Geopolitics Only 11% of Europeans view the US as an ally, poll finds A new ECFR poll shows only 11% of Europeans now view the US as an ally, down from 22% in late 2024. The shift points to higher EU defense spending and a potential Buy European tilt in procurement.
Politics Mamdani Rejects $47K Pay Raise as NYC Council Votes Itself 18% Bump NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani will forgo an 18% pay raise to $305,800 as the City Council votes itself a first salary bump in a decade, expected to cost the city $17M next year.
Tech Jensen Huang Thanks Sega in Tokyo for 1995 $5M Lifeline Jensen Huang met former Sega president Shoichiro Irimajiri and Yu Suzuki in Tokyo to thank them for the 1995 $5M investment that saved Nvidia, while unveiling a new RTX Spark partnership.
Tech Apple's M2 Ultra Falls Short in AI, Turns to Nvidia Apple's M2 Ultra chip underperforms in AI tasks, leading the company to rely on Nvidia's GPUs for advanced workloads.
Politics Trump: Data Centers Are One of the Biggest Job Drivers of the Future Trump ripped New York's first-in-the-nation hyperscale data center moratorium, calling data centers one of the biggest future job drivers and warning investment will flow to Alabama, Florida, Texas, and Arizona.
Politics Hegseth: Troops Over 30 to Get Annual Testosterone Screenings Pete Hegseth is ordering annual testosterone deficiency screenings for U.S. service members aged 30 and up, with optional TRT — expanding the addressable market for testosterone therapy providers.
AI Anthropic Eyes October IPO at Roughly $965B Valuation Anthropic is lining up investor meetings for a potential October IPO at a ~$965B valuation, with Goldman, Morgan Stanley, and JPMorgan leading the deal. The listing would beat OpenAI to the public markets.
Politics House Rejects Amendment To Cut $3.3B In Israel Aid; Democrats Split The US House rejected a Massie amendment to cut $3.3B in aid to Israel by a 104-314 vote, but nearly half of Democrats supported it, exposing a widening rift with implications for defense budgets.
Geopolitics Trump Says Iran Called, Wants to Meet as U.S. Strikes Continue Trump says Iran called asking to meet, even as the U.S. launches a second round of strikes and reinstates a Hormuz blockade. Oil sits near $80.
Markets Buffett: ‘Tough to find value’ when everyone is gambling Warren Buffett told CNBC it is tough to find values when everybody prefers gambling, as Berkshire Hathaway sits on a record $397B cash pile and flags speculation in AI names, 0DTE options and leveraged ETFs.
Macro US Tariff Refunds Exceed Collections, Widening June Budget Deficit In June, the US government refunded $49.2 billion in tariffs, surpassing the $23.6 billion collected, contributing to a $120 billion budget deficit.
AI AI blamed for 87,714 US job cuts in 2026, per Challenger Challenger, Gray & Christmas says AI has been cited in 87,714 US job cuts through May 2026, already topping all of 2025. Tech leads the wave, with 123,653 sector cuts YTD.
Politics Trump: ‘No Limits’ to His Power After Iran War, per Axios Trump told Axios there are ‘no limits’ to his power after the Iran war, while admitting oil-shock fears drove him to accept an MOU instead of unconditional surrender. Here is the market angle.
Macro US Home Prices Rise for 36 Straight Months, Hit Record High US home prices have risen for 36 straight months, with June’s median existing-home price hitting a record $440,660 as sales stall and affordability worsens.
Politics Trump Promoted 20+ Companies on Truth Social After Buying Their Stock: CNN A CNN investigation found Trump promoted more than 20 companies on Truth Social within days of buying their stock, including NVDA, TSLA, and AEO. Here is what to watch.
Geopolitics UK urges FIFA probe of Argentina over Falklands banner at World Cup The UK government urged FIFA to investigate Argentina after players held a Falklands sovereignty banner following their 2-1 World Cup semifinal win over England. FIFA says a review is underway.
Geopolitics Trump Claims Iran Initiated Talks Amid Rising Tensions President Trump asserts Iran reached out to the U.S. for negotiations, signaling potential shifts in geopolitical dynamics affecting markets.
Macro Merz: US tariffs have badly damaged the German economy Chancellor Friedrich Merz says US tariffs have badly damaged Germany's economy, as Q2 GDP contracts 0.3% and exports slide under the new 15% tariff regime.
Geopolitics CENTCOM says US has struck Iran multiple times, blockade resumes CENTCOM says US forces have carried out multiple waves of precision strikes on Iranian military targets and resumed a naval blockade of Iranian ports, putting oil, defense, and tanker stocks in focus.
Markets 9.16 Million US Borrowers in Default on Federal Student Loans Approximately 9.16 million U.S. borrowers, nearly 20% of those with federal student debt, are in default following the end of the payment pause, impacting financial markets and loan servicers.
Geopolitics Iran's IRGC: No oil or gas leaves the region while US stays Iran's IRGC says no oil or gas will leave the region while US forces remain, as tanker attacks and US strikes escalate around the Strait of Hormuz.
Markets Stripe and Advent International Offer $53 Billion to Acquire PayPal Stripe and Advent International have jointly offered to acquire PayPal for $60.50 per share, valuing the company at over $53 billion—a 28% premium over its recent closing price.
Politics House Passes Sunshine Protection Act to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent The House passed the Sunshine Protection Act 308-117, sending legislation to make daylight saving time permanent to the Senate, where opposition from Sen. Tom Cotton could stall it.
Markets Cyclosporiasis outbreak hits California: doctor warns to skip fresh produce A San Diego infectious disease doctor is warning Americans to avoid fresh produce as a cyclosporiasis outbreak reaches California. Grocers, restaurants, and produce distributors could see headline risk.
Politics Darline Graham sworn in as US Senator to finish late brother Lindsey's term Darline Graham was sworn in Tuesday to finish her late brother Lindsey Graham's Senate term, becoming South Carolina's first female senator and reshaping key committee dynamics through January 2027.
