Houthis take effective control of Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint
The briefing says Houthis have taken effective control of the Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint.
Iran and Gulf foreign ministers are set to meet in a push for a Hormuz deal, while Iran’s foreign minister and Pakistan’s army chief discussed diplomacy and de-escalation. The Houthis were described as having effective control of the Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint, and MBS was urged to press Trump to strike the group amid the Red Sea threat. Thursday satellite imagery showed smoke in the vicinity of the East West Pipeline. ECB’s Nagel signaled a possible hike to tame inflation.
7%. The UK economy grew at the fastest pace since February 2025. The IEA said US-Iran escalation could delay oil flow recovery into next year. US diesel prices rose past $6 a gallon for the first time ever.
Japan producer prices gains stayed elevated, backing the hike path. Treasury Secretary Bessent dismissed buyback concern and said Treasuries are strong. Oracle posted higher profit and revenue on continued cloud strength. Adobe’s forecast missed views, renewing fears about AI impact.
Microsoft plans a data centre push to triple computing power. OpenAI’s CEO told staff the company is open to slowing cutting-edge AI. 9 billion of Credit Suisse bonds in its biggest buyback. DeepSeek gave memory stock investors fresh reason for caution.