Weekly Analysis: Nikkei 225 Weighs on the Week (-3.9%) · August 17–21, 2026

Photo: Andrea De Santis / Pexels

The trading week of August 17–21, 2026 in review: 72 of 94 tracked assets (77%) finished the week higher, with the major equity indices moving -1.1% on average over the week. The analysis covers equities and benchmark indices first, then crypto, commodities, FX and collectibles.

What Stands Out

Measured against our own history, nothing stood out this week: no benchmark index moved as much as it had in the past six months, and the count of new 52-week highs and lows stayed within the range of recent weeks.

Rule: a benchmark index is listed when its weekly change (Friday to Friday) is its largest in that direction for at least 26 weeks. The count of new 52-week highs or lows appears when it is the highest of the last 13 weeks and at least 5. Based on closing prices in our own database.

Weekly Barometer

Weekly change = weekend close versus roughly five trading days earlier.

Indices Over the Week

Indices over the week

Index	Week	2026	1Y
DAX	-0.34%	–	–
MSCI World	-1.01%	–	–
S&P 500	-1.37%	–	–
Nasdaq 100	-2.41%	–	–
Dow Jones	-0.85%	–	–
Russell 2000	-1.68%	–	–
Euro STOXX 50	-0.47%	–	–
MSCI ACWI	-0.91%	–	–
MSCI ACWI IMI	–	–	–
MSCI China	+1.89%	–	–
MSCI Emerging Markets	+0.77%	–	–
MSCI EM IMI	+0.47%	–	–
MSCI EMU	-0.69%	–	–
MSCI Europe	+0.38%	–	–
MSCI Europe Small Cap	–	–	–
MSCI Japan	-3.09%	–	–
MSCI USA	–	–	–
MSCI USA Communication Services	–	–	–
MSCI USA Consumer Discretionary	–	–	–
MSCI USA Consumer Staples	–	–	–
MSCI USA Financials	–	–	–
MSCI USA Health Care	–	–	–
MSCI USA Information Technology	–	–	–
MSCI World Communication Services	–	–	–
MSCI World Consumer Discretionary	–	–	–
MSCI World Consumer Staples	–	–	–
MSCI World Energy	–	–	–
MSCI World ex USA	-0.37%	–	–
MSCI World Financials	–	–	–
MSCI World Health Care	–	–	–
MSCI World IMI	–	–	–
MSCI World Industrials	–	–	–
MSCI World Information Technology	–	–	–
MSCI World Materials	–	–	–
MSCI World Minimum Volatility	–	–	–
MSCI World Momentum	–	–	–
MSCI World Quality	–	–	–
MSCI World Small Cap	–	–	–
MSCI World SRI	–	–	–
MSCI World Utilities	–	–	–
MSCI World Value	–	–	–
S&P 500 Information Technology	-3.53%	–	–
STOXX Europe 600	–	–	–
Nikkei 225	-3.93%	–	–
MSCI EM SRI	–	–	–
S&P Emerging Markets Dividend Aristocrats	–	–	–
S&P Global Dividend Aristocrats	–	–	–
Nasdaq Composite	-2.07%	–	–

Stocks: Weekly Gainers & Losers

From the US stocks Alysly charts. Weekly swings in single names can be far larger than those of the indices.

Crypto, Commodities and FX

Crypto moved +23.4% on average for the week, led by ENA (+72.5%). Precious metals came in at +5.5%, energy and industrial commodities at +5.8%.

Crypto: Weekly Gainers & Losers

Gainers

Crypto weekly gainers

Name	Price	Change
ENA ENA	$0.1421	+72.45%
HEMI HEMI	$0.0102	+62.30%
PEPE PEPE	$0.00000412	+60.31%
PUMP PUMP	$0.00406	+52.23%
ZEC ZEC	$734.27	+50.96%
XRP XRP	$1.45	+46.38%

Losers

Crypto weekly losers

Name	Price	Change
MANTRA MANTRA	$0.00479	-0.83%
U U	$0.9996	-0.08%
RLUSD RLUSD	$1.00	-0.06%
USD1 USD1	$0.9999	-0.02%
TRON TRX	$0.3434	+3.68%
PAXG PAXG	$4,600.00	+5.29%

Commodities & Metals Over the Week

FX Over the Week

FX over the week

Pair	Price	Change
EUR/USD	1.1734	+0.98%
GBP/USD	1.3653	+0.87%
USD/JPY	157.62	-0.17%
AUD/USD	0.7165	+1.37%
USD/CAD	1.3690	-0.80%
USD/CHF	0.7908	-1.43%

Real Assets: The Week's Hammer Prices

This week brought 367 auction records. Real assets are not quoted continuously. Trading happens when a lot is called. What follows is therefore not a weekly return but the sum of what actually changed hands.

The trading-card price index stands at 621.0 (as of September 28, 2026), +243.1% against a year ago. It measures price changes of the same good, unlike a median, which is made up of different items every week.

Residential property has no weekly figure: the latest official reading is from July 1, 2026, 51 days before this review. United States (Case-Shiller) +2.3% year on year. Germany +0.6% year on year. Euro area +3.8% year on year.

Data note 1

Cross-Asset Correlations

Latest Investment Analysis

• 
  Oct 3, 2026 · Mixed

  Weekly Analysis: Nikkei 225 Sets the Tone for the Week (+3.4%) · September 28 – October 2, 2026

• 
  Sep 26, 2026 · Risk-on

  Weekly Analysis: S&P 500 Information Technology Leads the Week (+3.5%) · September 21–25, 2026

• 
  Sep 19, 2026 · Mixed

  Weekly Analysis: Euro STOXX 50 Weighs on the Week (-2.2%) · September 14–18, 2026

• 
  Sep 12, 2026 · Risk-off

  Weekly Analysis: MSCI China Lags the Week (-2.6%) · September 7–11, 2026

• 
  Sep 5, 2026 · Mixed

  Weekly Analysis: MSCI Japan Sets the Tone for the Week (+2.5%) · August 31 – September 4, 2026

View all Investment Analysis