Asian Stocks Slide as Nikkei Leads Losses on Tech Selloff and Rising U.S.-Iran Tensions 
Brazil Weighs IP Curbs, Patent Suspensions After New U.S. Tariffs 
ECB's Kocher Says No Inflation Spillover Yet From Iran Conflict, Warns Risks Remain 
China Home Prices Fall Again in June Despite Slower Pace of Decline 
South Korea Raises Interest Rates to 2.75% as Inflation and Weak Won Drive Tightening 
Gold Price Holds Near Record High as Cooling U.S. Inflation Offsets Fed Caution 
IEA Warns China Rare Earth Export Curbs Could Threaten $6.5 Trillion in Global Production 
Oil Prices Set for Weekly Surge as U.S.-Iran Conflict Fuels Supply Fears 
U.S. Imposes 25% Tariff on Select Brazilian Imports After Section 301 Trade Investigation 
US Stock Futures Hold Steady as Soft Inflation Data Eases Fed Rate Hike Fears 
Oil Prices Rise as U.S. Strikes on Iran Raise Strait of Hormuz Supply Fears 
Asian Currencies Stay Rangebound as Middle East Tensions, Weak China GDP Weigh on Sentiment 
Oil Prices Climb as Trump Escalates Iran Pressure, Strait of Hormuz Risks Grow 
Dollar Slides as Softer US Inflation Dims Fed Rate Hike Expectations 
Nikkei Plunges 5% as AI Stock Selloff Spreads Across Asia 
South Korea’s KOSPI Enters Bear Market Despite Remaining 2026’s Best-Performing Major Stock Index 
AI Chip Stocks Face Valuation Pressure as Investors Shift Toward Big Tech and Software 
U.S. stock index futures edged lower on Wednesday evening after the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged but warned of rising risks from inflation and economic uncertainty. The move followed modest gains on Wall Street, fueled by a rebound in chip stocks amid signs the Trump administration may ease export restrictions on artificial intelligence chips.
At 19:50 ET (23:50 GMT), S&P 500 futures fell 0.1% to 5,645.75, Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 0.1% to 19,948.75, and Dow Jones futures slipped 0.1% to 41,168.0.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell cited growing concerns over inflation and unemployment, stating the outlook remains unclear due to uncertainty surrounding Trump’s trade tariffs. The Fed is expected to keep a cautious stance, with Powell ruling out any preemptive rate cuts despite pressure from Trump for lower borrowing costs.
Meanwhile, AI chipmakers led a late rally in U.S. stocks after reports indicated Trump may roll back Biden-era export controls on advanced chips. The move would benefit U.S. semiconductor firms by expanding their overseas sales opportunities. Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) gained 3.1% during regular trading, while TSMC (NYSE: TSM) added 1.3% and Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) rose 1.9%.
Despite ongoing concerns about U.S.-China trade talks and the Fed's cautious tone, Wall Street closed higher. The S&P 500 rose 0.4% to 5,631.27, the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.3% to 17,738.16, and the Dow Jones added 0.7% to close at 41,113.97.
Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) lagged behind, pressured by reports that Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) may integrate AI-powered search into its browser, posing new competition for Google’s core business.
