Foreign investors returned to Indian equities in August, with net FPI inflows exceeding $3.2 billion, the strongest monthly inflow since September 2024, led by Consumer Services, Financials and Healthcare. HSBC estimates that if global funds move back to a neutral allocation, as much as $25 billion could flow into India. Supportive factors include Q1 GDP growth of 7.8%, better-than-expected corporate earnings and a stable rupee, which could help sustain foreign inflows.

Asian wheat importers have bought at least 500,000 tons from Argentina and Australia to replace delayed Black Sea cargoes. Australian Premium White wheat has traded around $315$330 per ton and Argentine wheat around $310$315 per ton, well above the $260 to $280 per ton seen for Black Sea cargoes. Benchmark Chicago wheat futures have risen about 35% since late June, while cash prices have climbed across competing exporters. Asian processors have booked about 2.0 million to 2.5 million tons of Black Sea wheat for July-September shipment, covering roughly 30% to 50% of import demand.

U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs in August, far above the 56,000 economists expected, while the unemployment rate held at 4.1%. Annual wage growth slowed to 3.1%, the weakest since June 2021. The stronger jobs report lifted expectations of a Federal Reserve rate increase in September, sending the dollar higher before it pared gains. Bitcoin fell 2.32% to $79,595.

Lululemon cut its full-year sales forecast for a second time this year, as sales in its core leggings category fell about 20% in the second quarter amid a shift toward looser fits. The shares sank about 20% in a single session to around $100, near levels last seen in 2018, wiping roughly $2.5 billion from its market value, according to Reuters. Incoming CEO Heidi O’Neill is set to start on September 8, with rivals Alo and Vuori continuing to gain ground in athleisure.

Campbell’s said fourth-quarter net sales fell more than expected and it issued a weaker-than-expected outlook for annual profit and sales. The company cut its quarterly dividend by more than a third to prioritize debt reduction and is targeting about $500 million in cost savings by fiscal 2030 after closing some plants and reducing headcount. With lower-income shoppers shifting to cheaper brands and store labels, Campbell’s has implemented average price increases of 4% to 5% across roughly 60% of its portfolio.

Dell Technologies’ shares jumped after its earnings report as the company posted a record $95 billion backlog for AI servers. Dell also raised its full-year revenue and profit guidance. The update underscores strong demand for data-center AI infrastructure and strengthens Dell’s position in the market.

Japanese stocks fell sharply on Wednesday after renewed U.S.-Iran military strikes pushed oil prices higher and stoked worries about economic growth. The Nikkei 225 ended down 2.95% at 64,254.56, while the Topix fell 2.37%. Higher government bond yields weighed on growth shares, with tech and chip-related names under pressure and SoftBank Group down more than 6%. Defensive drugmakers bucked the decline and rose.

Renewed Middle East hostilities pushed oil prices higher, with Brent futures at $95.52 a barrel and WTI at $91.02. Expectations of a Federal Reserve rate hike in September rose to 67% from about 40% a week earlier, while the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield climbed to 4.8%. The dollar strengthened as the pound slipped to $1.3509, the Australian dollar held at $0.7143, and the yen stayed weak.

HDFC Bank CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan will depart after his term ends next month. New chairman Rajiv Kumar sought aggressive changes and executive replacements. Jagdishan resisted some proposals and decided not to seek reappointment. The bank now faces a swift search for a new leader. This departure adds to recent turmoil and stock market struggles.