U.S. Launches New Strikes on Iran; June CPI Cools Sharply; OpenAI Readies Screenless Smart Speaker

1. U.S. Central Command said U.S. forces began a new round of strikes on Iran at 3:00 p.m. EDT (10:30 p.m. Tehran time) on the 14th. 2. U.S. President Trump said he has decided to replace the U.S.-proposed 20% fee on goods transported through the Strait of Hormuz with trade and investment agreements between Gulf countries and the United States. 3. U.S. Central Command said U.S. forces resumed maritime blockades on vessels traveling to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas at 4:00 p.m. EDT on the 14th. 4. Around 1:00 a.m. local time on the 15th, Iran's military said it continues drone strikes against U.S. military bases in the region. 5. The office of Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Manturov said Russia and the United States have developed a joint plan to conclude operations of the International Space Station by the end of 2030, following a visit by NASA Administrator Isaacman. 6. Iraqi Prime Minister Za'idi said in a meeting with President Trump on the 14th local time that U.S. forces must withdraw from Iraq by September 30 this year. 7. U.S. June CPI rose 3.5% year over year, versus estimates of 3.8% and a prior reading of 4.2%. CPI fell 0.4% month over month, compared with an expected decline of 0.1% and a prior 0.5% increase. 8. After the CPI release, traders pushed back expectations for the next Federal Reserve rate hike to October. 9. Fed Chair Walsh said the central bank has "zero tolerance" for persistently high inflation. He added that while the CPI report beat expectations, he opposes cherry-picking only favorable data. 10. Walsh said the Fed remains fully committed to its dual mandate of price stability and maximum employment, which he said are not mutually exclusive. 11. U.S. net capital inflows in May totaled $132.2 billion, revised up from $76.6 billion the prior month. International capital inflows were also reported at $132.2 billion, with prior figures revised from $26.1 billion to $76.6 billion. 12. The U.S. House passed legislation to make daylight saving time permanent and sent it to the Senate. 13. Citigroup reiterated its three-month targets of $1,500/oz for palladium and $1,950/oz for platinum. 14. Apple received a rare downgrade after KeyBanc Capital Markets cut the stock to "Underweight", citing demand and valuation concerns. 15. OpenAI is developing a portable, screenless smart speaker positioned as an AI companion device with humanlike traits, designed to control smart-home appliances and integrate deeply with all ChatGPT capabilities. 16. Lucid said it has sufficient liquidity to fund operations well into next year and dismissed related rumors as false. The stock plunged nearly 60% intraday. 17. The semifinals of the 2026 USA&Canada&Mexico World Cup officially began, with France losing 0–2 to Spain. Spain advanced to the final and will face the winner of England vs Argentina. 18. U.S. stocks finished higher: the Dow added 0.02%, the Nasdaq gained 0.9%, and the S&P 500 rose 0.38%. Memory-related shares jumped, with SK Hynix up more than 27%. 19. WTI crude settled at $79.34 a barrel, up $1.20, or 1.54%. Brent settled at $84.73, up $1.43, or 1.72%. 20. COMEX gold futures rose 1.31% to $4,058.3 an ounce, while COMEX silver futures gained 1.84% to $59.04 an ounce. (Caixin Global)