And in European and Asian news, Russian President Vladimir Putin has made his first visit to the disputed Kuril Islands, prompting an official protest from Japan. The four southernmost islands, administered by Russia but claimed by Japan as its Northern Territories, have been a flashpoint since the end of World War Two. The move is viewed as a symbolic assertion of Russian sovereignty. BAE Systems will pay a $36 m penalty after 104 violations of US arms export rules. In Britain, university leaders are warning of a financial crisis after a sharp collapse in international student numbers, with some institutions at risk of going under. Oil is down 1.3% at $81.00 a barrel. Gold is steady at $4,415 an ounce. Bitcoin is trading at $63,298. The S&P is holding a modest gain at 7,801.44 while the VIX is quiet near 14.66. And finally, rescuers in Colombia are calling for silence around earthquake rubble as the window for survival narrows after a devastating 7.4-magnitude quake struck the country on Monday.

Condor Studio News · 2:00 PM Central · Aug 13, 2026.

The SEC is advancing new cryptocurrency rules that could clear the path for 24/7 trading while weighing clarity on stablecoins and custody. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has opened the door for national banks to work with bitcoin and crypto firms, paving the way for crypto banks. Regulatory fragmentation persists with Senate action on the Clarity Act now likely delayed until after the August recess. In U.S. markets the S&P is holding steady at 7,790.55 while the VIX sits near 14.70. Gold is down slightly at $4,414. Oil has edged higher to $82.05. Bitcoin trades at $63,130. Ethereum at $1,876. And finally rescuers in Colombia are calling for silence around the rubble of a devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake as the window for finding survivors continues to narrow.

Condor Studio News · 1:00 PM Central · Aug 13, 2026.

The bond market is flashing warning signs for stocks as elevated real yields pull capital away from risk assets and compress equity valuations. Jefferies analysts say the rise in inflation-adjusted Treasury yields points to weaker forward returns especially in a higher-for-longer rate environment. Michael Burry has doubled down on his short position in Nvidia calling a recent $500 billion chip deal a Wall Street stunt with shades of Enron. In U.S. markets the S&P is holding a modest gain at 7,789.65 while the VIX remains quiet near 14.71. Gold hit $4,423 an ounce. Oil has slipped to $81.94. Bitcoin is trading at $62,993. And finally thirty six amateur hikers including nine Britons and babies in prams have been dramatically rescued by helicopter in the Alps after becoming stranded 2,300 meters up just 18 inches from a sheer drop. Alpine rescue teams airlifted the entire group after they got lost on a precarious route they were unprepared for.

Condor Studio News · 12:00 PM Central · Aug 13, 2026.

Tensions remain high in the Strait of Hormuz after five and a half months of negotiations, tanker attacks and blockades, with the vital waterway largely closed and traffic at two-month lows. Oil is up sharply at $82.38 as analysts warn that a prolonged stalemate into late September could trigger physical shortages and push Brent toward $120 a barrel. In the United States, producer prices were unchanged in July while the labor market remained stable. The S&P is holding a modest loss at 7,778.80 while the VIX sits near 14.71. Gold hit $4,426 an ounce. Bitcoin trades at $63,549. And finally, pupils in the UK are celebrating the best ever A-level results with more than one in four securing at least an A and boys extending their lead over girls in the top grades.

Condor Studio News · 11:00 AM Central · Aug 13, 2026.

U.S. producer prices came in completely flat in July, softer than expected and cooling September rate-hike bets to just 31%. The dollar slipped on the data while Fed Chair Kevin Warsh weighs the path ahead. Domestic steelmakers are getting a lift from widening price spreads and 25% tariffs that have cut import competition, supporting onshoring, data-center construction and non-residential infrastructure projects. Goldman Sachs is deepening its bet on digital assets with a $2.25 billion deal to acquire the Bitcoin-focused asset manager NEOS. In U.S. markets the S&P is holding a modest gain at 7,801.13 while the VIX has ticked higher to 14.64. Gold sits at $4,440 an ounce. Oil trades at $80.95 a barrel. Bitcoin sits near $63,835. And finally, in a human turn, a £3.8million superyacht has sunk in the Mediterranean just days after being delivered to its owner.

Condor Studio News · 10:00 AM Central · Aug 13, 2026.

Wholesale prices flattened out in July and producer inflation eased more than expected, adding to evidence of cooling price pressures in the pipeline. The softer PPI reading gives Fed Chair Kevin Warsh additional room to maneuver on rates as traders price in further easing later this year. This hour the focus lane stays on U.S. cash with the S&P up six tenths of one percent at 7,794.88. The VIX has edged a touch lower to 14.46. Oil trades at $81.24 a barrel with little net change. Gold hit $4,435 an ounce. Bitcoin sits near $63,707. And finally in a human turn, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham says he is angry over regulator-approved bill increases for five UK water companies that will help pay for infrastructure to support new housing and data centres, while separately the owner of Sports Direct has bought luxury department store Harvey Nichols.

Condor Studio News · 9:00 AM Central · Aug 13, 2026.

