Morning Edition · Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Macro
Ten-Year Treasury Yield Touches 5.04% Hours Before the Federal Reserve Decides on Rates
Futures markets price the probability of a quarter-point rate increase at roughly 92 percent, and a survey of academic economists says the Federal Reserve should raise rates even as President Donald Trump demands the opposite.
Crypto
Senate Blocks Crypto Market-Structure Bill and Bitcoin Falls Toward $76,000
The 49-50 procedural vote left the Clarity Act eleven votes short of advancing, and about 570 million dollars of long futures positions were liquidated within a day.
Markets
Only Four Vessels Transited the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, and None Carried Oil or Gas
Brent crude held above 105 dollars a barrel after Saudi Arabia shut the pipeline that bypasses the strait, and Pakistan's cabinet said domestic generation is now covering the shortfall in imports.
Macro
Hong Kong Says It May Buy Gold With Its Exchange Fund as It Publishes a First Five-Year Plan
Chief Executive John Lee raised the prospect on the same day gold traded near 4,263 dollars an ounce, a six-week low according to USAGOLD, ahead of the Federal Reserve decision.
Geopolitics
Washington and Beijing Discuss Cutting Tariffs on $30 Billion of Goods Before a September 24 Summit
China's defence minister used the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing to warn against coercion without naming the United States or Japan, a shift in tone that tracks the trade talks.
World
Fuel Price Increases Set Off Protests From Syria to Guatemala
Damascus raised diesel prices about 40 percent over the weekend, and Al Jazeera reported the increase triggered the largest demonstrations since the fall of the Assad government, while Pakistan's provincial legislators voted across party lines to demand an end to daily price adjustments.
Geopolitics
Saudi-Led Coalition Says It Shot Down a Houthi Drone South of Mecca and Calls the Holy Cities a Red Line
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki described it as the second attempt against Mecca since a ballistic missile launch in July 2017, while a Houthi military source denied the group threatens the holy sites.
Geopolitics
Pentagon Watchdog Says the Iran War Cost $33.4 Billion in Four Months and Drained Key Munitions Stocks
The inspector general reported that 22.3 billion dollars of that total went on expended munitions and identified bottlenecks in solid rocket motors, high-grade explosives and propellants.
Markets
The Bond Selloff Spreads Beyond the United States and Pushes Traders Out of Yen Funding
Hedge funds are moving to the Swiss franc, the euro and the Swedish krona to fund carry trades after intervention made betting against the yen more dangerous.
Geopolitics
Washington Plans a $2.8 Billion Sale of Heavy Bombs to Israel as Vance Describes a Policy Split
The transfer of 2,000-pound bombs would run through the grant and loan programme that funds foreign purchases of American weapons, the Washington Post reported.
Tech
Anthropic's Chief Executive Says He Underestimated How Fast Artificial Intelligence Would Reach the Global Economy
The admission arrives as the Financial Times argues that slowing the pace of development is both difficult and correct, and as Indonesia says it will judge government artificial-intelligence projects by measured results rather than deployment.
Geopolitics
Belarus Masses Troops Near the Polish and Lithuanian Borders for a Four-Day Exercise
Minsk calls the drills purely defensive, while Poland has moved to close border crossings and Lithuania has increased security along its frontier.