Unitree IPO, US Inflation, Gold at $4,449, and CK Hutchison Results: The Week in Markets (Aug 14, 2026)

The China-based AI firm DeepSeek participated as a strategic investor in the offering .

US July Inflation Data: Benign Readings Reinforce Fed Patience

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on August 12 . The headline CPI rose 0.1% month-over-month, exactly matching economists' expectations and rebounding from a 0.4% decline in June . On a year-over-year basis, headline inflation cooled to 3.4%, down from 3.5% in June and marking the second straight month of deceleration .

Core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose 0.2% month-over-month. Its annual rate eased to 2.5%, down from 2.6% in June and returning to its pre-Iran conflict pace from February 2026 . The benign readings reinforced market expectations that the Federal Reserve would hold interest rates steady at its September meeting .

Gold Prices: A Nine-Week High

Gold rallied throughout the week, driven by the soft inflation data, a softer US dollar, renewed Chinese physical demand, and continued central bank buying .

Spot gold hit a nine-week high on Monday, August 10, reaching $4,376.56 per ounce . It didn't stop there. On August 12, spot gold hit a fresh all-time intraday record of $4,426.66 before closing at $4,431.46 . The week's peak was recorded on August 13, with a high of $4,449.78 per ounce . By August 14, gold had settled around $4,382-$4,392, still near its highest level since early June . The previous week saw gold surge 7.7%, its biggest weekly gain since March 2020 .

CK Hutchison Holdings Interim Results: Asset Sales Drive Reported Profit Surge

CK Hutchison Holdings (0001.HK) reported its H1 2026 results on August 13 . The headline numbers were dominated by a massive one-off gain from asset disposals.

Key financials:

• Underlying profit grew 6.7% to HK$12.6 billion, with underlying revenue up 7% to HK$241.6 billion . Underlying EBITDA and EBIT each rose 5-6% in reported currency .
• Reported net income surged to HK$26.8 billion, a roughly 31-fold increase from HK$852 million a year earlier . This was driven by a one-off extraordinary gain of HK$17.7 billion ($2.26 billion) from the disposal of its interests in UK Rails and UK Power Networks .
• The interim dividend was raised 5% to 74.55 HK cents per share .
• The ports division reported a 1% drop in throughput and was specifically hit by a halt to operations in Panama, which cost the division an estimated HK$496 million . Strong contributions from its retail business and investment in Canadian oil firm Cenovus Energy helped offset these pressures .

Standard Chartered Survey: Hong Kong Affluent Life Goals (Unconfirmed Detail)

While the user reported that a Standard Chartered survey showed real estate falling to seventh among Hong Kong's affluent life goals with only 24% citing home ownership, this specific data could not be directly confirmed from the sources retrieved within the search budget for this article. This aligns with broader trends of declining property sentiment in Hong Kong, but the specific figures should be treated as unconfirmed until verified from the primary source.

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