📈 Global Oil Prices Rise to Multi-Week Highs Amid US-Iran Stalemate

• Oil & Energy: Brent crude futures rose to US$ 88.00/bbl and U.S. crude ticked up to US$ 82.45/bbl following a ~5% rally, driven by an impasse in U.S.-Iran negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Market analysts project prices to stay within the US$ 75–95/bbl range amid escalating geopolitical tension. • Macroeconomy & Inflation: Rising fuel costs heighten focus on the upcoming U.S. July CPI report (expected +0.1% headline, +0.2% core). An upside surprise could increase expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike and reignite stagflation worries. • Equity Markets: Asian shares fluctuated due to fragile sentiment. MSCI’s Asia-Pacific ex-Japan index edged up 0.2%, South Korea's Kospi gained 0.3%, while U.S. Nasdaq futures rose 0.28% and S&P 500 futures added 0.1%. • Currencies & Commodities: The Japanese yen traded weak above 159 per USD despite intervention vigilance. Spot gold climbed 0.5% to US$ 4,409.81 per ounce. • Technology & Capital Markets: Nvidia partnered with six major financial institutions to create compute financing platforms aimed at raising over US$ 500 Bn in third-party capital for AI infrastructure.