Overview

• Global stocks edged higher as U.S. benchmarks hit record highs and MSCI’s global equity gauge climbed.
• U.S. weekly jobless claims fell to a three-month low of 221,000 and June retail sales rose 0.6%, driving the dollar to multi-week highs.
• Fed Governor Kugler affirmed that interest rates should remain unchanged “for some time,” dampening expectations of near-term rate cuts.
• EU Trade Chief Maros Sefcovic arrived in Washington to negotiate tariff relief with U.S. counterparts before an August 1 deadline.
• Asian markets advanced on upbeat earnings—including TSMC’s record profit—while the yen weakened as Japanese voters head to the polls.