📊 Market Snapshot

  • Gold (XAUUSD): $4,043.60 (daily -$59.98, -1.46%)
  • WTI Crude (USOIL): $85.04 (daily +$2.38, +2.88%)

Saturday — US markets closed. Figures reflect Friday’s close.

🔥 Key News This Hour

  1. Hungary: Danube water level drops, nuclear plant slashes output Hungarian PM Mager stated that the Danube’s further decline forced Paks Nuclear Power Plant to cut output again to 480MW (normal: 2,000MW). Hungary is taking multiple measures to address the energy shortage.

  2. Colombia truck bombing injures 10 A truck bomb exploded near a police station in Cúcuta, capital of Norte de Santander, injuring at least 10 people including 7 police officers.

  3. Japan: 4.9 magnitude earthquake The USGS recorded a 4.9 magnitude quake 3km west of Matsusaki, Japan, at a depth of 10km.

  4. Southern Lebanon shelled According to Al Arabiya, the town of Bani Hayan in southern Lebanon was shelled.

🧭 Situation Assessment

Tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate. The US embassies in Israel and Jordan simultaneously issued security warnings, urging American citizens in the region to consider evacuating, citing unpredictable risk of further escalation.

The commander of US European Command privately warned the Pentagon that there is insufficient naval power to protect Israel from ballistic missile attacks, highlighting the strain on US military resources across multiple fronts.

Iran’s military claimed recent use of new drones with range covering US bases in the Middle East, further intensifying the geopolitical standoff.

Europe’s energy and shipping take another hit: the Rhine River set a new record low, surpassing the 2018 mark, while the Danube’s decline forced Hungary’s nuclear plant to cut output. European energy and logistics supply chains are under pressure.

Turkey and Iraq signed a one-year oil pipeline agreement with a daily capacity of 750,000 barrels, providing a new route for Iraqi crude exports to Ceyhan.

Ukraine remains active: Zelensky reported Ukrainian forces struck a sanctioned Russian container ship exceeding 100,000 tons and attacked infrastructure at three Russian oil refineries in Bashkortostan.

⏰ Upcoming Data

  • Saturday–Sunday: US markets closed; no major economic data
  • Next week (Aug 3–9): Watch for Fed officials’ speaking schedule, NFP data digestion, and Middle East developments