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Hong Kong Stocks Fall as Oil Rises Ahead of US Inflation Data; Galaxy Entertainment Gains on Profit

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Hong Kong stocks closed lower Wednesday as rising oil prices and renewed geopolitical tensions weighed on sentiment.

The Hang Seng Index fell 212.65 points, or 0.8%, to close at 25,440.17, while the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index lost 81.83 points, or 1.0%, to finish at 8,446.27.

Oil prices extended their gains after attacks on shipping by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis and a U.S. strike on a container ship heading toward an Iranian port heightened concerns over potential supply disruptions.

Brent crude rose 0.6% to $89.46 a barrel, putting it on track for a sixth straight daily gain.

Investors looked to Wednesday's U.S. consumer price report for fresh clues on the Federal Reserve's policy outlook, with markets pricing roughly even odds of a rate hike in September.

In corporate news, Galaxy Entertainment (HKG:0027) gained nearly 4% after posting higher first-half profit.

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Asia Markets

Update: US Equity Indexes Decline as Growth Sectors Hit Amid Gains in Crude Oil Ahead of July's Consumer Price Inflation Data

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data and geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes fell Tuesday amid declines in growth sectors as higher crude oil prices and fading hopes of a quick reopening of the Strait of Hormuz increased focus on July's consumer price inflation data.The Nasdaq Composite retreated 0.6% to 26,445.45, the S&P 500 slid 0.3% to 7,728.20, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.3% to 53,791.85. Communication services, consumer discretionary and technology were among the steepest decliners. Energy led the gainers.AppLovin's (APP) 30% long-term annual revenue growth target lacks sufficient evidence, with uncertainty rising around the sustainability of its self-learning growth, BofA Securities said in a note. Shares dropped 6%, the worst performer on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq.SK Hynix (SKHY) plans to resume construction at its second NAND flash facility in Dalian, China, to boost output by about 50%, Seoul Economic Daily reported. Shares jumped 4.7%, the top performer among stocks with market capitalization of more than $200 billion each, according to data compiled by Finviz. The worst performers in this category were SpaceX (SPCX), down 3.9%, followed by Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) and Dell Technologies (DELL).Mohsen Rezaee, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told China's ambassador the Strait of Hormuz "will not be opened until the United States changes its behavior and accepts Iran's conditions," Al Jazeera, a Middle Eastern broadcaster, said, citing Iran's Tasnim news agency. "America must end the war, pay Iran's frozen assets, the war must end throughout the region, including in Lebanon and Gaza," Reuters cited Rezaee as saying in a report from Tasnim.A Saudi-owned commercial vessel was reportedly struck by a missile while transiting the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, CNN reported, citing Marisks, a marine intelligence group. An incident involving a container ship and an unknown military force in the Gulf of Oman has been reported by the UK Maritime Trade Operations, the news report added.Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil climbed 1.7% to $83.50 per barrel, and global benchmark North Sea Brent advanced 1.5% to $89.17 per barrel, fueling concern that higher energy prices will make it challenging for the Federal Reserve to extend its five-meetings-long pause.Speaking to inflationary concerns ahead of consumer prices due Wednesday, Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack noted on Monday that price pressures are rising, according to a Stifel note. Hammack, one of the three dissenters who opposed the July policy hold, said more than one rate increase may be needed to ease inflation back to the Fed's 2% target.The pace of US existing home sales fell by 1.7% to a 4.06 million seasonally adjusted annual rate in July from 4.13 million in June, compared with a larger expected decrease to a 4.05 million rate in a survey compiled by Bloomberg, data from the National Association of Realtors released Tuesday showed.The National Federation of Independent Business's monthly Small Business Optimism Index rose to 99.8 in July from 97.4 in June.Redbook US same-store sales jumped 8.3% from a year earlier in the week ended Aug. 8 after an 8.7% surge in the previous week.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$APP$DELL$GOOG$GOOGL$SKHY$SPCX
Asia Markets

Update: US Equity Indexes Fall as Communication Services Leads Sectors Lower, Crude Oil Up Amid Hormuz Reopening Concerns

