South Korea Financial Markets

Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026.

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World shares are mixed and US futures edge higher, while oil prices slip

World shares are mixed and US futures edge higher, while oil prices slip

World shares are mixed following a retreat on Wall Street, as the U.S. Treasury Department's plan to expand government debt buybacks appeared to have only limited capacity to calm markets. U.S. futures edged higher. The Treasury Department said Wednesday that it will at least double the size of its planned purchases of longer-term government debt. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signaled Thursday the repurchase program could be larger. The announcement temporarily brought down Treasury yields, but by early Friday the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield was already back to levels early this week. That's weighing on share prices. On Thursday, the S&P 500 lost 0.9%. The Dow industrials fell 1.3%, and the Nasdaq composite dropped 1%.