Morning Edition · Saturday, September 12, 2026
Macro
US Inflation Reached 3.4% in August, Pushing the Federal Reserve Toward a Rate Increase on Wednesday
Gasoline prices rose 3.9 percent in the month and accounted for more than a third of the total increase, turning the Gulf conflict into an American price problem.
Markets
Drones From Iraq Shut Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline, the Main Route Around Hormuz
Riyadh had been using the line, which can carry up to seven million barrels a day to the Red Sea, to work around a Strait of Hormuz that has been effectively closed for more than six months.
Geopolitics
Houthi Forces Take Perim Island, Completing Control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait
The group says passage is safe for every flag except Saudi vessels, a claim that places commercial decisions about the Suez route in the hands of one armed movement.
Macro
BRICS Leaders Open a New Delhi Summit With Iran Present and Dollar Settlement on the Agenda
The summit concluded with the New Delhi Declaration adopted by consensus, papering over friction between Iran and other members over the Gulf war, while the bloc's formal language on payment alternatives stayed far more cautious than the dollar-dominance rhetoric coming from Moscow and Tehran.
Macro
The Bank of Japan Prepares to Raise Its Policy Rate to 1.25%, the Highest Level Since 1995
The increase would come only three months after the June move, the fastest sequence since Japan began tightening in 2024, and it is aimed at imported inflation from expensive oil and a weak yen.
Crypto
Bitcoin Fell Below $77,000 While Gold Held Near $4,360 an Ounce
The two assets moved in opposite directions around the August inflation release, with bitcoin tracking rate expectations and exchange-traded fund outflows rather than monetary debasement.
Geopolitics
North Korea Fired Multiple Ballistic Missiles a Day After US, Japanese and South Korean Drills Ended
The launches came as Okinawan voters, long opposed to hosting American bases, show growing acceptance of a larger military presence because of China.
Markets
Indonesia Says It Will Keep Buying Russian Crude Where the Purchases Comply With Rules
Jakarta's position, stated as its president arrives at the BRICS summit, shows how little Western restrictions now constrain Asian buyers of discounted Russian oil.
Markets
India's National Stock Exchange Opens a 225.6 Billion Rupee Share Sale, the Largest of Eleven Offerings Next Week
The entire issue is a sale by existing shareholders including the State Bank of India and Canada's pension fund, at a valuation of about 4.42 trillion rupees.
Tech
Nvidia's Chief Executive Says General Artificial Intelligence Has Arrived, and Chinese Firms Dispute the Claim
The debate follows OpenAI's release of its Astra model and lands days before Hong Kong publishes a policy address meant to close the city's gap in artificial intelligence.
World
The European Union Moves to Settle Its Budget and Climate Rules Before France Votes Next April
Diplomats say Paris is pressing for agreements that a future government led by the National Rally could not easily unwind, while figures in Germany's governing party fear losses in coming state elections.
Geopolitics
US Officials Link Chinese Satellite Imagery to the Iranian Strike That Killed Three American Soldiers in Jordan
Beijing challenged the findings and asked for evidence, and the dispute arrives less than two weeks before a planned meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.