Wednesday, 19 August 2026
Business news is led by a fresh jolt of policy uncertainty at the U.S.-Canada border, as the White House steps back from a steep tariff increase while signaling a deal is close. Elsewhere, companies make large strategic moves in capital markets and food production, and Washington prepares a key health-regulation nomination.
President Trump pauses planned 50% tariffs on some Canadian goods for three days as U.S. and Canadian negotiators finalize a trade deal. The tariffs had been due to take effect around midnight, but the administration frames the move as a brief delay rather than a cancellation, keeping pressure on talks while avoiding an immediate escalation.
SK Hynix launches a record share buyback worth about 40 trillion won, or roughly $28.6 billion, and says it will cancel the repurchased shares. The program runs for about three months and is due to be completed by Nov. 19, signaling an aggressive return of capital to shareholders rather than holding the stock in treasury.
JBS moves to take full control of Pilgrim’s Pride with a stock-for-stock offer valued at about $1.2 billion for the shares it does not already own. The proposal would deepen JBS’s hold over one of the largest chicken producers in the United States and further consolidate ownership in the meat industry.
Trump is set to nominate Dr. Heidi Overton to serve as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Overton is a physician and White House adviser, and her selection would place a close administration ally atop the agency responsible for regulating drugs, medical devices, food safety, and other major public health matters.
Recap for Wednesday, 19 August 2026
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