(Updates with index/price moves and geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes slipped amid a decline in growth sectors, while crude oil extended gains as investors weighed geopolitical developments in the Middle East to gauge the timing for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.5% to 26,476, the S&P 500 slipped 0.2% to 7,738.5 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.1% lower at 53,907.9.Communication services, consumer discretionary and technology led decliners, while energy topped the gainers.SK hynix (SKHY) plans to resume construction at its second NAND flash facility in Dalian, China, to boost local output by about 50%, Seoul Economic Daily reported, citing semiconductor industry sources. Its shares jumped 3.2%, the top performer among stocks with market capitalization of more than $200 billion each, according to data compiled by Finviz.AppLovin's (APP) 30% long-term annual revenue growth target lacks sufficient evidence, with uncertainty rising around the sustainability of its self-learning growth, BofA Securities said Tuesday in a report. Shares dropped 5.2%, the worst performer on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq.US and Iran are "close to some sort of arrangement" over the Strait of Hormuz, Pakistan's defense minister was cited as saying in a Bloomberg report. Majed al-Ansari, Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesman, said negotiations between Oman and Iran on the future of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz have reached an advanced stage, Al Jazeera, a Middle Eastern broadcaster, reported. Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is heading to Tehran to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart, Bloomberg cited Iran's semi-official Fars agency.A Saudi-owned commercial vessel was reportedly struck by a missile while transiting the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, shipping sources and Yemeni officials told marine intelligence group Marisks, according to CNN. An incident involving a container ship and an unknown military force in the Gulf of Oman has been reported by the UK Maritime Trade Operations, CNN reported.Mohsen Rezaee, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told China's ambassador that the Strait of Hormuz "will not be opened until the United States changes its behavior and accepts Iran's conditions," Al Jazeera cited Iran's Tasnim news agency.The front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil contract climbed 1.39% to $83.27 per barrel, and global benchmark North Sea Brent advanced 1.1% to $88.69 per barrel, extending gains this week.US Treasury yields fell, with the 10-year yield down 1.6 basis points to 4.68% and the two-year lower by 1.5 basis points to 4.22%, giving up all gains before the US equity market opened for regular trading on Tuesday.Gold futures rose 0.6% to $4,444.01, while silver futures slipped 0.3% to $65.07.In economic news, the pace of US existing home sales fell by 1.7% to a 4.06 million seasonally adjusted annual rate in July from 4.13 million in June, compared with a larger expected decrease to a 4.05 million rate in a survey compiled by Bloomberg, data from the National Association of Realtors released Tuesday showed.The National Federation of Independent Business's monthly Small Business Optimism Index rose to 99.8 in July from 97.4 in June but was below the 100.3 reported a year earlier.Redbook US same-store sales jumped 8.3% from a year earlier in the week ended Aug. 8 after an 8.7% surge in the previous week.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$APP$SKHY
Asia Markets

Exchange-Traded Funds Mixed, US Equities Fall After Midday

Broad Market IndicatorsBroad-market exchange-traded fund IWM rose and IVV edged lower. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) shed 0.4%.US equity indexes slipped with government bond yields while crude oil extended gains as investors weighed geopolitical developments in the Middle East.EnergyIShares US Energy ETF (IYE) and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) each added about 1%.TechnologyThe State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) fell 0.2%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) also declined.The State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) added 0.9%, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) rose 0.5%.FinancialThe State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) rose 0.4%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) advanced 1.1%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), declined 1.1%.CommoditiesCrude oil rose 1%, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) gained 0.9%. Natural gas shed 1.5%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was down 1.1%.Gold on Comex rose 0.5%, and the State Street SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) shed 0.2%. Silver was down 0.4%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) lost 1.2%.ConsumerThe State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) was down 0.5%. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) fell 0.3%, and iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) eased 0.3%.The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) was down 0.3%. VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) lost 0.6%, and the State Street SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) fell 0.7%.HealthcareThe State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) dipped 0.4%, iShares US Healthcare (IYH) lost 0.4%, and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) was down 0.3%. IShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) rose 0.2%.IndustrialThe State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) added 0.7%. Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) were also higher.CryptocurrencyIn midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) fell 0.8%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) lost 0.8%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) was down 0.9%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) dipped 1.7%.

Dow Jones^EEM^EXI^FAS^FAZ^GLD^IBB^IGM^IGV^IPK^IVV^IWMNasdaq Composite^IYE^IYH^IYJ^IYK^IYW^PMR^QQQ^RTH^SOXXS&P 500^SPY^UNG^USO^VDC^VHT^VIS^XLE^XLF^XLI^XLK^XLP^XLV^XRT^XSD$BETH$BITO$EETH