U.S. OFFICIALS INITIALLY DESCRIBED THE TALKS AS POSITIVE AND SAID TRUMP WAS OPEN TO SANCTIONS RELIEF AND RELEASING FROZEN FUNDS FOR NUCLEAR CONCESSIONS, BUT HOURS LATER TRUMP SAID HE HAD OFFERED IRAN NOTHING, WITH A SOURCE TELLING AXIOS THE TALKS WERE 'STUCK' WHILE TRUMP SAID TUESDAY THAT IRAN 'WILL GIVE UP' AND 'WILL NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON' - AXIOS
U.S. JOB OPENINGS FELL TO A FIVE-MONTH LOW AND CONSUMER CONFIDENCE DROPPED TO ITS LOWEST SINCE 2014, REINFORCING A 'LOW-HIRE, LOW-FIRE' LABOR-MARKET BACKDROP, WITH THE DOLLAR GAINING, THE EURO WEAKENING TO $1.1340 AND GOLD UP 1.4% TO $4,175.01, WHILE OPENAI IS SEEKING AT LEAST $30 BLN IN NEW FUNDING, PARAMOUNT SKYDANCE IS TARGETING $6 BLN IN COST CUTS AND APPLE CEO JOHN TERNUS IS PLANNING ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES FOCUSED ON PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND ENGINEERING.
U.S. STOCKS ENDED MIXED TO LOWER AS CONCERNS OVER PERSISTENT INFLATION, GOVERNMENT SPENDING AND RISING CORPORATE BORROWING PUSHED TREASURY YIELDS HIGHER, WITH THE 30-YEAR YIELD REACHING ITS HIGHEST SINCE 2002, THE S&P 500 DOWN 0.2% AND THE DOW OFF 0.3%, WHILE THE NASDAQ 100 GAINED 0.2%.
U.S. API CRUDE OIL STOCK CHANGE WAS A BUILD OF 1.019 MLN, VERSUS A FORECAST 1.9 MLN DRAW, WITH GASOLINE STOCKS UP 2.991 MLN AND DISTILLATE STOCKS DOWN 0.286 MLN
U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER JOHNSON SAYS 'WE JUST SIGNED AN ACCORD ON AI, WHICH IS A STATEMENT OF STANDARDS', ADDING THAT THE U.S. 'CAN KEEP ITS EDGE IN A SAFE WAY' AND WILL 'CONTINUE TO ASSESS AND DELIBERATE IN COMING DAYS'.
U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER JOHNSON SAYS ON A MEETING WITH AI LEADERS THAT THEY 'DISCUSSED STRIKING THE RIGHT BALANCE' AND AI COMPANIES ENSURING SAFETY, WITH AI PROVIDERS 'COMMITTED TO BUILDING TRUST'.
"U.S.-Canada relations, already tense, are likely to deteriorate further after the United States went ahead with a decision to ban nearly $1 billion worth of Canadian imports, including alcoholic beverages, dairy products and motorcycles," per CBS
*U.S. to release up to 40 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve
A full draw would take the SPR to about 245 million barrels, the lowest in history