Good morning from Nashville, it's Thursday, August thirteenth, twenty twenty-six, just past eight fifty central. Picture this: the tape opens with wholesale prices sitting dead flat from July, the kind of number that makes folks lean in because it quietly shifts the conversation on rates. That sets the tone for what we're watching right now. If you've been listening, you know we keep coming back to one thread. Persistent federal deficits are keeping real borrowing costs from falling even when the jobs picture softens, and that pressure shows up first in how risk gets priced. Today the options surface is telling us the weather is calm enough to work. Fear Wave is our radar for the full S&P option surface, puts and calls together. Most people only watch the index level, like looking out the windshield in the rain. We scan the whole surface to see whether institutions are building heavy call-side water or whether the premiums line up in an orderly way. This morning the three sweeps after the open showed Clear Skies. No storm cell forming. That means we file the flight under normal rules for all three tiers, Conservative, Balanced, and Aggressive. The market is already open and the S&P sits at seven thousand seven hundred ninety-two, VIX at fourteen point four two. Gold holds four thousand four hundred thirty-eight, oil eighty-one twenty-two. Those levels line up with what we have been saying since earlier in the week. Deficits keep the real cost of capital elevated, so gold stays the cleaner hedge while the S&P respects its narrow band. Ms Vixxy flagged the wholesale inflation print earlier, and it reinforces the point. When government spending stays this large, softer inflation data does not automatically hand us lower yields or a clean breakout higher in risk assets. The institutions are not yet pushing through any call-side front, which keeps us range-bound for now. One forward thesis for today is simple and falsifiable. If the surface stays orderly through midday, the S&P should hold inside its current band without a decisive move higher, and gold should continue to act as the steadier store of value. If fresh spending talk or another inflation surprise adds water to the radar, we will see the first signs in the options surface before the price board catches up. That is the setup. On the policy side, the same deficit pressure that supports gold also limits how much relief lower inflation can deliver to Main Street. When Washington keeps borrowing at this scale, small businesses and retirees feel it first in higher real rates on everything from equipment loans to fixed-income holdings. The tape is not punishing risk assets today, but it is not rewarding them with a breakout either. That is why we stay disciplined with the iron condor under Clear Skies instead of reaching for something more aggressive. Folks who've been around remember when we watched the same pattern develop last week. The surface stayed orderly, the range held, and gold did not need a breakout to prove its value. Today gives us the same setup. We take the three tiers under standard gates because the radar supports it. The market thinks we land near seven thousand seven hundred thirty tomorrow, and that lines up with the thesis that deficits and range-bound action continue to define the session. One sign that the thesis is working will be if the surface stays light on call-side water into the afternoon. If that changes, we will know before the headline index moves

That's the read from Nashville for Thursday, August 13, 2026. I'm Russell Clark, and we'll see you at the next session. Trade the plan, not the noise.

U.S. wholesale prices were unchanged in July with easing pressures down the supply chain, reinforcing expectations that Fed Chair Kevin Warsh will cut rates rather than hike in September. The benign PPI data follows yesterday's cooler CPI and has traders dialing back the odds of a near-term rate increase. Stock futures are edging higher with the S&P up 0.3% and the VIX dropping 2.6% to its lowest level in weeks. Gold is up 0.2% at $4,449 an ounce. Oil is down 0.4% at $81.28 a barrel. Bitcoin is trading at $63,580. And finally, a £3.8million superyacht has sunk in the Mediterranean just days after delivery. The Angiola Two capsized off Sardinia leaving families devastated.

Condor Studio News · 8:00 AM Central · Aug 13, 2026.

U.S. inflation eased slightly in July according to the latest Labor Department report, a modest cooldown in price pressures. Gold is down zero point two percent at $4,441 an ounce. Into the U.S. open, European shares are little changed with Germany's DAX trading near 26,433 and Britain's FTSE trading near 10,803. Oil is at $81.61. Bitcoin sits at $63,400. And finally, in a human turn, a £3.8million superyacht has sunk in the Mediterranean just days after being delivered to its owner. The Angiola II capsized on Tuesday evening off Porto Cervo in Sardinia, Italy, between Cappuccini Island and Capo Ferro leaving families devastated.

Condor Studio News · 7:00 AM Central · Aug 13, 2026.

Wall Street is bracing for wholesale inflation numbers that could shape the path for interest rates as Treasury yields dip ahead of today's PPI release. The data lands alongside unemployment claims and remarks from two Federal Reserve officials in what traders are calling a key pre-market pulse check on the macro calendar. In Europe the DAX is trading near 26,474 while the FTSE is trading near 10,800. Oil is at $81.50. Gold hit $4,448 an ounce. Bitcoin traded near $63,574. The UK economy grew 0.4 percent in the second quarter but analysts warn of tougher months ahead as officials defend the seizure of a shadow fleet tanker linked to Russia. And finally pupils in Britain are celebrating the best ever A-level results with more than one in four securing at least an A and boys widening their lead over girls at the top grades.

Condor Studio News · 6:00 AM Central · Aug 13, 2026.