{"id":66410,"date":"2026-08-12T12:38:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T16:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/tech-and-commodities-lead-market-news-google-unveils-pixel-11-usda-releases-wasde-data\/66410\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T12:38:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T16:38:12","slug":"tech-and-commodities-lead-market-news-google-unveils-pixel-11-usda-releases-wasde-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/tech-and-commodities-lead-market-news-google-unveils-pixel-11-usda-releases-wasde-data\/66410\/","title":{"rendered":"Tech and Commodities Lead Market News: Google Unveils Pixel 11, USDA Releases WASDE Data"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Google (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOGL\">GOOGL<\/a>)<\/strong> officially launched the <strong>Pixel 11 Pro Fold<\/strong> at a starting price of <strong>$1,899<\/strong>, with pre-orders live and an official release set for <strong>August 20, 2026<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>USDA\u2019s August WASDE report<\/strong> revealed tighter-than-expected <strong>U.S. corn ending stocks<\/strong> at <strong>1.653 billion bushels<\/strong>, significantly below the analyst estimate of <strong>1.737 billion<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Paramount Global (<a href=\"\/stock\/PARA\">PARA<\/a>)<\/strong> CEO David Ellison has been invited by <strong>Rep. Jamie Raskin<\/strong> to provide a transcribed interview regarding the company&#39;s merger activities and alleged political interference.<\/li>\n<li>Japan&#39;s <strong>MUFG (<a href=\"\/stock\/MUFG\">MUFG<\/a>)<\/strong> is set to modernize its operations by launching <strong>instant Japanese Government Bond (JGB) transactions<\/strong> via blockchain technology.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Google Expands Hardware Lineup with Pixel 11 Series<\/h2>\n<p>Google (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOGL\">GOOGL<\/a>) dominated tech headlines today by unveiling its latest flagship smartphones, including the <strong>Pixel 11 Pro Fold<\/strong>. The new foldable device is reportedly <strong>10% lighter<\/strong> and <strong>1mm thinner<\/strong> than its predecessor, featuring a &quot;nearly impossible to crack&quot; glass fiber composite back and a starting price of <strong>$1,899<\/strong>. Pre-orders for the entire Pixel 11 family\u2014which includes the base model, Pro, and Pro XL\u2014are currently live, with retail availability beginning <strong>August 20<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>USDA WASDE Report Signals Tighter Grain Supplies<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)<\/strong> released its highly anticipated <strong>August WASDE report<\/strong>, sparking immediate interest in the commodities markets. <strong>U.S. corn ending stocks<\/strong> for the 2026\/27 cycle were pegged at <strong>1.653 billion bushels<\/strong>, a sharp decline from the previous month&#39;s <strong>1.790 billion<\/strong> and well below market expectations. Conversely, <strong>soybean ending stocks<\/strong> rose to <strong>320 million bushels<\/strong>, exceeding the estimated <strong>300 million<\/strong>, suggesting a more comfortable supply cushion for that crop.<\/p>\n<h2>Regulatory Pressure Mounts for Paramount Merger<\/h2>\n<p>In the media sector, <strong>Rep. Jamie Raskin<\/strong>, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, has formally invited <strong>Paramount Global (<a href=\"\/stock\/PARA\">PARA<\/a>)<\/strong> CEO David Ellison to testify. The inquiry focuses on the <strong>Paramount-Skydance merger<\/strong> and concerns regarding media consolidation and editorial independence at <strong>CBS News<\/strong>. This move follows reports of a $110 billion potential acquisition of <strong>Warner Bros. Discovery (<a href=\"\/stock\/WBD\">WBD<\/a>)<\/strong>, which has already faced legal challenges from several U.S. states.<\/p>\n<h2>MUFG to Leverage Blockchain for Bond Trading<\/h2>\n<p>Japan\u2019s largest lender, <strong>Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (<a href=\"\/stock\/MUFG\">MUFG<\/a>)<\/strong>, is moving toward <strong>T+0 (instant) settlement<\/strong> for Japanese Government Bonds (JGBs). According to reports from <em>Nikkei<\/em>, the bank plans to use <strong>blockchain infrastructure<\/strong> and <strong>stablecoins<\/strong> to facilitate these transactions, aiming to reduce the traditional settlement cycle. This initiative is part of a broader push by Japanese megabanks to integrate digital assets into the nation&#39;s <strong>$1.6 trillion repo market<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Google (GOOGL) officially launched the Pixel 11 Pro Fold at a starting price of $1,899, with pre-orders live [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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