Morning Edition · Thursday, October 22, 2026
Markets
Brent crude rises to $110 as Washington orders diplomats out of Saudi Arabia
Asian stock markets fell, and Southwest Airlines became the third major US carrier this month to cut its 2026 profit forecast because of fuel costs.
Geopolitics
Iran says seven tankers were hit overnight in the Strait of Hormuz and threatens US bases as Washington weighs new strikes
Iranian state television says fires and naval mines damaged seven tankers in one night. The Associated Press says the toll would be the largest single-day number since the war began if it is verified. Separately, The New York Times reports that the US and Israel have drawn up plans for a short strike campaign after the November 3 midterms.
Macro
France's 10-year borrowing cost briefly tops 5% for the first time since 2002 as protests spread
President Emmanuel Macron accused foreign leaders, including Trump, of distorting the unrest, and the spread over German debt remains near its widest since 2011.
Geopolitics
Egypt moves toward defending Saudi Arabia as Houthi drones reach Saudi cities
Macron flew to Riyadh to sign a diesel supply deal, and Egypt's parliament has delayed its vote on sending forces until October 26.
World
Lula's campaign asks Brazil's electoral court to annul Flávio Bolsonaro's ticket days before the runoff
Federal police reportedly found a hidden cash room in a hangar used by a Bolsonaro ally, and the government is preparing a debt-relief program worth up to 90 billion reais.
Markets
Japan says yttrium supplies have stalled under Chinese export controls
Beijing says the curbs target Japanese "remilitarization," and at the London Metal Exchange's annual industry week aluminium gave back its war premium while copper stayed elevated.
Macro
Reserve Bank of India rules out near-term rate cuts while Asian central banks lean toward tightening
Minutes show Governor Sanjay Malhotra tying further increases to the growth and inflation outlook, and the Bank of Korea held at 3% after two consecutive hikes.
Macro
Japanese life insurers return to buying superlong government bonds
Insurers have been net buyers for four months, after the 30-year yield climbed above 4.2% early in October.
Geopolitics
Moscow says 630 drones flew toward the capital region overnight as Ukraine reports strikes on Serpukhov and Lipetsk
Russia hit a transport facility in Kyiv's Darnytskyi district during the same night of long-range attacks.
Crypto
Bitcoin funds draw $1.08 billion in three days, short of the pace behind past rallies
Standard Chartered agreed to absorb custodian Zodia Custody, and three companies told the US securities regulator they plan to trade tokenized stocks.
Tech
Governments take websites offline to patch two critical PHP flaws
Japan's prime minister and senior ruling-party officials suspended their sites, because the leaked flaws let attackers run code on servers without logging in.
Geopolitics
Kim Yo-jong says North Korean loudspeakers will be ready along the border within days
Seoul called for dialogue, while analysts warn that hostile statements along a poorly marked dividing line raise the risk of an armed clash.