And in Asian news, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the United States backed Japan's yen-buying intervention to counter excessive weakness that risked destabilizing markets across the region. Bessent stressed that a stable yen is vital given Japan's economic heft, trade flows and role in global savings, warning that further slides could spark competitive devaluations in the South Korean won and an already undervalued Chinese yuan. The intervention sent stock futures sharply higher with the S&P 500 poised to challenge fresh record territory. Bessent added that a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could be reached as early as today or tomorrow.

In corporate news, McDonald's named 26-year company veteran Skye Anderson as its new U.S. president after posting strong second-quarter profits, even as growth in its largest market continues to slow. UBS was hit with a $125 million fine in the United States for money-laundering breaches. On the calendar, traders await JOLTS job openings and factory orders at 10:00 a.m. Central. In human interest news, five states hold primaries today while Spokane police have arrested a man connected to a recent wildfire.

This is the 8:00 AM Central VixShield flash.

President Trump's Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh is making clear his inflation strategy: leave it largely to the market. In his first press conference, Warsh declined to signal any clear monetary policy response to inflation running at double the Fed's 2% target, arguing instead that rising long-term bond yields had already tightened financial conditions enough. The hands-off approach has sparked immediate tension, with 30-year Treasury yields spiking to a 19-year high and stocks falling as investors question whether the Fed is willing to push back against demands for rate cuts. This comes as traders digest another heavy wave of corporate earnings.

Dow futures are jumping more than 400 points after strong results from Caterpillar, whose shares are up 9% on AI-driven demand for its power systems used in data centers. Palantir is surging 16% after beating expectations on government contracts. Pfizer topped estimates and raised the low end of its revenue guidance on strength from Eliquis and other drugs, while Meta's Mark Zuckerberg told investors the company is selling compute even as it lifts capital expenditure guidance to $130 billion.

And in European news, a dinghy carrying 157 people capsized in the Channel after its engine caught fire. Passengers were rescued by French and British vessels with some taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Later this morning, markets await trade balance numbers, JOLTS job openings, and factory orders.

This is the 7:00 AM Central VixShield flash.

Apple has launched a fresh legal challenge against a UK government order requiring access to encrypted user data, arguing the demand threatens customer privacy on a global scale and risks setting a dangerous precedent for democratic nations.

And in European news, accounting firm Gerald Edelman advised on four major UK deals completed in July as corporate deal flow shows signs of life. Merck raised its full-year revenue outlook on strong sales of new drugs but cut profit guidance after charges tied to its acquisition of biotech firm Terns Pharmaceuticals. Palantir shares jumped 16 percent after the firm posted what CEO Alex Karp called "otherworldly" commercial revenue growth, telling investors customers have refused to become vassal states of the language labs.

Five states — Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia and Washington — hold primary elections today with competitive congressional races that will shape control of the House and Senate after the 2026 midterms and set the battlefield for redistricting fights.

Traders heading into the US open are watching the JOLTS job openings report and factory orders data for fresh signals on the economy ahead of Wednesday's ADP employment numbers. Bitcoin is trading near $63,700. Ethereum is around $1,865. Gold is holding above $4,100 an ounce.

More than 150 migrants were rescued in the English Channel after their small boat caught fire mid-crossing, the latest desperate scene in a route that has claimed dozens of lives this year alone.

This is the 6:00 AM Central VixShield flash.

Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s latest policy tactics are raising fresh risks for the dollar outlook, analysts warn, as investors prepare for a slate of U.S. data including today’s JOLTS job openings report and factory orders.

In European news, the UK government has ruled that stores can refuse cash in specific situations, providing clarity for retailers after prolonged debate. Mastercard has finalized its acquisition of BVNK, a move designed to bolster its stablecoin and cryptocurrency infrastructure amid growing digital payments demand.

A high-speed police chase through Queensland, Australia, ended in two arrests after officers pursued a suspect vehicle in a dramatic operation caught on video.

This is the 5:00 AM Central VixShield flash.

Toyota has lifted its full-year profit forecast and announced a major stock buyback even as its shares slipped in early Tokyo trading. The Japanese automaker is counting on stronger hybrid demand and tighter cost controls to drive earnings through the rest of the year.

In a separate corporate move, BP reported second-quarter profit more than doubling to top $5 billion, powered by the surge in oil prices and strong trading results that beat forecasts, though questions remain over its transition spending. And in European news, Hungary came within millimetres of shutting down the Paks nuclear power plant overnight as record-low water levels on the Danube left it with barely enough cooling water to run at just over 10% capacity. In Britain, the government is extending half-price rail travel to 18-year-olds, allowing them to buy the 16-17 Saver Railcard right up until the day before their 18th birthday so the 50% discount runs a full year until they turn 19, a change expected to save 70,000 students an average of £175 a year.

Bitcoin is trading near $63,517, Ethereum around $1,856, gold at $4,112 per ounce, and WTI oil at $81.85 a barrel.

A dramatic police chase in Queensland, Australia, ended in two arrests after a stolen vehicle reached speeds exceeding 140 mph through suburban streets.

This is the 4:00 AM Central VixShield flash.

