Imports climbed 12.5% to $7.8 billion, reflecting stronger demand for consumer goods (up 16.5%), especially vehicles (70.7%), and for intermediate goods (up 20.5%), with notable jumps in energy imports such as oil (120.5%, compared with a 7.1% decline in July) and diesel (63.2%, versus an 18.3% drop previously). By contrast, imports of capital goods fell 6.3%.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Washington would maintain its naval presence and the blockade. A sharper rebound in crude prices was curbed, however, as major economies tapped strategic inventories to offset higher import costs. U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) stocks fell to below 290 million barrels, their lowest level since 1982.

In addition, China sharply reduced crude oil imports, and domestic refinery runs were cut by only 1.6 million barrels per day, signaling a decline in crude consumption despite stable demand for refined products.

The month-on-month decrease in imports suggests a cooling in the pace of goods entering the country, which could reflect changes in global trade conditions, exchange rate dynamics, or shifts in Chilean demand for foreign products. Market participants and policymakers are likely to watch upcoming trade data closely to determine whether this decline marks a temporary adjustment or the start of a more persistent trend in Chile’s external sector.

The latest data, updated on 7 September 2026, indicate a month-on-month decline in export value, suggesting a softening in external demand or pricing for Chilean goods and commodities over the period. While the figures remain robust in absolute terms, the drop from July highlights growing pressure on Chile’s trade performance as the third quarter progresses.

Market participants and policymakers will be watching upcoming releases closely to assess whether August’s decline marks the start of a more persistent downtrend in Chile’s export revenues or a short-term adjustment after a stronger July reading.

The moderation in the surplus signals a slight weakening in Chile’s external position month-on-month, following July’s stronger trade performance. While the country continues to post a solid positive trade balance, the August figures suggest a cooling in net exports compared with the previous month.

Market participants and analysts will be watching upcoming releases to determine whether August marks the start of a trend towards a smaller surplus or a temporary adjustment after July’s higher reading.

The month-on-month decrease in export value underscores a softer performance in Chile’s key commodity sector during August. Copper is a central pillar of Chile’s external accounts, so the lower export figure may have implications for trade balances, fiscal projections, and market expectations tied to the country’s mining-driven economy.

Analysts and investors will be watching upcoming data closely to determine whether August’s weaker copper export revenues reflect a temporary fluctuation or signal a more prolonged moderation in demand or prices for the metal.

The month-on-month increase suggests an improvement in the Philippines’ capacity to cover external obligations and manage potential volatility in the foreign exchange market. While the specific drivers of the buildup were not detailed, higher reserve levels generally support currency stability and bolster investor confidence, particularly in emerging markets sensitive to global financial conditions.

These developments have been compounded by persistent worries that the US administration could introduce tariffs on unprocessed copper products, prompting buyers to accelerate orders and front-load deliveries. As a result, backwardation in copper futures has deepened across the major Western exchanges.

On the mined supply side, conditions have also deteriorated. Both Codelco and Freeport-McMoRan have reported double-digit declines in output, shortly after the International Copper Study Group estimated that global production fell by 1.1% in the first half of the year.

Rate-sensitive technology counters led the decline, with major IT names such as Infosys, Tech Mahindra and HCLTech dropping between 0.9% and 3.8%. In contrast, infrastructure, telecom and defence stocks showed relative resilience. L&T and Bharti Airtel both advanced about 0.6%, emerging as the session’s notable outperformers.

According to the latest data updated on 7 September 2026, Israel’s FX reserves in US dollar terms increased to $241.641 billion in August, compared with $238.791 billion at the end of July 2026. The gain reflects a month-on-month expansion of nearly $2.9 billion in the country’s foreign currency holdings.

The higher reserve level is likely to be interpreted by markets as a sign of sustained external resilience, with policymakers retaining ample capacity to manage currency volatility and external shocks through their reserve assets.

Nonetheless, substantial uncertainty persists. Ongoing attacks by both Russia and Ukraine on ports and commercial vessels continue to severely limit grain exports from the region. While wheat supplies in the Black Sea remain available, exporters still face major logistical obstacles in moving cargoes to global markets. As a result of the disruption, Asian buyers have increasingly turned to alternative origins, with trade sources reporting recent purchases totaling at least 500,000 metric tons of Australian and Argentine wheat.

