Bessent's Treasury Market Intervention, Samsung, SK Hynix Buybacks | The Opening Trade 8/20/2026

A rebound in long-dated Treasuries ran out of steam while US stock futures struggled for direction as investors waited for fresh catalysts to give markets direction. Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc. are preparing record shareholder returns after investors sent their stocks tumbling over concerns around the sustainability of AI hardware spending. The Opening Trade has everything you need to know as markets open across Europe. With analysis you won't find anywhere else, we break down the biggest stories of the day and speak to top guests who have skin in the game. Hosted by Guy Johnson, Skylar Montgomery and Tom Mackenzie. 00:00:00 - The Opening Trade 00:00:25 - Market Check 00:03:08 - US Debt Hits $40 Trillion 00:06:05 - Trump Pledges Economic Warfare Against Iran 00:08:36 - Korean Stocks Boost, Alibaba Earnings 00:10:53 - Walmart Stock 00:13:50 - Aegon CEO Lard Freise 00:21:43 - US Set to Cut Tariffs on Canadian Metals, Autos 00:25:21 - Scott Bessent Deploys Debt Buybacks 00:30:11 - Oil Climbs for Fifth Day 00:41:29 - Bessent Gets Short-Term Bond Market Win: MLIV 00:46:56 - Stocks to Watch: Luxury, JD Sports, Novonesis 01:02:51 - Treasury Yields Stabilize 01:15:26 - Samsung, SK Hynix Record Buybacks 01:18:21 - Callosum Co-Founder Danyal Akarca Chapters: 00:00:00 - The Opening Trade -------- More on Bloomberg Television and Markets Like this video? Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don't miss any videos from Bloomberg Markets & Finance: https://tinyurl.com/ysu5b8a9 Visit http://www.bloomberg.com for business news & analysis, up-to-the-minute market data, features, profiles and more. Connect with Bloomberg Television on: X: https://twitter.com/BloombergTV Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BloombergTelevision Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloombergtv/ Connect with Bloomberg Business on: X: https://twitter.com/business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloombergbusiness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloombergbusiness/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bloombergbusiness?lang=en Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/bloomberg/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bloomberg-news/ More from Bloomberg: Bloomberg Radio: https://twitter.com/BloombergRadio Bloomberg Surveillance: https://twitter.com/bsurveillance Bloomberg Politics: https://twitter.com/bpolitics Bloomberg Originals: https://twitter.com/bbgoriginals Watch more on YouTube: Bloomberg Technology: https://www.youtube.com/@BloombergTechnology Bloomberg Originals: https://www.youtube.com/@business Bloomberg Quicktake: https://www.youtube.com/@BloombergQuicktake Bloomberg Espanol: https://www.youtube.com/@bloomberg_espanol Bloomberg Podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/@BloombergPodcasts