Top U.S. Stories

  • President Trump declared on July 8 that the ceasefire with Iran was “over,” and the U.S. military carried out a second straight night of strikes against Iran on July 9. Iran retaliated by targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, sharply escalating tensions. (CBS News)
  • Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was buried as fighting continued, with Iran saying 14 people were killed in the latest round of U.S. strikes. (CBS News)
  • In Gaza, health officials reported at least nine Palestinians killed by Israeli airstrikes and gunfire over a 24-hour period, including a driver delivering food for a U.S.-based nonprofit. (NPR)
  • A preliminary hearing in the Tyler Robinson case (Charlie Kirk murder) saw a judge order redactions to a former partner’s video testimony. (Fox News)
  • U.S. health authorities reported more than 1,000 cases of Cyclospora, a parasite causing severe diarrhea, across the country. (CBC News)
  • In the U.K., Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, emerged as the clear frontrunner to succeed Keir Starmer as Labour leader and prime minister, after nominations opened July 9 (closing July 16). (Al Jazeera)

Markets

Oil markets swung sharply after the ceasefire collapse. WTI crude jumped 4.4% to $73.52 a barrel on July 8 following the initial U.S. strikes, then eased back to roughly $71.83 (-2.3%) on July 9 as markets partly repriced the risk. U.S. equities shrugged off the geopolitical jitters: the S&P 500 closed at 7,543.64 (+0.81%), the Nasdaq Composite at 26,206.89 (+1.30%), and the Dow at 52,487.41 (+0.27%), led by a rally in chip and AI-related names. (Yahoo Finance)

The Fed held rates steady at its June meeting, though minutes released this week showed a divided committee, with some officials arguing a hike could have been warranted. The dollar stayed firm against the yen, with USD/JPY around ¥162.4 as of July 9. (frankfurter.app)

Stocks in Focus

  • SK Hynix priced its Nasdaq IPO at $149 a share, with demand reported at seven times the shares on offer — set to be one of the largest foreign listings on the exchange. (TheStreet)
  • A gauge of semiconductor stocks climbed roughly 4% on July 9, powered by continued AI-demand optimism even as Middle East tensions flared. (Yahoo Finance)
  • Micron Technology reportedly outlined plans to invest up to $250 billion in new U.S. plants to meet AI-driven chip demand.
  • Energy stocks remained volatile, tracking the day-to-day swings in oil prices tied to the Iran conflict.

This is not investment advice.

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Auto-generated and AI-written. Not investment advice.