Finance
📊 Market Recap · Jul 20Stocks slip as oil climbs on U.S.-Iran tensions; chips rebound while Apple and Oracle weigh — July 20, 2026Read →Dollar and Treasury Yields Hold Firm as Gulf Oil Shock Complicates the Fed's September Decision
A war-driven oil spike has pushed U.S. inflation risk back into markets, and traders are split over whether the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates in September or hold and wait.
Asian Chip Stocks Rally on July 21 as Samsung, SK Hynix and TSMC Reverse Early-July AI-Chip Selloff
South Korea's Kospi and Taiwan's Taiex jumped Tuesday, recovering ground lost in a July selloff driven by doubts over AI spending, aided by strong recent earnings from U.S. memory maker Micron.
Federal Judge Grants 14-Day Restraining Order Pausing Paramount Skydance's Purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery
Twelve Democratic-led states won a temporary pause of the roughly $110 billion media merger on antitrust grounds, days after the U.S. Justice Department had cleared the deal; a preliminary-injunction hearing is set for August 3.
Trump Invokes Section 338 to Impose 50% Tariffs on a Range of Canadian Goods
The White House says the levies answer Canadian restrictions on U.S. autos, dairy and alcohol; Canada calls them a treaty violation, and legal challenges are expected.
June Housing Starts Rose 19% and Retail Sales Grew 0.2% as Fed Weighs July 29 Rate Decision
A multifamily surge lifted overall home construction while consumer spending cooled, leaving the Federal Reserve with conflicting signals days before its late-July meeting.
10% Global Tariff Set to Expire by Law July 24 as Appeals Court Keeps It in Force Pending Ruling
A blanket 10% U.S. import tariff imposed under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 is scheduled to lapse automatically on July 24, 2026, even as a trade court's ruling that it is unlawful remains stayed on appeal.
Tesla and Alphabet Report Earnings This Week as Investors Weigh Payoff From Record AI Spending
Both companies report during the July 20 trading week, days after a semiconductor selloff, with capital-spending guidance the metric markets say they are watching most.
Senate Crypto Market-Structure Bill Released in Revised Form With No Democratic Backing Ahead of August Recess
A merged Senate draft of the CLARITY Act, combining Banking and Agriculture Committee text, surfaced in mid-July without the ethics provision Democrats are demanding; a July 16-17 White House meeting with Trump aimed at resolving the impasse did not produce revised text, and the bill still lacks the Democratic votes it needs to reach 60, with disputes over ethics rules, developer protections and stablecoin yield unresolved.
U.S. Refunds $86 Billion of Struck-Down Tariffs as Legal Fight Over the Rest Continues
After the Supreme Court ruled the IEEPA tariffs illegal, Customs and Border Protection has repaid $86.3 billion of about $166 billion collected, with June's payout swelling the monthly deficit.
SpaceX Shares Close at Record Low, Below June IPO Price, After Six-Day Slide
Shares of the newly public rocket-and-AI company have fallen about 45% from their post-listing peak amid concerns over losses in its AI unit, a Starship launch abort, and looming lockup expirations.
War-Risk Insurance for Tankers in the Strait of Hormuz Jumps Again as U.S.-Iran Fighting Resumes
Marine insurers are quoting single-voyage war-risk rates as high as 10% of a ship's value after a mid-July collapse of the U.S.-Iran truce, raising the cost of moving oil through a waterway that carries roughly a fifth of the world's crude.
China's Q2 2026 GDP Growth Slows to 4.3%, Below Official Target, as Exports Hit Multiyear High
China's second-quarter growth came in under Beijing's own 4.5%-5% target range even as June exports surged on chips, cars and rare earths, deepening a split between strong external trade and weak spending at home.