion. Indonesian officials have identified both sports and sport tourism as sectors with significant economic activity driven by events, travel, and related businesses. The agreement establishes an administrative structure to facilitate investments in these areas.

Al Dahra Agriculture Trading and Egypt’s General Authority for Supply Commodities have activated a five-year agreement for wheat supply valued at up to US$500 million. This accord transitions a 2023 financial framework into an operational import arrangement for Egypt. Under this agreement, Al Dahra will provide imported wheat to GASC with financing secured through the Abu Dhabi Exports Office. It also sets out the procedures for procurement under that existing funding program. UAE-backed financing supports a five-year wheat supply program for Egypt. The signing of the agreement occurred at Egypt’s Cabinet of Ministers headquarters in El Alamein on Aug. 26, 2026, with Egypt’s Supply and Internal Trade Minister Sherif Farouk, who also leads GASC, present at the ceremony. Khadim Abdullah Al Darei, co-founder and managing director of Al Dahra, was also in attendance. The statement did not specify details regarding wheat quantities, shipment schedules, wheat origins, or the pricing method for purchases made through this arrangement. The financial structure traces back to August 2023, when ADEX and Egyptian authorities launched a revolving program for importing wheat. ADEX established this program with a funding cap of US$100 million, renewable annually for five years, with the potential to reach US$500 million in total. Egypt’s ministries of international cooperation and finance joined GASC in forming this initial setup. The 2026 supply agreement now serves as the operational basis for GASC’s purchases from Al Dahra

Oil prices experienced a slight uptick on Tuesday after both Brent crude and WTI declined by over 2% in the previous trading session. By 0330 GMT, Brent futures had increased by 27 cents, or 0.3%, reaching $92.44 per barrel. Meanwhile, U.S. West Texas Intermediate gained 37 cents, or 0.4%, settling at $85.38. This rebound followed Monday’s significant decline, which marked the end of six straight sessions of gains across the two major crude benchmarks.

Alibaba Group has announced an HK$80 billion share issuance aimed at funding its artificial intelligence expansion and enhancing its AI capabilities. The Chinese tech giant will issue 710 million new ordinary shares at HK$112.70 each, translating to roughly US$10.2 billion based on current currency rates. The company anticipates completing the transaction by Aug. 26, pending standard closing conditions. This capital raise comes on the heels of a significant uptick in Alibaba’s investments in computing infrastructure. During the quarter ending June 30, capital expenditures reached RMB67.68 billion, approximately US$10 billion. This figure represents a 75% increase from RMB38.68 billion in the same period last year. Alibaba attributes this surge to ongoing investments in AI infrastructure, increased demand for computing resources, and rising chip component prices.

South Korea has initiated its inaugural container ship expedition via the Arctic route to Europe. The 2,758-TEU PanStar Acro departed from Busan New Port around 9 p.m. on August 22. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries verified the departure and issued the schedule for the voyage. The vessel will navigate through the Northern Sea Route before making port calls at three locations in Europe. This 45-day round-trip voyage is planned to conclude in Busan on October 5.

Egypt’s central bank keeps its policy rate corridor at 19%-20% after its August meeting. Official data shows that the annual urban inflation increased to 14.9% in July from 14.3% in June. The CBE’s calculation of core inflation also rose from 14.3% to 14.7% over the same period. In July, both headline and core inflation figures remained unchanged month-over-month. The Central Bank of Egypt indicated that unfavorable base effects contributed to the higher yearly figures. The urban consumer price index is compiled by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics. This most recent decision in August continues the trend of holding rates after meetings in April, May, and July. The last rate adjustment occurred on February 12, when the CBE lowered key rates by 100 basis points, bringing the overnight deposit and lending rates to 19% and 20%, respectively. The main operation and discount rates also decreased to 19.5%. Since that reduction, the Monetary Policy Committee has maintained the entire rate structure unchanged at every subsequent meeting. Yearly inflation rises as monthly prices stay steady The central bank highlighted that real economic activity continued to slow during the second quarter, according to its latest estimates. This slowdown followed a 5% growth in real gross domestic product during the first quarter of 2026. The CBE projects an average real GDP growth rate of about 5% for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The bank