Morning Edition · Monday, August 31, 2026
Macro
Warsh's Inflation Warning Pushes Traders Toward a September Rate Increase
Asian equities fell, the dollar rose past 160 yen and gold slipped to roughly $4,445 an ounce as markets adjusted to the possibility that the Federal Reserve is done cutting rates.
Geopolitics
United States Strikes Larak Island and Iran Says It Hit Bases in Jordan and the Emirates
Washington says it destroyed launchers preparing to place sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran says the attack killed Revolutionary Guards members and civilians. Iran later said a supertanker was struck by mines and caught fire in the strait, contradicting a United States claim that the waterway had been cleared.
Markets
Trump Announces a Venezuela Oil Arrangement With No Published Text
The White House says the deal covers 17 fields and more than 65 billion barrels of proven reserves, but has released no agreement and Chevron has declined to comment.
Macro
The Yen Breaks Through 160 to the Dollar, Reviving Intervention Expectations
Japan has already unwound more than half the gains from a joint yen-buying operation with Washington earlier this month.
Geopolitics
Xi, Putin and Modi Gather in Bishkek for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's 25th Anniversary Summit
Leaders are expected to adopt a Bishkek Declaration covering trade, energy, transport connectivity and digital cooperation as Washington's attention stays on the Gulf.
Crypto
Bitcoin Holds Near $78,000 Through the Iran Strikes as Gold Falls on Fed Repricing
Bitcoin gained more than 26% in August and gold about 13.8%, and this week the two hard assets diverged on the same news.
World
Nepal's Flood Toll Reaches 788 With Around 900 Hydropower Workers Missing
The disaster damaged more than a dozen hydropower and solar projects and destroyed the road link to the Chinese border crossing at Rasuwagadhi.
Macro
G20 Finance Ministers Meet in Asheville With Growth and Debt on the American Agenda
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has set priorities including global imbalances, debt restructuring and digital assets, with climate absent from the list.
Crypto
Cronos Halts Its Blockchain After an Estimated $75 Million Exploit at the Lending Protocol Tectonic
Validators froze the entire network within minutes, trapping most of the stolen funds along with every other user's positions and transactions.
Geopolitics
Baghdad Says Coalition Forces Leave by September 30 as Syrian Kurdish Command Announces Dissolution
Iraq's prime minister says the country will declare full sovereignty over its territory when the United States-led coalition mission ends next month.
Tech
John Ternus Becomes Apple's Chief Executive on Tuesday With the Company Behind in Artificial Intelligence
Tim Cook hands over after 15 years, leaving a hardware leader whose assistant and model strategy trails Google, Microsoft and OpenAI.
Markets
Institutional Investors Move Into Shipping as Gulf Conflict Lifts Tanker Earnings
Very large crude carrier rates on Middle East to Asia routes have risen sharply, and asset managers report growing investor demand for exposure to physical shipping assets.