Gold just surged past $4,150/oz — and Goldman Sachs sees it hitting $5,400 by end of 2026, with J.P. Morgan targeting $6,000. Central banks are buying at historic levels, rate cut expectations are rising, and momentum is building fast. The window to get positioned may be closing.

When gold runs, quality miners can run harder — and we've identified 4 gold stocks with serious leverage to higher prices. Get our free report now before the next leg up.

By clicking the link above, you agree to receive future email alerts from us and partner subscriptions. You can opt out at any time. Privacy Policy

Washington juggles Middle East escalation and trade pressure while investors lean into volatility and private funds reshuffle portfolios.

Image via The Hill

Trump welcomes Lebanon’s president to the White House as the Iran crisis tightens the region’s squeeze

President Trump is set to meet Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House on Tuesday, a notable diplomatic moment for Beirut: it’s the first time a Lebanese head of state has visited since 2009. The meeting lands as tensions linked to Iran intensify across the region, putting added weight on any U.S. conversations about borders, militias, and the fragile balance inside Lebanon.

For Lebanon, the stakes are both economic and security-related. Any widening conflict could strain Lebanon’s already battered institutions and deepen humanitarian pressure, while U.S. policymakers will be focused on limiting spillover and monitoring the roles of Iranian-aligned actors. For the White House, the optics matter too: engaging a small, vulnerable state amid a larger confrontation signals an attempt to keep regional partners aligned even as military and deterrence decisions dominate headlines.

The broader backdrop is a Middle East where diplomatic meetings often serve multiple purposes at once: coordination, reassurance, and warning. Even if the agenda is framed around bilateral ties, the subtext is almost certainly Iran, escalation control, and what leverage remains to keep secondary fronts from igniting.

✓ The Bottom Line: This visit is smart statecraft if it’s used to lock down clear expectations: Lebanon should not become a launchpad for escalation, and Washington should be candid about what it can and cannot guarantee. Symbolic diplomacy won’t stop rockets, but it can tighten coordination and reduce misunderstandings. The administration’s credibility will hinge on whether it pairs engagement with enforceable red lines and realistic support.

📎 The Hill

Europe’s private equity managers fuel a surge in secondary deals, following the U.S. playbook

Europe’s private fund managers are driving a sharp increase in secondary market transactions, with GP-led deals reaching $62 billion in the first half of the year. The trend reflects a growing willingness among general partners to use secondaries as a portfolio management tool, borrowing tactics long common in the U.S. market.

The appeal is straightforward: secondaries can offer liquidity when exits are slow, valuations are contested, or fundraising is tighter. GP-led processes can extend hold periods, restructure assets, and provide optionality for existing investors who want out, while allowing new buyers to step into seasoned positions.

But the growth also invites scrutiny. Investors will be watching pricing discipline, conflicts of interest, and whether these deals are being used to manufacture “liquidity” rather than realize genuine value. As the European market matures, governance and transparency will likely determine whether this becomes a durable financing channel or a cyclical workaround.

✓ The Bottom Line: Secondaries are not inherently a red flag; they can be a rational answer to a clogged exit environment. The problem comes when they’re used to obscure performance, delay hard valuation questions, or shift risk onto less-informed buyers. If Europe wants the U.S.-style scale, it also needs U.S.-style disclosure norms and tougher LP oversight.

📎 Bloomberg

U.S. strikes Iran as Houthis threaten Saudi-linked shipping; mediators float a 10-day ceasefire window

The conflict cycle intensified with fresh U.S. strikes targeting Iran, while the Houthis issued threats that could endanger shipping connected to Saudi Arabia. The developments raise the risk of a broader regional economic shock, particularly if attacks expand in the Red Sea or around strategic chokepoints that markets treat as global pressure points.

At the same time, regional mediators are reported to have presented Washington and Tehran with a proposal for a 10-day ceasefire. The pitch suggests a familiar pattern: military escalation to shape negotiating leverage, followed by a narrow diplomatic off-ramp intended to pause the most destabilizing actions and create space for talks.

The immediate question is whether either side sees more advantage in continued strikes than in a temporary freeze. For the U.S. and partners, the operational goal is often deterrence and protection of commerce; for Iran and aligned groups, the goal can be to impose costs and demonstrate reach without tipping into full-scale war. In that environment, accidental escalation remains a constant risk.

✓ The Bottom Line: A short ceasefire can be useful, but only if it includes verifiable constraints on attacks against shipping and proxies—not just a pause on paper. The evidence from recent cycles is that limited deals fail when enforcement is fuzzy and consequences are uncertain. Washington should treat maritime security as non-negotiable and align any pause with clear monitoring and rapid-response commitments.

📎 CNBC

Image via Yahoo Finance

Schwab profits jump as retail investors ‘bought the dip’ through a volatile quarter

Charles Schwab reported a surge in profits after a turbulent quarter that still saw retail investors step in to buy during market pullbacks. The results highlight how large brokerage platforms can benefit from active retail behavior during volatility, especially when trading and asset flows remain resilient rather than freezing up.

Retail “buy the dip” activity typically signals a mix of confidence and habit: investors conditioned by the post-2009 era tend to treat drawdowns as entry points, even when macro uncertainty is high. For Schwab, stronger engagement can translate into healthier platform economics, from transaction-related activity to broader account usage.

The durability of this pattern will depend on rates, market breadth, and whether volatility is driven by temporary shocks or sustained earnings and growth concerns. Brokerages also have to manage the downside: surges in trading can coincide with customer complaints, operational strain, and higher expectations for service and execution quality.

✓ The Bottom Line: Retail buying in choppy markets is a positive sign for market functioning, but it’s not proof the risks have cleared. Schwab’s results look like a reminder that disciplined long-term behavior can coexist with short-term volatility—and that platforms with scale are positioned to monetize engagement. Investors should still separate Schwab’s business momentum from the market’s underlying fundamentals.

📎 Yahoo Finance

Trump imposes new 50% tariffs on Canada, raising costs on cross-border supply chains

President Trump announced sweeping new 50% tariffs on Canada, escalating already strained trade ties with one of America’s largest economic partners. The move is set to affect a range of goods moving across deeply integrated supply chains, with the central economic question being how much of the added cost is absorbed by companies versus passed on to consumers.

Tariffs on a close ally tend to land differently than tariffs on strategic competitors: the commercial integration is tighter, the political backlash is more immediate, and retaliation can come fast. Industries with cross-border manufacturing, agriculture exposure, and energy and materials linkages are especially sensitive, because even small disruptions can cascade into pricing and availability issues.

Supporters argue tariffs can strengthen negotiating leverage and protect domestic producers; critics counter that the near-term effect is higher prices and uncertainty that discourages investment. Markets will watch for carve-outs, implementation timelines, and whether this becomes a negotiating tactic or a lasting shift in U.S.-Canada trade policy.

✓ The Bottom Line: A 50% blanket-style tariff on Canada is a high-cost way to make a point, and the evidence from past tariff cycles suggests consumers and downstream businesses often pay more than policymakers admit. If the goal is leverage, it should come with narrow targeting, clear conditions for removal, and realistic assessments of retaliation. Treating Canada like an adversary risks self-inflicted inflation and needless supply-chain friction.

📎 Al Jazeera