Real-time News

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov: Moscow is in contact with all parties involved in the Persian Gulf crisis and is calling on them to reach an immediate ceasefire.

On July 17th, SpaceX (SPCX.O) shares plunged on Friday, falling as much as 4.6% to $125.13 per share, reducing the company's total market capitalization to $1.65 trillion, a drop of over $1 trillion from its all-time high. SpaceX's market capitalization reached $2.64 trillion at the close of trading on June 16th (its third day of trading). After completing the largest initial public offering (IPO) in history, SpaceX's shares initially surged but have since steadily declined, currently falling below the offering price of $135. This comes after the cancellation of its Starship rocket's 13th test flight due to engine ignition problems; Musk stated that the next launch attempt is expected in a few days.

July 17th – The National Blue Carbon Trading Alliance was established and its first conference was held in Shenzhen. Adhering to the principles of openness, equality, co-construction, sharing, and win-win cooperation, the alliance aims to standardize the blue carbon trading market, increase the scale of blue carbon trading, promote blue carbon information sharing, and expand international exchange and cooperation. The conference was hosted by the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources and the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Ocean Development, under the guidance of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Guangdong Provincial Department of Natural Resources. The National Blue Carbon Trading Alliance brings together diverse stakeholders, including blue carbon resource suppliers, market demanders, technical service institutions, trading platforms, and financial institutions, and is a cross-sectoral non-profit cooperative organization.

U.S. manufacturing output rose 0% month-on-month in June, below the expected 0.10% and the previous figure revised from 0.00% to 0.1%.

Franco-German Joint Statement: France and Germany have reached a joint statement of intent on nuclear fusion energy. France and Germany will advocate for the redirection of EU financial instruments to the key metals sector.

A joint Franco-German statement: France and Germany will develop standards for cooperative operations in Europe to ensure interoperability between air systems. France and Germany will also explore cooperation on sovereign European missile defense capabilities.

On July 17th, during the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), Zhou Hongyi, founder of 360, attended as a representative of security companies. He stated that artificial intelligence is moving from the large-scale model stage to the intelligent agent stage. AI is no longer just a tool for answering questions, but is gradually acquiring the ability to autonomously perform tasks. As the application of intelligent agents accelerates, corresponding security risks are also increasing. Artificial intelligence needs to adhere to the development direction of safety, trustworthiness, reliability, and controllability. Zhou Hongyi stated that this year's WAIC not only provided an important exchange platform for the global development of artificial intelligence, but also further clarified the direction and principles of artificial intelligence development.

Qualcomm (QCOM.O): The quarterly cash dividend is $0.92 per share, payable on September 24, 2026.

On July 17th, Goldman Sachs stated that despite pressure from expectations of a tighter stance from the Federal Reserve, central bank buying is expected to provide a floor for gold. Demand remains strong; the bank estimates that central bank gold purchases in May totaled 81 metric tons, with a three-month average of 67 metric tons per month, significantly higher than the pre-2022 average of 17 metric tons. Goldman Sachs analysts stated, "We believe that the trend of central banks increasing their gold holdings will continue for many years as they diversify their reserves to hedge against geopolitical and financial risks." The bank predicts average monthly gold purchases of 50 metric tons this year and 40 metric tons next year.

The Kremlin stated that Russia's economic difficulties are "not critical" and that macroeconomic stability remains unaffected.

Former Iranian Foreign Minister Salehi: Iran has no intention of escalating tensions or exacerbating the situation in the Middle East; the higher the level of regional security, the greater Iran's interests.

International oil prices continued to rise, with Brent crude oil rising above $85. A chart provides a quick overview of the pre-market conversion prices of crude oil between domestic and international markets.

The U.S. export price index rose 10.2% year-on-year in June, down from 11.20% in the previous month.

The U.S. import price index rose 7.1% year-on-year in June, below the expected 6.70% and the previous reading of 6.70%.

US building permits fell 3% month-on-month in June, compared with an expected decline of 0.20% and a previous decline of 0.90%.