Markets Pre-Open (Friday, August 21)
US INDICES (futures, 1:30 PM UTC / 9:30 AM ET)
- S&P 500: 7,677 (+0.47%)
- Dow: 53,048 (+0.55%)
- Nasdaq: 26,067 (-1.00%)
- Russell 2000: 2,992 (-1.34%)
- VIX: 15.49 (-3.25%) ← risk-off easing
OVERNIGHT ASIA
- Nikkei: 66,016 (-0.30%)
- Hang Seng: 26,009 (+1.21%) ✅
- KOSPI: 6,913 (+0.88%)
- Shanghai: 3,905 (+0.04%)
EUROPE (mid-session)
- DAX: 26,106 (+0.47%)
- FTSE: 10,782 (+0.31%)
- Euro Stoxx 50: 6,452 (+0.47%)
COMMODITIES
- Gold: $4,637 (+1.44%) — new high
- WTI Crude: $86.79 (-0.05%)
- Brent: $94.05 (+0.29%)
- Silver: $69.57 (+2.16%)
- Copper: $6.59 (+1.82%)
CRYPTO
- Bitcoin: $76,860 (+7.27%) 🔥
- Ethereum: $2,387 (+4.90%)
- XRP: $1.39 (+13.98%) 🚀
- Solana: $90.72 (+4.89%)
BONDS
- 10Y Treasury: 4.706% (+0.21%)
- 30Y: 5.25% (+0.31%)
- 2Y: 4.389% (+0.05%)
Geopolitical Intel (ThinkCreate)
PRIORITY THREATS
- [LVL 5/10] US allies in Asia wary as Trump moves military assets for Iran war (Al Jazeera, 6 sources, 38.9°N, -77.0°W)
- [LVL 5/10] Wars are happening across the world. Many of them are connected (NPR, 2 sources, 32.4°N, 53.7°E)
- [LVL 4/10] Tropical Cyclone EIGHTEEN-26 — green alert, 120 km/h winds (GDACS)
- [LVL 3/10] Trump courts Kim, Pyongyang ups price, Seoul fears being sidelined (NPR, 39.0°N, 125.8°E)
- [LVL 3/10] Russia imports gas as Ukrainian strikes result in shortages (NPR, 61.5°N, 105.3°E)
- [LVL 3/10] Rosenberg: Shortage of petrol but not patriotism as Russians feel growing impact of war (BBC)
DEFENSE STOCKS (sold off despite geo headlines)
- RTX: $212.29 (-3.66%) ❌
- LMT: $571.48 (-3.00%) ❌
- NOC: $563.86 (-3.26%) ❌
- GD: $386.07 (-1.60%)
- BA: $215.10 (-3.20%) ❌
- PLTR: $173.96 (-0.70%)
LIVE DATA SNAPSHOT
- Commercial flights: 8,154 | Military: 258 | Private: 2,264
- Tracked/flagged aircraft: 1,411
- Vessels (ships): 11
- Satellites: 540
- GPS jamming events: 28
- Earthquakes (24h): 50
- GDELT incidents: 857
Earnings — TODAY (Friday, August 21)
BEATS
- UI (Ubiquiti): EPS $4.73 vs $4.03 est (+17.3% surprise) ✅ Market cap: $34.7B
- BJ (BJ’s Wholesale): EPS $1.36 vs $1.17 est (+16.5%) ✅ Market cap: $11.7B — member count hit record 8.5M
- BKE (The Buckle): EPS $0.87 vs $0.81 est (+7.4%) ✅ Market cap: $2.2B
- BEKE (KE Holdings): EPS $2.85 vs $2.12 est (+34.5%) ✅ Market cap: $18.8B
Earnings — MONDAY (August 24)
KEY REPORTS (pre-market)
- PDD (PDD Holdings): Est EPS $18.35 | Market cap: $127B
- XPEV (XPeng): Est EPS -$0.76 | Market cap: $11.5B
- NSSC (Napco Security Tech): Est EPS $0.38 | Market cap: $1.4B
AFTER-HOURS
- WDS (Woodside Energy): Market cap $45.9B
- TUYA (Tuya Inc.): Est EPS $0.03 | Market cap $1.1B
- ANAB (AnaptysBio): Est EPS $0.14 | Market cap $1.7B
Key Economic Events
Tuesday, August 26 (8:30 AM ET):
- PCE Price Index YY (prev: 3.7%)
- Core PCE Price Index YY (prev: 3.3%)
Also Aug 26:
- NVIDIA (NVDA) reports Q2 earnings — pre-market
- Salesforce (CRM) reports
- HP (HPQ) reports
Bottom Line
Defense stocks sold off despite escalating geopolitical headlines — market pricing potential Iran de-escalation or Trump diplomatic pivot. Bitcoin surged 7% as VIX dropped and risk appetite returned. Gold hit new highs above $4,600. Earnings beats across retail (BJ’s, Buckle) and tech (Ubiquiti, BEKE). Watch NVIDIA and PCE inflation data Tuesday for next directional cues.