Geopolitics & Energy

U.S.–Iran Military Exchange Ends in Fragile Pause — Oil Jumps, Strait of Hormuz Risk Lingers

The U.S. and Iran exchanged military strikes over the weekend before agreeing Sunday to pause hostilities, pushing West Texas Intermediate crude up 1.7% to $70.40 a barrel and Brent to $72.85 — the first time WTI has traded above $70 since oil hit its lowest level since the start of the conflict on June 24. Despite the ceasefire, analysts warn the Strait of Hormuz shipping squeeze remains active as Iran seeks additional diplomatic leverage, with fresh U.S.–Iran talks scheduled in Qatar on Tuesday that could either stabilize or re-escalate the situation. Source: Investopedia & CNBC World

Equities — Tech Sector

The Week in Tech: Nasdaq's Second-Worst Week in a Year, Then a Monday Rebound

The Nasdaq fell every session last week for a cumulative loss of 4.6% — its second-largest weekly decline in the past year — as a combination of rate-and-valuation anxiety, Cerebras' margin-compression warning, and a New York Times report that OpenAI may delay its IPO until 2027 battered memory, chip, and mega-cap names. By Monday June 29, however, all seven Magnificent Seven stocks were higher, with Amazon pacing the Dow (+5%) and Alphabet gaining 4% in its debut session as a Dow component, suggesting the sell-off was a sentiment-driven correction rather than a fundamental re-rating. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq each rose roughly 0.7–1.2% to open the new week.

Source: Investopedia Jun 26 & Investopedia Jun 29

Corporate Strategy

Comcast Spins Off NB