... indicating a sharp slowdown in hiring, which amplified concerns about economic growth prospects. On the other hand, geopolitical tensions have somewhat eased: the United States and the European Union managed to reach a compromise and avoid a large-scale trade war, bolstering risk appetite. Wall Street indices, after setting record highs in July, faced volatility amid mixed signals, while prices for safe-haven assets, such as gold, once again approached historical peaks. Investors from the CIS are particularly ...

... STOXX 600 rose around 0.5%, recovering from external risk declines. The main news was the agreement between Washington and Brussels that has prevented the introduction of new U.S. tariffs on EU goods from August 1. The looming threat of a large tariff war over European automotive industry has receded. Shares of major automakers (Volkswagen, BMW, Stellantis) surged on news of the compromise, as the risk of 25–70% tariffs on car exports to the U.S. was lifted. However, uncertainty in global trade remains – negotiations between the U.S. and China as well as other partners are ongoing, and European businesses are still accounting for the possibility of new barriers in the future. The eurozone economy stagnated in Q2 (~+0.1% q/q), and inflation ...

... October 2023, Israel and Iran have already exchanged missile strikes. We're witnessing something similar now. There is an air war ongoing, but prospects for further escalation remain unclear." Prices are declining based on expectations that the conflict ... ... interception via boats and helicopters, notes Bloomberg. The strait is crucial for global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade. According to Bloomberg, in 2024, approximately 16.5 million barrels of oil per day, or 26% of global supplies, were transported ...

... Grivach, Deputy Director General of the National Energy Security Fund, asserts that the U.S.-EU agreement is primarily a public relations maneuver. “During his previous presidential term, Trump negotiated similar agreements with China. After the tariff war in 2018, Washington and Beijing announced the strengthening of trade cooperation in the energy sector, including U.S. plans for Chinese companies to participate in the construction of an LNG plant in Alaska. But where is that plant now? Meanwhile, China has virtually ceased energy imports from the U.S.,” the expert ...

... Alexander Fleming accidentally invented penicillin but never turned it into a useful drug. About ten years later, Ernst Cheyne and Howard Florey unearthed Fleming's invention. They immediately saw its potential. Since this happened in England during the war, very soon they began to use this remedy in the treatment of patients. By the end of World War II, penicillin had saved countless lives. This was the most outstanding achievement in the pharmaceutical industry and played the role of a harbinger of ...