QtrendsU.S.-Iran clashes push oil above $70, markets stabilize
Oil prices rebounded above $70 a barrel as renewed U.S.-Iran military strikes in the Persian Gulf reignited Middle East supply fears. Stock futures inched higher following reports that both sides had agreed to halt attacks. Asian markets were mixed as investors weighed the ceasefire development against ongoing geopolitical uncertainty. The NYT reported oil markets edged higher after days of escalating attacks in the region.
Sources:
A Saudi Aramco helicopter crashed in Saudi Arabia, killing all 14 nationals on board, according to state news agency reports. CNN and CNBC both confirmed the incident, with AP News also reporting the tragedy. The crash adds to heightened regional tensions amid ongoing U.S.-Iran hostilities in the Persian Gulf.
Brokers believe China's AI-driven stock market surge will regain momentum, with the SCMP reporting expectations of fresh legs for the rally. However, Nikkei Asia warned that Asia's AI rally winners face a growing leverage problem. Meanwhile, India's lack of a homegrown AI model like DeepSeek is being exposed as a significant competitive weakness in the ongoing AI price war.
The U.S. government has allowed Anthropic a limited release of its AI model while restricting access to Trump-approved customers amid cybersecurity concerns, CNN reported. AP News noted both OpenAI and Anthropic are limiting new AI models to approved customers during a cybersecurity review. Separately, a growing anti-AI movement is gaining popularity, which CNN suggested could pose a political problem for former President Trump.
Tech firms are attributing surging device and console prices to AI costs, the BBC reported. In China, DeepSeek's startup DSpark unveiled a speculative decoding framework that speeds up AI inference by up to 85%, easing bottleneck and chip strain amid U.S. export curbs. SpaceX also secured an $11 billion AI pipeline deal, described as a 'saving grace' but with significant caveats.