{"id":66938,"date":"2026-08-24T00:08:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T04:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/shell-eyes-8b-asset-sale-global-markets-face-tech-volatility\/66938\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T00:08:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T04:08:16","slug":"shell-eyes-8b-asset-sale-global-markets-face-tech-volatility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/shell-eyes-8b-asset-sale-global-markets-face-tech-volatility\/66938\/","title":{"rendered":"Shell Eyes $8B Asset Sale; Global Markets Face Tech Volatility"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/shell-eyes-8b-asset-sale-global-markets-face-tech-volatility\/66938\/#Key_Takeaways\" >Key Takeaways<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/shell-eyes-8b-asset-sale-global-markets-face-tech-volatility\/66938\/#Shell_Pursues_Strategic_8B_US_Chemicals_Divestment\" >Shell Pursues Strategic $8B U.S. Chemicals Divestment<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/shell-eyes-8b-asset-sale-global-markets-face-tech-volatility\/66938\/#Tech_Sell-Off_Hammers_South_Korean_Markets\" >Tech Sell-Off Hammers South Korean Markets<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/shell-eyes-8b-asset-sale-global-markets-face-tech-volatility\/66938\/#Analysts_Bullish_on_Deere_and_Agilent_Following_Valuation_Updates\" >Analysts Bullish on Deere and Agilent Following Valuation Updates<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/shell-eyes-8b-asset-sale-global-markets-face-tech-volatility\/66938\/#New_Zealand_Proposes_Landmark_Social_Media_Ban\" >New Zealand Proposes Landmark Social Media Ban<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/shell-eyes-8b-asset-sale-global-markets-face-tech-volatility\/66938\/#Geopolitical_and_Operational_Disruptions\" >Geopolitical and Operational Disruptions<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_Takeaways\"><\/span>Key Takeaways<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Shell (<a href=\"\/stock\/SHEL\">SHEL<\/a>)<\/strong> is exploring an <strong>$8 billion sale<\/strong> of its U.S. chemical assets, drawing interest from industry giants <strong>ExxonMobil (<a href=\"\/stock\/XOM\">XOM<\/a>)<\/strong> and <strong>LyondellBasell (<a href=\"\/stock\/LYB\">LYB<\/a>)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>South Korea\u2019s KOSPI<\/strong> index dropped <strong>3.2%<\/strong> as a massive foreign sell-off in semiconductor stocks like <strong>Samsung Electronics<\/strong> and <strong>SK Hynix<\/strong> signaled cooling sentiment in the global AI trade.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Deere &amp; Co. (<a href=\"\/stock\/DE\">DE<\/a>)<\/strong> received a significant price target upgrade to <strong>$760<\/strong> from D.A. Davidson, reflecting confidence in agricultural and construction margin stability.<\/li>\n<li><strong>New Zealand<\/strong> is moving to ban social media for children under 16, proposing strict age verification and fines of up to <strong>10% of global revenue<\/strong> for non-compliant tech firms.<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>UK Statistics Agency (ONS)<\/strong> is integrating <strong>AI<\/strong> to offset real-term budget cuts and improve the quality of critical economic data, such as GDP and labor market surveys.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Shell_Pursues_Strategic_8B_US_Chemicals_Divestment\"><\/span>Shell Pursues Strategic $8B U.S. Chemicals Divestment<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Energy major Shell (<a href=\"\/stock\/SHEL\">SHEL<\/a>) has reportedly attracted non-binding indicative offers for its <strong>U.S. chemicals portfolio<\/strong>, a move that could value the assets at up to <strong>$8 billion<\/strong>. Industry leaders ExxonMobil (<a href=\"\/stock\/XOM\">XOM<\/a>) and LyondellBasell (<a href=\"\/stock\/LYB\">LYB<\/a>) are among the primary suitors for the assets, which span four states. This potential sale is part of Shell\u2019s broader <em>strategic portfolio optimization<\/em> as the company focuses on higher-margin operations and capital discipline.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tech_Sell-Off_Hammers_South_Korean_Markets\"><\/span>Tech Sell-Off Hammers South Korean Markets<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>South Korea\u2019s benchmark <strong>KOSPI<\/strong> index extended its recent slide, falling <strong>3.2%<\/strong> on Monday. The decline was fueled by heavy <strong>foreign sell-offs<\/strong> targeting the semiconductor and technology sectors, which have been the primary beneficiaries of the recent AI boom. Investors appear to be <em>locking in profits<\/em> amid broader concerns about the sustainability of high valuations in the chip sector and shifting global monetary policy expectations.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Analysts_Bullish_on_Deere_and_Agilent_Following_Valuation_Updates\"><\/span>Analysts Bullish on Deere and Agilent Following Valuation Updates<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>D.A. Davidson raised its price target for Deere &amp; Co. (<a href=\"\/stock\/DE\">DE<\/a>) to <strong>$760<\/strong> from $685, maintaining a <strong>Buy<\/strong> rating. Analysts cited the company&#39;s ability to maintain <em>margin stability<\/em> across both agricultural and construction segments despite a challenging macroeconomic environment. Separately, Jefferies increased its price target for Agilent Technologies (<a href=\"\/stock\/A\">A<\/a>) to <strong>$150<\/strong> from $135, though it maintained a <strong>Hold<\/strong> rating following an updated valuation of the life sciences instrumentation firm.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"New_Zealand_Proposes_Landmark_Social_Media_Ban\"><\/span>New Zealand Proposes Landmark Social Media Ban<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>New Zealand Prime Minister <strong>Christopher Luxon<\/strong> announced plans for legislation to ban children under 16 from social media platforms. The proposed law would place the burden of <strong>age verification<\/strong> entirely on tech companies, with non-compliance carrying penalties of up to <strong>10% of global annual revenue<\/strong>. This move follows similar regulatory trends in Australia and the UK, aimed at mitigating the <em>mental health risks<\/em> and addictive nature of social platforms for minors.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Geopolitical_and_Operational_Disruptions\"><\/span>Geopolitical and Operational Disruptions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In Russia, e-commerce giant Ozon (<a href=\"\/stock\/OZON\">OZON<\/a>) confirmed a fire at its logistics hub in the <strong>Dagestan<\/strong> region after falling drone debris struck the facility. While the company evacuated over 300 employees and suspended operations, the incident highlights the <em>increasing vulnerability<\/em> of commercial infrastructure to regional conflict. Meanwhile, in Australia, a critical shortage of <strong>air traffic controllers<\/strong> has reportedly led to a spike in near-misses, raising concerns over aviation safety and infrastructure investment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Shell (SHEL) is exploring an $8 billion sale of its U.S. chemical assets, drawing interest from industry giants 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