Equities & Corporate Earnings:

• US stock futures advanced, driven by strong earnings momentum and optimism surrounding AI investment that helped offset earlier valuation volatility.
• Major corporate earnings in focus include Meta, Tesla, IBM, and Texas Instruments.
• Meanwhile, $INTC advanced its domestic chip factory expansion with equipment installation underway following prior delays.

Energy & Geopolitics:

• Oil prices edged higher amid vessel attacks near the Strait of Hormuz that stoked supply disruption concerns, alongside industry data pointing to a drawdown in crude inventories.
• On the diplomatic front, the Kremlin indicated that a new round of trilateral talks between Russia, the United States, and Ukraine could take place in Abu Dhabi.
• Additionally, President Trump noted that the US and India are nearing the finalization of a trade deal.

Macroeconomic & Central Bank Updates:

• Treasury yields edged higher as markets evaluated the US 20-year bond auction.
• Internationally, comments from the RBA highlighted that rising technology and AI costs are feeding through into consumer price inflation, while central bank leaders including ECB President Lagarde and BoE Governor Bailey participated in scheduled speaking events.