Morning Edition · Thursday, July 9, 2026
Markets
Crude Climbs a Third Day as US-Iran Strikes Reinstate a War Premium in Oil
US energy producers stand to gain from the price surge even as the fuel-cost increase reaches consumers and pressures the growth outlook.
Geopolitics
Iran Hits Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait and Attacks Hormuz Ships as US Bombs About 90 Iranian Targets
Tehran launched one-way attack drones at US-allied Gulf states and struck commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz after American forces hit roughly 90 targets across Iran, widening the war days after the ceasefire collapsed. Oil prices rose sharply.
Macro
IMF Cuts 2026 World Growth Forecast to 3 Percent, Citing the Iran War
The fund said artificial-intelligence demand partly offsets an energy shock that is dragging on output and lifting prices.
Macro
Economists Warn Premature Rate Cuts Would Cost Central Banks Their Credibility
At a monetary-policy forum in Tashkent, officials pointed to Uzbekistan's falling inflation and reduced dollar use as proof that credibility, not speed, anchors prices.
Tech
Beijing Will Let Chinese AI Firms Buy Nvidia's H200 Chips Under Case-by-Case Review
Companies must disclose how many chips they need and why, a control that keeps the state as gatekeeper even as it reopens the door to American hardware.
Markets
Asian Technology Shares Sell Off as India's Sensex Rebounds More Than 550 Points
Hong Kong's Hang Seng surrendered recent gains near 24,000 while Indian benchmarks recovered from the prior day's sharp decline.
Markets
Bain Capital Exits Kioxia After Its Shares Rose More Than 4,800 Percent Since Listing
A global spending wave on artificial intelligence turned the memory-chip maker into one of Japan's most valuable companies.
Geopolitics
Trump Grants Ukraine Authority to Operate Patriot Defenses at Fractious NATO Summit
The concession came after the US president criticized allies for declining to join his campaign against Iran.
Geopolitics
Trump Says He Will Remove Syria From the US List of State Sponsors of Terrorism
The announcement at the NATO summit would clear a major legal barrier to reintegrating Syria into the global financial system.
Geopolitics
Japanese Lawmaker Presses Tokyo to Acquire Nuclear-Powered Submarines "As Quickly As Possible"
A proposal for at least eight nuclear-powered vessels tests Japan's long-standing constraints on military nuclear technology.
Crypto
Bitcoin Holds a Weekly Gain as Gold Falls for a Fourth Day During the Iran War Scare
The divergence between the two hard assets points to dollar strength and positioning rather than a simple flight to safety.
World
Western Europe Records Its Hottest June as Heatwaves Intensify
The European Union's Copernicus service said it was the second-hottest June on record for the world and for Europe as a whole.