Trade Setup

The trade setup for Thursday, August 13, 2026, is decisively bullish for risk assets, driven by back-to-back dovish inflation reports and a significant cooling in energy prices. Following yesterday’s inline CPI, this morning’s flat (0.0%) Producer Price Index (PPI) print beat expectations of a 0.2% increase, pushing expectations for a Federal Reserve rate hike down sharply. 

📅 Key Macro Catalyst Data

• U.S. July PPI (MoM): 0.0% vs. 0.2% expected (Prior revised to -0.1%). Decelerated to 4.7% YoY.
• Core PPI (MoM): 0.2% vs. 0.3% expected, signaling that wholesale pipeline pressures are successfully deflating.
• Energy Drag: Wholesale energy prices plummeted 3.1% (gasoline -5.7%), providing strong tailwinds for corporate margin relief.
• Jobless Claims: First-time unemployment filings ticked up slightly, matching the narrative of a cooling labor market following last week's soft payrolls. 

📉 Commodities & Currency Check

• Crude Oil: WTI crude slid 1.5% to $82/bbl. (Brent to $87.65). A pivot from active military campaigns to economic and diplomatic strategies in the Middle East has calmed severe shipping anxiety around the Strait of Hormuz.
• Gold: Pulled back 0.6% to $4,440/oz as safe-haven premiums dissipate into the equity rally.
• U.S. Dollar Index (DXY): Eased 0.1% to 99.90, losing ground as bond yields retreat. 

🪙 Crypto Market Focus

• Bitcoin (BTC): Holding steady near $63,500, down a minor 0.5% over the past 24 hours. Traders are actively defending the $63,000 support level as macro-driven equity momentum balances out recent spot ETF outflows. A push back above $64,200 points to a broader bullish continuation. 
• Strive Inc. (ASST): Gapping lower to $12.43 in pre-market trading. The stock faces short-term selling pressure after pulling back from a recent high of $13.37. 
• The Long Catalyst: Despite the immediate dip, structural support is building. OranjeBTC (Brazil’s top bitcoin treasury firm) just announced plans to launch DIGY11, a monthly income ETF on the B3 exchange. The fund will actively lock in a 5% allocation toward Strive's high-yielding SATA preferred stock, creating a permanent institutional buying tailwind.