Asian Stocks Slip as AI Rally Fades, Oil Holds Steady on Iran Peace Deal Hopes 
Gold Prices Surge 7% as Dollar Falls, Fed Rate Hike Bets Ease 
Canada, US Hold Constructive Trade Talks as Tariff Negotiations Continue 
Oil Prices Slip as Hormuz Shipping Progress and Rising U.S. Crude Stocks Weigh on Market 
Wall Street Ends Mixed as Dow Hits Record Despite Tech Weakness 
China Exports Beat July Forecasts as AI Demand Fuels High-Tech Trade 
Gold Prices Steady as Hormuz Tensions Fuel Fed Rate Concerns 
Oil Prices Surge as Iran Hormuz Restrictions Renew Supply Fears 
Asian Currencies Steady as Markets Await U.S. Jobs Data 
The Japanese government bonds closed flat Wednesday as investors keep a close eye on the country’s national consumer price inflation (CPI) for the month of July, scheduled to be released on August 22 by 23:30GMT and the August manufacturing PMI, due early on the same day for further direction in the debt market.
At close, the yield on the benchmark 10-year JGB note, which moves inversely to its price, slumped 9 basis points to -0.238 percent, the yield on the long-term 30-year suffered 1-1/2 basis points to 0.181 percent and the yield on short-term 2-year plunged 16 basis points to -0.299 percent.
"Ahead of Jackson Hole, headline risks starting from Friday, Sino-US tensions remain near a boil with late Tuesday comments from US Secretary of State Pompeo on Huawei. Overall, EUR-USD expected to remain top heavy while GBP-USD may base build while it can (with EUR-GBP seen top heavy). Risk appetite levels we think remain fragile with USD-JPY looking suppressed again and the AUD-USD dead in the water," OCBC Treasury Research reported.
Meanwhile, the Nikkei 225 index closed tad -0.28 percent down at 20,618.57.
