Squawk Box Europe Express

Taiwanese chip giant TSMC smashes another record with an 80 per cent surge in Q2 net profits on the building wave of demand for its AI processors. Further exchanges of fire between the U.S. and Iran in the Persian Gulf could reportedly prompt President Trump to expand operations in the region. Trump remains confident the conflict can be concluded in the near future. Sterling hits a yearly high despite reports incoming prime minister Andy Burnham is set to make Shabana Mahmood Chancellor of the Exchequer as Sir Keir Starmer attends his final PMQs. UK GDP for May ekes out growth of 1.3 per cent year-on-year. However, May manufacturing is down by 1.8 per cent year-on-year.

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ASML smashes Q2 estimates and hikes its FY guidance as huge A.I. demand offsets disappointing performance in the Chinese market. President Trump reverses his call for fees on tankers leaving the Strait of Hormuz under U.S. naval protection following investment pledges from GCC nations as a means of compensation. U.S. CPI slows more than expected as energy prices fall. Newly appointed Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh makes his first Congressional appearance and promises to keep his position independent from the White House while bringing down inflation. In luxury news, Richemont enjoys a 20 per cent boost in sales, beating estimates from Q1 with strong growth seen across the Americas and Asia.

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The U.S. and Iran trade strikes for a third consecutive night with President Trump declaring American forces are blockading the Strait of Hormuz and demanding a 20 per cent levy on all cargo. Trump says he remains positive on being able to reach a peace deal with Tehran. The renewed conflict pushes Brent to its biggest one-day surge since the Covid pandemic. The UK and Switzerland sign a services trade deal ahead of Rachel Reeves’ last Mansion House speech under Keir Starmer’s premiership. We speak top Trade Minister Chris Bryant who predicts the incoming Burnham government will seek ever-closer ties with the European Union.

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Crude prices rise as the U.S. and Iran exchange fire with both sides claiming control over the Strait of Hormuz. SK Hynix shares fall in Asian markets following the chip maker’s $26bn U.S. ADR listing. Tech selling and Middle East uncertainty push Asian equities lower and trigger circuit-breakers on South Korea’s KOSPI. European futures are also in the red following a four-day winning streak. Nippon Paints offers to buy Akzo Nobel’s decorative paints arm for €7.5bn following a previous rebuttal for the Dulux-maker’s entire business.

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SK Hynix’s U.S. listing raises $26.5bn with investor demand said to be seven times oversubscribed. The Nasdaq listing is the largest by a foreign company on Wall Street. Technical talks between Washington and Tehran are ongoing despite this week’s tit-for-tat attacks. Crude is set to break a four-week losing streak with the recent tensions threatening to trigger concerns about supply from the Gulf. In Germany, Volkswagen cuts capacity and slashes its model line-up in half but pulls back from announcing 100k job cuts as it faces worker and union protests at its car plant in Zwickau.  

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The U.S. and Iran exchange fire for a second day with President Trump threatening to increase the intensity of airstrikes. Kuwait and Bahrain suffer retaliatory attacks on U.S. bases while Qatar upgrades its security alertness. Speaking at the NATO summit, President Trump tells CNBC the conflict will not escalate into all-out war, insisting Washington’s objective is to prevent Tehran obtaining a nuclear weapon. Despite Trump’s declaration the MOU with Iran is over, markets remain sanguine. However, Brent nudges closer towards the $80-mark.

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The U.S. targets Iran with fresh airstrikes and revokes its license to sell crude oil after attacks tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Iran fires missiles at U.S. bases in Bahrain and Kuwait. We are live at the NATO summit in Ankara where President Trump again raises the Greenland question and threatens to pull all troops out of Europe over allies’ defence spending. However, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte tells CNBC Trump’s pressure on alliance members over funding has delivered big results. European leaders concur that spending into the bloc must be increased as the war in the Gulf has left the alliance on high alert while the Ukraine conflict nears a pivotal moment.

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We are live in Ankara where NATO leaders are gathering for the bloc’s annual summit. The focus is again on the U.S. commitment and allies’ increased spending. Secretary General Marc Rutte insists there is unity and coordination from all members. The U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker tells CNBC Washington does want the organisation to succeed but allies’ defence spending must ‘keep pace’. Stellar preliminary earnings from Samsung send jitters through Asian markets, causing a circuit-breaker on South Korea’s KOSPI as investors sell off.  

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Crude prices are stable following last week’s drop below pre-Iran war levels, as Opec+ nations agree to increase production. ECB Governing Council Member and Central Bank of Ireland Governor Gabriel Makhlouf tells CNBC fall in prices will not be felt though any relief inflation just yet. Speaking to CNBC at the Rencontres Économiques d’Aix-en-Provence, EU Industry Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné insisted the bloc must defend its strategic interests in the face of growing geo-political threats. EasyJet has reached an ‘agreement in principle’ with U.S. investment company Castlelake which is set to acquire the UK budget airline in a deal worth an estimated $5.5bn.

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President Trump sits down for an exclusive interview with out colleagues Stateside and defends the conflict in Iran, accusing Tehran of exploiting prior administrations over the past 47 years. Trump also said markets backed his intervention. U.S. jobs growth slowed in June with just 57, 000 non-farm positions added. U.S. and European markets have now downgraded expectations of a rate hike. Europe’s Stoxx 600 notches a fresh record high and futures also remain in the green for the end of the week.

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