Bloomberg Television·2026-08-20 05:14Macro & Monetary Policy - U.S. Treasury announced plans to double bond buybacks for 10-year and 30-year notes, causing 30-year yields to fall by 10 basis points[1][3][51] - U.S. public debt reached $40 trillion, with ongoing concerns over fiscal deficits and inflation[3][11][105] - U.S. and Canada reached a tentative trade deal reducing auto tariffs on certain exports to 15% and steel/aluminum to 25%[43][44] - President Trump announced unprecedented economic operations against Iran, while crude oil continued to move through the Strait of Hormuz via southern routes[26][49][71] Corporate Performance & Market Trends - SK Hynix announced a $29 billion share buyback plan to stabilize its stock price, alongside reports of raising advanced chip-making prices by 10% to 15%[1][130][134] - AIA reported a 13% growth in the value of new business to $3.2 billion, with operating profit after tax per share growing 13% and return on equity (ROE) reaching 17.5%[53][54] - Alibaba's cloud business revenue growth and AI spending came into focus ahead of first-quarter results, with free cash flow expected to see 17 billion yuan in negative territory[27][29] - Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing delivered a record half-yearly net profit with year-to-date average daily turnover exceeding 280 billion Hong Kong dollars[31][33][34] - Northern Star Resources reported a net income of $0.66 billion, while Evolution Mining reported a full-year profit of 0.5 billion Australian dollars, up 59% year-over-year[4][75]