And in European news, five people are dead in Moscow after a Ukrainian drone strike hit a Wildberries warehouse south of the Kremlin. Moscow regional governor Andrei Vorobyov says the overnight attack in Chekhov killed at least five and injured ten, with similar strikes reported on the company's sites near Saint Petersburg and Tver. Kyiv insists the depots supply Russian forces.

In the same conflict, big oil profits are soaring as the Iran war pushes crude prices sharply higher. BP more than doubled its quarterly earnings to $5.73bn while Saudi Aramco posted a 44% rise in net profit to nearly $33bn.

Toyota lifted its full year forecast despite a first quarter profit drop blamed on weak sales in China.

And traders in Asian markets are watching the yen after reports the United States funded last week's intervention by selling euros rather than dollars to avoid destabilising Treasury holdings.

In human interest news, an 82-year-old Australian charity cyclist named Bob Montgomery died peacefully just one day after finishing a 3,300-mile ride across the country that raised more than A$100,000 for motor neurone disease research.

This is the 3:00 AM Central VixShield flash.

Bitcoin has slipped below $64,000 as traders position for today's JOLTS job openings report and fresh comments from an FOMC member. Ethereum holds near $1,854.

President Trump has warned Iran that current negotiations represent its last chance to end the five-month Middle East conflict, saying he called off planned massive strikes to allow diplomacy, yet Tehran continues to deny any direct talks are taking place. The mixed messages have kept tanker traffic subdued through the Strait of Hormuz and sent oil prices swinging.

And in European news, a UK firm spun out of Improbable Worlds is building 'Fortnite on steroids' virtual gaming environments, complete with digital twins of entire cities like Riga, to train British soldiers on second and third-order effects of their decisions. In the UK, Metro Bank customer Zoli Rutter is fighting to recover more than £14,000 after fraudsters used his card to buy credits for an artificial intelligence chatbot, with the bank's systems failing to freeze the card quickly enough.

An 82-year-old Australian charity cyclist, Bob Montgomery, has died in a single-vehicle crash in Sydney just one day after finishing a 5,200-kilometre fundraising ride across the country with his teenage grandson.

This is the 2:00 AM Central VixShield flash.

A mother of two is among the hundreds of residents now returning to fire-scorched homes in southwest France after a ten-day wildfire uncovered and detonated more than 400 buried World War Two shells.

In the village of Le Porge in the Gironde region, locals first mistook the overnight explosions for gas cylinders until demining teams confirmed the blasts came from German and French mortar rounds and anti-tank projectiles that had lain underground for 80 years. One shell reportedly tore straight through a house while more than 180 homes were destroyed in the blaze. Most families have now been allowed back though the beach, campsite and La Jenny village remain sealed off. The discovery has left many residents shaken, confronting both the fresh trauma of losing their properties and the sudden reminder that Europe's past wars still hide beneath their feet.

In financial markets HSBC has beaten profit forecasts with $10.1 billion in pre-tax earnings helped by stronger net interest income while Saudi Aramco posted a $33.4 billion quarter as higher oil prices from the five-month-old Iran conflict flow through to its bottom line. Bitcoin trades near $63,700, Ethereum around $1,860 and gold holds above $4,100 an ounce as traders await fresh American jobs and factory data.

This is the 1:00 AM Central VixShield flash.

Grab's artificial intelligence systems are now helping the Southeast Asian super app ship products three times faster, according to its chief financial officer. The company has raised its full-year forecasts as the technology drives major efficiency gains across its logistics network.

Grab reported second-quarter revenue up 22% to $997 million with operating profit jumping 186% to $19 million. Rides grew 28%, one of its strongest quarterly increases in years. The company now sees full-year revenue between $4.10 billion and $4.15 billion, up from its previous outlook, and EBITDA of $720–740 million. CFO Peter Oey said AI tools embedded in operations and product development have slashed fulfillment times dramatically, improving margins and cost efficiency. Consumer demand stayed resilient through July, its financial services business is hitting an inflection point, and the planned acquisition of Delivery Hero’s foodpanda unit in Taiwan remains on track to close in the second half.

The results underscore how artificial intelligence is powering faster product cycles and margin expansion for high-growth platform companies in emerging markets.

This is the 12:00 AM Central VixShield flash.

And in Asian news, Australian gambling giants Tabcorp and Sportsbet have issued strong denials after explosive claims they supplied cocaine, alcohol, sex workers and free accommodation to VIP clients and problem gamblers to drive higher betting volumes. Former rugby league star Luke Bateman told a federal parliamentary inquiry he attended private Gold Coast events where senior industry figures allegedly took illegal drugs with customers. Both companies insist there is zero evidence of such conduct, maintain a zero-tolerance policy and have called for any concrete information to be handed to them and regulators. Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles described the testimony as quite shocking and appalling. The scandal comes as Victoria's Labor cabinet undergoes a major shake-up amid fresh debate over gambling advertising laws.

Separately, Grab's chief financial officer says artificial intelligence is helping the Southeast Asian super-app ship products three times faster, prompting the ride-hailing and delivery giant to lift its full-year forecasts.

This is the 11:00 PM Central VixShield flash.