New York Open Briefing: Wednesday, August 26, 2026
The New York session opens with gold, XAUUSD, trading lower by 0.54%, while European equities show mixed performance, with the DE40 up 0.34% and the UK100 down 0.32%. The Australian dollar, AUD, stands out as the strongest currency over the past 24 hours, gaining 0.45%, while the Swiss franc and New Zealand dollar are the weakest, both down 0.20%. The overall risk meter registers a slight risk-on sentiment at +0.18.
Earlier data releases saw Brazil’s Mid-Month CPI significantly undershoot expectations, with the year-over-year figure at 4.24% against a 4.92% consensus, and the month-over-month figure at -0.4% compared to a 0.27% consensus. In bond markets, Italy’s 2-Year CTZ Auction yielded 3.02%, and Germany’s 30-Year Bond Auction yielded 3.68%. Sweden’s PPI month-over-month also surprised to the downside, coming in at 0.1% versus a 1% consensus.
Looking ahead in the session, traders will monitor the EIA Crude Oil Stocks Change and EIA Cushing Crude Oil Stocks Change at 14:30 UTC. Also at 14:30 UTC, Germany Bbk Executive Board Member Balz is scheduled to speak. A 5-Year Note Auction is due from the US at 17:00 UTC. Notably, crowd positioning on NZDUSD has shifted 9pt toward long over the last 24 hours.
The Jackson Hole Economic Symposium beginning at 21:00 UTC is the key event to watch as the day concludes.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Biggest moves since the previous session | XAUUSD -0.54%, DE40 +0.34%, UK100 -0.32% |
| Currency strength, 24h | AUD strongest at +0.45%, CHF weakest at -0.20% |
| Risk meter | +0.18 (mildly risk-on) |
Scheduled this session (High and Medium impact)
| Time | Ccy | Event | Impact | Consensus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14:30 UTC | USD | EIA Crude Oil Stocks Change | High | 5.39M |
| 14:30 UTC | USD | EIA Cushing Crude Oil Stocks Change | Medium | -1.447M |
| 14:30 UTC | EUR | Germany Bbk Executive Board Member Balz Speech | Medium | – |
| 17:00 UTC | USD | 5-Year Note Auction | Medium | – |
| 21:00 UTC | USD | Jackson Hole Economic Symposium | Medium | – |
| 22:00 UTC | EUR | France Jobseekers Total | Medium | 3177K |
| 01:00 UTC | KRW | BOK Monetary Policy Board Meeting | Medium | – |
| 01:30 UTC | AUD | Private New Capital Expenditure q/q | Medium | 0.7% |
Times are UTC. This brief describes measured market state and the published schedule. It is not financial advice and nothing in it is a trade recommendation.