Squawk Box Europe Express

U.S. inflation concerns ease with producer prices coming in unchanged for July, cutting the odds for a September Fed hike. South Korea’s KOSPI surges further following last month’s sell-off. European futures are in the green following an otherwise lacklustre week but the continent is poised for one of its strongest earnings seasons in years. The U.S. 30-year T-bill auction racks up the highest borrowing costs in 25 years – up at 5.2 per cent – as investors examine Washington’s spiraling debt pile.

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July’s U.S. inflation slows down to come in at 3.4 per cent with the core print falling to 2.5 per cent. Markets now expect the September rate decision to remain on hold. The CEO of Norway’s sovereign wealth fund says he is cautious about AI funding even though the fund’s gains are largely derived from tech. NBIM’s Nicolai Tangen tells CNBC he is still optimistic about economic resilience around the world in the long term. Shipping titan Maersk boosts its FY guidance on the back of a robust volume growth outlook . Rival carrier Hapag-Lloyd sees an increase in Q2 revenues due to higher spot rates.

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Coreweave shares surge after the AI cloud provider posts a beat on both the top and bottom line. Data centre infrastructure firm Super Micro is also up on positive forecasts. Investors await the latest U.S. inflation data with the headline number expected to be 3.4 per cent. There is no clear agreement about the Federal Reserve’s next move. Oil inches higher as attacks on shipping in both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb raise fears of escalation as well as increase concern over crude supply chains. A top Iranian security official doubles down on Tehran’s demands to re-open the Gulf.   

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Nvidia makes a massive financing push, teaming up with top Wall Street bosses who pledge more than half a trillion dollars in capital. CEO Jensen Huang tells CNBC that his company’s chips platform will become its own asset class. Hopes of a new deal over the Strait of Hormuz fade with President Trump claiming the U.S. fully controls the waterway and that it should be Iran who pays the U.S. reparations for 50 years of ‘damage’. Crude inches higher and Asian equities remain mixed while futures in Europe and the U.S. are flat.

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Iran raises the price for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, demanding U.S. reparations under June’s memorandum of understanding. Yemen’s Houthi rebels hit a Saudi oil refinery just days after Riyadh signs a mutual regional defence pact with Turkey and Pakistan. Berkshire Hathaway’s Greg Abel pumps almost $20bn in investments in the second quarter, including almost $10bn in Alphabet.

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The Iran draft plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz reportedly prohibits vessels from ‘hostile’ states including the U.S. and Israel. A U.S. official tells CNBC that any temporary passages must be unimpeded for all. In tech news, Alphabet raises $25bn in debt to fund A.I. projects while Kansas City Federal Reserve Jeff Schmid asks whether the sector is becoming another ‘too big to fail.’ China sees exports rise almost 24 per cent in July on the back of strong demand for its chip components. Meanwhile, President Trump imposes a 15 per cent tariff on poly-silicone products to target semi-conductor and photovoltaic product supply chains. Investors await July’s U.S. jobs report later today. Economists expect a boost of up to 83,000 jobs due in part to the recent World Cup.

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Big Tech moves were in focus during Wall Street’s session on Wednesday as DeepMind CEO Demis Hassibis’ departure drags Alphabet down. SpaceX shares were also down following the company’s debut earnings with investors now awaiting the first expiration of its insider lock-ups earlier today. Germany’s Commerzbank posts an almost 100 per cent jump in quarterly net profit beating expectations ahead of a potential takeover from Italian lender Unicredit. Siemens hikes its FY guidance as orders surge by almost 14 per cent on strong demand from infrastructure and data centres. CEO Roland Busch tells CNBC every one of its units is ‘firing on all cylinders’. Iran and Oman inch closer to a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz with the pact reportedly granting Tehran control over entry rights to the waterway.  

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High investment costs outweigh SpaceX’s earnings beat with investors concerned about AI capex doubling from the previous quarter. Asian equities are in the green, following fresh record highs on Wall Street yesterday. Oil retreats as U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tells CNBC he sees movement in opening the Strait of Hormuz. In pharma news, Novo Nordisk shares dive in the U.S. session despite the drug maker hiking its guidance due to investor fears over sales of its Wegovy fat loss pill.  

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BP reports earnings amid continued price volatility and the company looks to market its North Sea assets. President Trump says talks with Iran have resumed despite Tehran denying the two sides are negotiating. Oil inches higher following a three-week low and President Trump slams IOCs for windfall profits in the sector and urges retail price cuts. The White House is due to host top A.I. company bosses later today to discuss cyber security as Palantir CEO Alex Karp attacks the leading labs over data protection.

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Oil prices slump after President Trump announces new Iran talks are imminent, citing pressure from Gulf allies to hold off on a massive round of airstrikes. European and U.S. futures are in the green ahead of the first trading session of August. In Japan, the yen stabilises after U.S. and Japanese authorities confirm joint market intervention. Reports emerge of a $400bn mega-merger between AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers-Squibb which would potentially be one of the largest deals in the pharma sector ever.  

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