A pickup in U.S. inflation in August has reinforced market expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise rates by 25 basis points on Wednesday. Inflation has remained above the Fed’s 2% target, following a jobs report that also surprised to the upside. Rising U.S.-Iran tensions have also helped push oil prices above US$100 a barrel, adding another layer of uncertainty for investors weighing the market outlook.

The US added 162,000 jobs in August, beating market expectations and reinforcing the Federal Reserve’s view that the labor market remains stable. The stronger-than-expected data revived concerns that the Fed could raise interest rates later this month. President Donald Trump again publicly urged the central bank to cut borrowing costs.

The US Treasury expanded sanctions on Iran, adding 60 individuals, entities and vessels in an effort to cut off revenue from Iran’s oil exports. The measures stopped short of the most punitive steps and did not include Chinese financial institutions suspected of facilitating Iran’s oil trade. Oil prices fell by more than US$2 a barrel on Monday after the announcement.

Singapore’s Ministry of Law on Aug 4 proposed changes to lower the owner-consent thresholds for en bloc sales of older private condominiums. The threshold would fall to 70% for developments aged 40–59 years and to 65% for those aged 60 years and above. The draft law would also raise the cap on court-ordered compensation for objecting owners to 0.5% of sale proceeds per unit or S$2,000, whichever is higher.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) reported fiscal 2024 first-quarter net profit of 809.4 billion yen for April–June, up 48% year on year. The bank cited stronger domestic loan demand as Japan emerges from deflation and an expansion in net interest margins. MUFG also booked 222.2 billion yen of investment income from its 24.2% stake in Morgan Stanley. Over the same period, it increased Japanese government bond holdings by 1.37 trillion yen to 16.16 trillion yen.

Strong results from Microsoft and Amazon helped push the Nasdaq up nearly 3% for the week, sparking a historic rebound in South Korea’s KOSPI. South Korea’s government said it would inject almost US$14 billion into its sovereign wealth fund for AI investment and data-centre construction. SK Hynix jumped 30% in a single session after SK Group Chair Chey Taewon bought about US$3 million of the company’s shares in a personal capacity.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group reported a net loss of S$76 million in the first quarter of FY2026, swinging from a S$186 million profit a year earlier. Net fuel costs rose S$991 million year on year to S$2,253 million due to the Middle East conflict, while its share of losses from Air India increased by S$42 million. The group posted record revenue in the quarter, but the rise in expenditure significantly eroded profitability.

ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), China’s leading DRAM chipmaker, raised 57.92 billion yuan in Asia’s largest IPO this year. The stock jumped from its 8.66 yuan offer price to 49.50 yuan in its Shanghai debut on Monday (Jul 27), lifting its market value to about 3.65 trillion yuan and briefly putting it ahead of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. The move highlights the premium investors are placing on a rare, pure-play domestic semiconductor heavyweight.

Singapore has removed the 15-month wait-out period for people who sell private homes and want to buy HDB resale flats, National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat said on July 28. The change takes effect immediately and is meant to reduce disruption for households with genuine housing needs when switching from private property to public resale flats. Authorities said the decision reflects improved market conditions, with lower interest rates easing mortgage servicing. The move is a domestic housing policy adjustment and does not involve cross-border financial tools or global traditional asset markets.