Price growth for miscellaneous goods and services was unchanged at 1.9%. Meanwhile, inflation eased in alcoholic beverages and tobacco (9.4% vs. 9.5%), food and non-alcoholic beverages (1.0% vs. 1.1%), furniture and household equipment (1.7% vs. 2.1%), and insurance and financial services (0.3% vs. 1.6%). On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose 0.4% in August, after a 0.1% increase in the previous month.

The Month-over-Month measure compares the change in August to the previous month, while the June figure reflects the change compared to May. The easing in the leading index suggests that the pace of economic momentum may be moderating as the third quarter progresses, and will be closely watched by investors and policymakers for signs of shifting growth trends in Canada.

Both the current and previous readings are measured on a year-over-year basis, meaning the August figure reflects the change in prices compared with August a year earlier, while the July figure reflects the change versus July a year earlier. The uptick from 4.40% to 4.90% suggests a modest but notable firming in inflation momentum, which could draw attention from policymakers and investors monitoring the trajectory of living costs in the Mauritian economy.

Inflation accelerated in several categories, including personal care, social protection, and miscellaneous goods and services (2.1% vs 0.5% previously), transport (5.3% vs 4.0%), food and non-alcoholic beverages (1.4% vs 1.3%), furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (1.5% vs 0.3%), and insurance and financial services (0.9% vs 0.8%).

By contrast, price pressures eased in housing and utilities (0.5% vs 2.2%), clothing and footwear (1.0% vs 2.5%), alcoholic beverages and tobacco (2.0% vs 2.2%), health (1.8% vs 2.2%), recreation, sport and culture (1.5% vs 2.2%), and restaurants and hotels (3.2% vs 3.5%).

On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose by 1.2% in August, rebounding from a 0.5% decline in July and marking the strongest monthly increase in four months.

Rising borrowing costs, driven by renewed inflation worries amid the US–Iran conflict and uncertainty surrounding Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s spending plans, are squeezing the government’s fiscal headroom and strengthening expectations of tax increases in the forthcoming budget. At the same time, oil prices climbed toward seven-week highs following US strikes on Iranian oil tankers.

On the data front, UK companies increased full-time hiring in August for the first time in four years, even as house prices recorded their first year-on-year decline since November 2023.

However, higher borrowing costs—driven by renewed inflation worries amid the US–Iran conflict and uncertainty over Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s spending plans—are shrinking the government’s fiscal headroom and strengthening expectations of tax rises in the upcoming budget.

In commodity markets, oil prices neared seven-week highs following US strikes on Iranian oil tankers. On the domestic front, UK firms increased full-time hiring in August for the first time in four years, even as housing market data from Lloyds showed UK house prices falling year-on-year for the first time since November 2023.

The latest expansion was supported primarily by a rebound in household consumption, which rose 0.9% after a 0.3% decline in the first quarter, and by a recovery in fixed investment, up 2.2% following a 2.5% drop previously. In contrast, government spending fell by 2.1%, reversing a 4.2% increase in the prior period. Net external demand weighed on growth, as exports rose by 0.5% (after 0.4% in Q1) but were outpaced by imports, which increased 0.6% (after 0.8%).

On a year-on-year basis, GDP grew by 1.9% in the second quarter, marginally below the 2.0% expansion recorded in the preceding quarter.

Net trade provided the largest boost to Eurozone growth, contributing 0.9 percentage points as exports rose 3.4%, comfortably outpacing a 1.5% increase in imports. Household consumption added 0.2 percentage points, with spending up 0.4% after a modest 0.1% rise in Q1. Fixed investment and government expenditure made only negligible contributions, while changes in inventories weighed on activity, subtracting 0.5 percentage points. On a year-on-year basis, Eurozone GDP growth accelerated to 1.2%, above the second estimate of 1.0%.

In contrast, special drawing rights edged down to SGD 8.21 billion from SGD 8.25 billion, and Singapore’s reserve position in the IMF decreased to SGD 1.78 billion from SGD 1.87 billion.

On a year-on-year basis, official foreign exchange reserves were lower in the same month of the previous year, standing at SGD 502.02 billion in August 2025.

Job creation remained particularly strong in Spain, where employment grew by 0.5% (up from 0.3% in Q1). In France, net employment was broadly flat for a third consecutive period. By contrast, employment in Germany declined for the fifth quarter in a row (-0.1%, unchanged from the previous quarter), while in Italy employment growth, though still solid, slowed to 0.3% from 0.5% in Q1. On an annual basis, Eurozone employment growth was stable at 0.5%.