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Six months into a conflict that President Donald Trump predicted would last “four to five weeks,” Republican strategists worry there’s no way to keep the Iran war from hurting the party’s prospects in November’s midterm elections.

The US and Venezuela have agreed to a deal that would give Washington a major stake in Venezuela’s oil reserves, President Donald Trump said Friday.

Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh warned inflation isn’t meaningfully slowing and said policymakers must be confident that it is, otherwise the central bank has “work to do.”

Nvidia Corp., the chipmaker at the heart of the artificial intelligence boom, delivered a sales forecast that fell short of the highest estimates, adding to investor concerns that AI spending is poised for a slowdown.

US allies are privately warning that the Strait of Hormuz is still likely mined, casting doubt on President Donald Trump’s claim that the US Navy has completely removed and detonated explosives laid by Iran.

European Central Bank Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel said interest rates must rise further as the lengthy conflict in the Middle East and surprisingly strong euro-zone economy pose upside risks to inflation.

Bitcoin climbed to $80,000 for the first time since mid-May, as optimism returns to the long-beaten-down crypto market amid a confluence of bullish signals that forced the liquidation of billions in leveraged bets.

Beijing threatened to retaliate against the US and signaled it won’t back away from its cooperation with Iran after the Trump administration’s latest sanctions targeted businesses in China and Hong Kong.

Crypto’s true believers suddenly have a spring in their step again.

Bond investors will zero in on Kevin Warsh’s Jackson Hole speech this week, with a further selloff in long-dated Treasuries at stake as markets look for clues on the Federal Reserve chairman’s response to persistent inflation and fiscal concerns.

Private-sector activity in the euro area unexpectedly improved slightly in August, thanks to the strongest manufacturing growth in more than four years.

China Evergrande Group’s founder Hui Ka Yan has been sentenced to life in prison and his former companies fined 15.82 billion yuan ($2.4 billion), cementing the downfall of a property tycoon who exemplified the country’s real estate boom and bust.

Applications for US unemployment benefits edged lower last week, staying near historically low levels and suggesting few layoffs across the labor market.

Several Federal Reserve officials favored an interest-rate hike last month and many indicated that policy tightening would be necessary if inflation didn’t decline, a record of the central bank’s most recent policy debate showed.

Nvidia Corp. shares could be trading at a discount of as much as 50%, as investors overstate risks related to the leader in artificial intelligence chips, according to Bank of America.

Fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah flared in Lebanon over the weekend, the latest setback in efforts to end parallel wars in the Middle East that have dragged on for almost six months and disrupted global markets.

Ungeachtet der eigentlich gültigen Waffenruhe gehen die Angriffe Israels und der Hisbollah-Miliz im Südlibanon weiter. Die israelische Armee tötete zwei Hisbollah-Kommandeure, es starben aber auch Frauen und Kinder. Die Folge waren gegenseitige Schuldzuweisungen. Für Anfang September sind neue Verhandlungen geplant. Ob sie stattfinden, ist unklar. Auch das USA-Iran-Abkommen, das den Libanon einschließt, wackelt.

Die Spannungen zwischen dem Iran und den USA treiben die Suche nach alternativen Handels- und Schifffahrtsrouten voran. Zunehmend rückt dabei die Arktis in den Fokus. Künftig will China dort auf regelmäßigen Verkehr entlang der Route setzen.

The US will soon announce unprecedented economic measures against Iran, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, intensifying the Trump administration’s effort to force Tehran’s capitulation after almost six months of war.

US consumer sentiment fell for the first time in three months as households worried about worsening business conditions and rising inflation.

Underlying US inflation was subdued in July, likely easing pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates.

The country’s venerable auto brands are falling behind in the world’s biggest car market.

US employers unexpectedly cut jobs in July and previous months were revised lower, suggesting the labor market is facing challenges after surprising strength earlier this year.

Several Chinese traders and steel mills have stopped dealing with iron ore traders Radiant World and Sapphire Minmetals Corp., according to people familiar with the matter.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is preparing a sweeping overhaul of its response to the country’s largest Ebola outbreak as the number of new cases continues to spike.

The wait for an Iran-Oman deal that partially reopens the Strait of Hormuz continued through Thursday, after the Islamic Republic said an agreement on proposed shipping lanes is in the final stages.

A flurry of model launches from China’s AI sector is rapidly narrowing the gap with Silicon Valley and creating what’s been described as a death zone for anyone without frontier-pushing technology or market-breaking pricing.

The one-way trade in semiconductor stocks that has defined equity markets this year is coming unglued, triggering stomach-churning volatility as investors grow increasingly concerned that the fire-hose of artificial intelligence spending won’t continue.