Headlines: We have made a lot of good progress on Iran talks, says Vance Iran ramps up crude oil exports via Strait of Hormuz as Switzerland talks conclude Further US-Iran technical talks reportedly set to continue later today UK’s Starmer: I will resign as prime minister UK…
litics: Streeting folds, decides to back Burnham for prime minister bid ECB policymaker Escriva says the ECB needs to monitor for second-round effects on wages Markets: WTI crude down 0.8% to $75.15 USD and GBP lead, JPY lags on the day European equities little changed; S&P 500 futures down 0.1% US 10-year yields up 3 bps to 4.49% Gold up 1.1% to $4,206 Bitcoin up 2.1% to $64,580 The big news on the session came from London where UK prime minister Starmer announced his plans to resign. He will stay on until his next successor is voted in, with it likely being Andy Burnham now that Wes Streeting has pulled out of the race
The end to the uncertainty saw a mild recovery in sterling, with GBP/USD moving up from 1.3190 to 1.3230 levels on the day. That comes as the dollar continues to hold steadier but also seeing early gains pull back a little. The broader market mood continues to be driven by US-Iran developments, with the US continuing to talk up how “good” of a deal that has been struck.
So far, markets are keeping cautiously optimistic and that is reflected in the action so far today. The US account continues to vary with what Iran is saying, so we’ll have to wait and see what is real and what is not on the accord. Activity on the Strait of Hormuz will be key but all we know so far is that Iran has already stepped up its own oil exports along the waterway, quickly taking advantage of the US sanctions that were lifted.