Capital markets news | Wed 26 Aug 2026
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Hedge funds
The hedge fund industry has expanded dramatically: over the last decade, gross assets roughly doubled to about USD12.1 trillion by end-2024, with net assets up to USD5.3 trillion. Performance has been strong recently—2025 marked the second consecutive year of double-digit returns (around +11.8% on average), and allocator sentiment is at record highs, with nearly half of investors planning to increase hedge fund allocations in 2026.
Equity
- US insurer Chubb scraps IPO of Malaysian unit Edge
- Shein’s up to USD1.8b Hong Kong IPO order book covered Edge Star Reuters
- Alibaba’s share sale signals massive AI push Star
- Nvidia faces growth test as Rubin debut meets AI financing scrutiny Reuters
- US leveraged single-stock ETF boom may be cooling Reuters
- Gatik secures USD200m in funding as autonomous freight market accelerates Reuters
Debt
- Granite Asia’s pan-Asia private credit fund crosses USD500m Edge Star
- Asia-Pacific airlines seen tapping offshore funds as funding needs grow, S&P says Edge
- Move over, Warsh. Treasury’s Bessent also has a credibility problem Edge
- Broadcom credit risk soars on mega AI debt financing backstops Edge
- Why the bond market may be resetting expectations about the US Yahoo Reuters
- Druckenmiller says Treasury’s bond buyback fights the market Desk Yahoo Reuters
- Scott Bessent’s bond plan won’t work, Citi economist says Yahoo
- Biden added USD8t to national debt, 3rd biggest spending president Yahoo
- Trump plans to grow his way out of USD40t debt crisis Yahoo
- Economist says US has no chance of growing its way out of USD40t debt Yahoo
- Brazil central bank flags risks from credit growth Star
Commodities
- Monsoon may ease ‘super El Niño’ potential impact on palm oil output Star
- New Sinopec boss presses reset for world’s biggest oil refiner Star Reuters
- US widens sanctions on Iran, withholds more punishing options Edge NST Desk Telegraph
- Bessent’s Iran complex strategy, requires time Yahoo
- Bessent’s D-Day sanctions are more Anzio, but Iran response is key Star
- Iran vows to resist widened US sanctions, says Washington seeks talks Edge
- Iran, Oman push talks for interim reopening of Hormuz Strait Yahoo
- Oil extends fall as investors shrug off US sanctions on Iran Edge NST Star Yahoo Reuters
- Shipping oil through Hormuz costs USD20m, Total CEO says Star
- Commodity vessel transits through Strait of Hormuz hit 3-month low Star
- 6 months into Iran war, almost half of global oil flows from war zones Reuters
- SLB gains access to Venezuela’s coveted oilfield data through contract Reuters
Digital assets
- Thailand moves closer to bitcoin, ether ETFs with draft rules Telegraph
- China’s digital yuan gains momentum on mBridge amid US volatility Star
- South Korea trade giant POSCO tokenises trade receivables on Avalanche Desk
- India plans first tokenised bonds using wholesale CBDC Telegraph
- Franklin Templeton and Hashkey roll out US tokenised money fund in Asia Desk
- Stablecoin card spending forecast to hit USD50b a year by 2028 Reuters
- LayerZero unveils trading infrastructure for crypto and tokenised markets Desk
- Bitcoin tops USD80k as bullish mood returns to crypto market Edge NST Star Desk Reuters
- Bitcoin short squeeze for the ages as futures open interest collapses Desk
- Bitcoin enters ‘initial phase’ of new bull market, but USD83k remains key Telegraph
- Strategy’s USD66b bitcoin machine hinges on capital markets, not BTC price Telegraph
- US state banking associations plan to launch nationwide blockchain network Desk
- Zerohash back for second effort at OCC trust bank charter Desk
- Las Vegas businessman convicted in USD24m crypto Ponzi scheme Desk Telegraph
M&A
- Japan’s Tokio Marine eyes insurer Suncorp as preferred takeover target Edge
- Buyers circle Warner assets with Paramount legal fight extended Star
- Crypto custody firm Copper’s potential buyers offer below USD500m asking price Desk
- California AG says no settlement talks scheduled with Paramount Reuters
- Gunvor in talks to buy Haynesville shale assets for over USD1b Reuters
Other markets
- Indonesia’s Prabowo launches 14 solar power projects Edge
- Thailand plans overhaul of market laws to speed up fraud probes Edge
- Deutsche Bank sees fresh BSP rate hike to 5% Star
- Chinese yuan slips from 3½-year high after PBOC signals unease over rapid gains Star
- Dozens of China, Hong Kong firms hit by Bessent’s Iran sanctions Edge
- Weak yen may force BOJ to hike rate next month Star
- BOJ to speed up its tightening campaign, raise key rate to 1.25% in Sep Reuters
- Iran’s currency hits record low as US moves to unveil new sanctions NST
- Asia-Pacific region to grow 4.2%; AI boom to cushion headwinds Star
- 4 Fed bank boards wanted rate hike, minutes show Yahoo Reuters
- US rates need to rise soon absent evidence of ongoing drop in inflation Yahoo Reuters
- Jackson Hole offers Warsh high profile slot to rebut his critics Yahoo
- Jackson Hole’s big question: who pays the government’s bill? Yahoo Reuters
- FICO credit scores are holding up, but consumers are under pressure Yahoo
- US consumer confidence falls in Aug, Conference Board says Reuters
- Anthropic expected to tell investors it sees over USD30t in potential revenue Yahoo Reuters
- Mark Cuban’s solution for wealth inequality Yahoo
- MrBeast has negative money despite USD2.6b net worth Yahoo
- Canada slaps retaliatory tariffs on US goods worth USD20b Yahoo Reuters
- Germany’s 2Q GDP better than expected Star
- Saudi Arabia signs USD7b deal with France for 3 Paris theme parks Mail
- IMF’s Georgieva says global economy weathering energy shock, sees fiscal concerns Reuters
- Catalysing competitiveness Edge