Daily Market Update – 18 August 2026: ZEW Sentiment & US Housing Data

Today runs through Asia, Europe, and the US with five releases in total. The standouts are Germany’s ZEW Economic Sentiment Index and a pair of US housing reports. All times below are in GMT.

Today’s Calendar at a Glance

🇦🇺 Australia Consumer Confidence MoM – 12:30 AM GMT

Westpac’s survey of Australian households has been volatile lately, jumping from -2.9% to +4.1% last month. Today’s forecast points to a sharp reversal back to -2.6%, reflecting the same choppy sentiment pattern seen through the year.

What to watch: A less negative (or positive) surprise would support AUD on improving household confidence; a deeper drop would reinforce concerns about cautious consumer spending.

🇬🇧 UK Unemployment Rate – 06:00 AM GMT

The UK jobless rate has held steady around 4.9%, with today’s forecast expecting it to stay there after last month’s brief dip to 4.8% consensus. As a three-month average, this report offers a smoothed view of the labor market’s underlying health.

What to watch: A lower print would support GBP on signs of a resilient jobs market; a rise toward or above 5% would raise concerns about labor market cooling and could increase expectations of a Bank of England rate cut.

🇩🇪 Germany ZEW Economic Sentiment – 09:00 AM GMT

This survey of roughly 350 financial analysts and institutional investors gauges expectations for Germany’s economy over the next six months. Sentiment has been recovering steadily since the spring, with July’s reading at 26.3 and today’s forecast at 28.5 — both comfortably in positive territory.

What to watch: A beat above the 30 consensus would support EUR and the DAX 40 on growing optimism about Europe’s largest economy; a miss would suggest the recent recovery in sentiment is losing steam.

🇺🇸 US Building Permits & Housing Starts – 12:30 PM GMT

Permits (a forward-looking signal since builders apply weeks or months before construction begins) rose to 1.374M last month, with today’s forecast at 1.39M. Housing Starts — which count projects that have actually broken ground — are expected to ease slightly to 1.36M from 1.427M.

What to watch: Permits beating forecasts while starts cool would suggest builders remain confident even as current-month activity softens; both metrics beating expectations would support USD and homebuilder stocks, while a broad miss would reinforce concerns about high mortgage rates weighing on the housing market.

Key Takeaway for Traders

EUR is in focus around the ZEW release, GBP around the unemployment data, and USD later with the housing numbers. Germany’s ZEW is probably the day’s biggest mover given how directly it feeds into broader Eurozone growth expectations.

Risk note: Multiple releases across different sessions can create scattered volatility throughout the day. Always use proper risk management. This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice — forex and CFD trading involves significant risk of loss.