The main events by the morning: August 16

• Foreign stocks may return to the Russian market in an unusual form. BKS Forex and Alfa-Forex want to launch CFD trading on shares of the 50 largest companies in the S&P500 index, as well as on gold, silver and Brent in September. They will be available for «nequals» after the test, and the list of tools will expand.

• Russian coal is strengthening its position in the global market. According to the Platts agency, from May to July, Russia exported 37.3 million tons of coal, which is 27% more than in the previous three months, due to increased demand in Asia and the Mediterranean.

• The Moscow Exchange plans to buy its broker. The exchange itself cannot open a brokerage firm, but it can own it. Such a combination would help in attracting customers and increasing the marginality of the business.

• The Russian shadow fleet is growing rapidly. The sanctions have not kept pace with the growth of the Russian fleet. The United States imposed restrictions on 49 tankers in the first half of 2024, and Russia added 74 vessels during the same time, which demonstrates the active expansion of the fleet in the face of sanctions pressure.

• Kamala Harris would be in the lead in the elections if they were held now, according to The Washington Post. The publication notes that after Joe Biden's exit from the election race, support for the vice president in the country increased by an average of 2 percentage points.

• A new package of assistance to Ukraine. The United States has announced a new package of military assistance to Ukraine, the total amount of support since the beginning of the conflict has exceeded $174 billion.