Kospi Pulls Back as Copper Eases and Corn Hits a Three-Year High | Technical Analysis | Asian Session | 28 Aug 2026
Kospi Pulls Back From Its Record High, Copper Eases Further and Corn Hits a Three-Year High, as Traders Brace for Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s First Jackson Hole Keynote
USD/JPY · NZD/USD · Copper · Corn · Kospi · Cardano · Solana — live Asian market outlook today, updated through the trading session
Asian Market News — Live Now, 28 August 2026
Top-moving headlines shaping the Asian market outlook today, updated through the morning
All Eyes on Fed Chair Warsh’s Debut Jackson Hole Keynote Tonight
Fed Chair Kevin Warsh delivers his first Jackson Hole keynote at 10:00am ET on Friday, capping the three-day Economic Policy Symposium themed around payments innovation. Traders care less about the CBDC agenda than about any signal on the Fed’s reaction function, with September rate-hike odds currently sitting near one-in-three and the speech expected to drive most of the day’s volatility across the Dollar, Treasuries and risk assets.
Central BanksKospi Slips as Foreign Selling Overshadows Nvidia’s Blowout Beat
South Korea’s Kospi fell around 1% in early trade to near 6,846, as foreign and institutional investors extended net selling despite sharp overnight gains on Wall Street led by Nvidia and Salesforce. Large-cap chip names including SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics traded lower even as their direct exposure to Nvidia’s upgraded AI outlook should be a structural tailwind, with investors reluctant to add risk ahead of tonight’s Warsh keynote.
EquitiesJackson Hole Enters Its Final Day With a Rare Dual-Hike Backdrop
The Kansas City Fed’s Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium runs through Saturday, but Friday’s keynote from Warsh is the standout event. Unusually, both the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan face live rate-hike speculation into their respective September meetings — Fed odds sit near one-in-three while BOJ September hike odds sit near 84-87% — leaving genuine two-way risk for the Dollar and the Yen alike.
MacroCorn Jumps to Its Highest Level Since 2023 on Weak Crop Tour Yields
Corn futures have climbed to around 537-538¢/bushel, the highest print since 2023, after the Pro Farmer Crop Tour pegged the 2026 US corn yield at 173.2 bushels per acre, well below the USDA’s 180.7-bushel forecast. The USDA’s own crop report added to the bullish tone, showing the share of corn rated good-to-excellent falling three points to 57% for the week ended August 23.
CommoditiesCopper Extends Its Slide From Record on Rising Exchange Stockpiles
Copper has eased further to around $6.55-6.60 per pound, retreating from Tuesday’s all-time COMEX settlement high of $6.7115 as LME-monitored inventories run about 16% above their February low and SHFE stockpiles jumped 28.4% last week. Zijin Mining’s warning that flooding at the Kamoa-Kakula complex in the DRC could cut its output by up to 57,000 tons this year is a partial offset to the bearish inventory story.
CommoditiesKiwi Dollar Softens as Fresh US Sanctions Rattle Risk Appetite
NZD/USD has slipped toward 0.5950-0.5967 after Washington expanded sanctions targeting Iran’s oil revenue and weapons-procurement network, souring broader risk sentiment even as the Reserve Bank of New Zealand remains widely expected to hike again in September on persistently elevated inflation. Solana and Cardano are both firmer, with Solana extending its rebound on record ETF inflows and Cardano climbing roughly 3.5% on fresh institutional interest.
Crypto & FXLive · Updated through the Asian morning session, Friday 28 August 2026
Asian Economic Calendar This Week — 28 August 2026
Key releases and events shaping price action through the rest of the week
| Time | Event | Forecast / Detail | Impact | Market Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸Friday, 28 August, 10:00am ET | Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s First Jackson Hole Keynote | Delivered at Jackson Lake Lodge, Wyoming; theme is payments innovation | 🔴 CRITICAL | The single biggest swing factor for the Dollar, the Yen and global risk appetite this week |
| 🌈Today (Asian Morning) | Kospi Retreats From Record High on Profit-Taking | Kospi down around 1% near 6,830-6,870, off Thursday’s 6,912 close | 🔴 CRITICAL | Foreign and institutional selling is offsetting Nvidia’s direct read-through to chip suppliers |
| 🇺🇸Thu-Sat, 27-29 August | Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium | Central bankers from more than 70 countries gather in Wyoming | 🔴 CRITICAL | Sets the tone for global monetary policy into the September FOMC and BOJ meetings |
| 🇯🇷This Week | BOJ Officials’ Public Remarks | September hike odds holding near 84-87% per prediction-market pricing | 🔴 CRITICAL | Any pushback against the aggressive hike pricing would be a fresh Yen catalyst |
| 🇺🇸Overnight (US Close, 27 Aug) | Nvidia and Salesforce Earnings Lift Wall Street | S&P 500 +0.72%, Nasdaq +1.57%, Dow +0.20% | 🔴 CRITICAL | Strong AI-linked earnings are the key support for regional chip suppliers into the weekend |
| 🇺🇸This Week (Released) | Pro Farmer Crop Tour — 2026 Corn Yield Estimate | 173.2 bushels/acre vs USDA forecast of 180.7 bushels/acre | 🟢 MEDIUM | Weaker-than-expected yields are the dominant driver behind Corn’s push to three-year highs |
| 🇮🇷This Week | Fresh US Sanctions on Iran | Expanded secondary sanctions across five sectors of Iran’s economy | 🟢 MEDIUM | Keeps a mild risk-off premium weighing on the Kiwi Dollar and other high-beta currencies |
Asian Session Trade Ideas — USD/JPY Forecast Today and More
Technical setups and fundamental context across the session’s seven key instruments
USD/JPY
Why This Setup
BOJ September hike odds near 84-87% cap the pair’s upside, though tonight’s Warsh keynote is a genuine source of two-way risk that could overwhelm the BOJ story either direction.
