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Swiss Market Index Closes Higher; Huber+Suhner Shares Drop

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The blue-chip Swiss Market Index ended Tuesday's trading 0.13% in the green as investors assessed the latest labor market and economic data releases amid diminishing hopes that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen any time soon.

Switzerland recorded a 0.8% annual growth in the number of employed people in the second quarter, while the unemployment rate rose to 4.9% from 4.6%, according to the latest Swiss Labour Force Survey.

In the euro area, the ZEW indicator of economic sentiment climbed to 31.4 points in August from 23.4 points in July, while the current economic situation indicator increased by 16.2 points to -21.5 points. The economic sentiment index for Germany, the eurozone's largest economy, also improved, rising by 7.9 points to 34.2 points in August.

Over to corporates, Huber+Suhner (HUBN.SW) achieved a 5.1% year-over-year growth in order intake to 542.8 million francs in the first half, with net sales rising to 457.4 million francs from 445.9 million francs. The Swiss electrical and optical connectivity group's EBIT, in contrast, fell 8.4% over the period to 41.2 million francs, alongside a lower net income.

"While order intake and net sales were broadly in line, EBIT came in 20% below expectations due to the [Optical Circuit Switches] ramp-up. Guidance was reiterated, implying a very strong second half ... [But] guidance remains below consensus expectations. Given the weak H1 performance, the targets appear ambitious. We, therefore, expect a negative market reaction," analysts at AlphaValue/Baader Europe said. The stock shed 11.35% at closing.

On the flip side, Basilea Pharmaceutica (BSLN.SW) gained 9.96% as it upgraded its full-year 2026 guidance, now expecting a 15% annual increase in total revenue and a 40% surge in operating profit, against the previously expected growth of 10% and 20%, respectively. For the first half, the biopharmaceutical company's total revenue jumped 14.4% to 119 million francs, while operating profit soared 31.7% to 31.6 million francs.

In geopolitical news, Iran will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed until the US ends its blockade of Iranian ports and meets the other conditions laid out in the June interim agreement signed by both countries, Reuters reported, citing top Iranian negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf's remarks published by state media.

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Update: US Equity Indexes Slide After Trump's Threats to Bomb Oman Lifts Crude Oil, 30-Year Treasury Yield Touches 19-Year High

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes fell after President Donald Trump warned of attacks against Oman on the day a deadline to reach a permanent peace deal with Iran expired, and as the 30-year US government bond yield jumped to the highest in more than 19 years.The Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.3% to 26,644.91, the S&P 500 declined 0.5% to 7,745.06, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 0.5% to 53,459.78 on Monday. All sectors except energy retreated, led by declines in communication services, consumer staples, financials and consumer discretionary. Technology was one of the outperformers.Monday marks 60 days since the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding that called for a wider peace deal to be negotiated within that timeframe, CBS NEWS reported. On the same day, Trump threatened to bomb Oman if the country "gets in the way" of US efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war with Iran, CBS cited Fox News.Earlier, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tehran had reached an agreement with Oman regarding future shipping routes in the strait, according to the CBS report. That being said, Iran has decided to shift its policy from defensive to "fully offensive" due to the deadlock in efforts to secure a permanent end to its war with the United States, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday.Brigadier General Yadollah Javani, head of the political bureau of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, told state television on Sunday night that his forces were ready to take whatever action is needed to defend the country, according to a report from Al Jazeera, a Middle Eastern broadcaster.Crude oil futures jumped, with the front-month US West Texas Intermediate contract up 3% to $84.90 per barrel and global benchmark North Sea Brent rising 2.8% to $91.02 per barrel.Most US Treasury yields rose, with the 30-year surging 4.3 basis points to 5.31%, the highest since 2002. The 10-year yield climbed 2.8 basis points to 4.72%, and the two-year climbed 1.3 basis points to 4.18%.Gold futures advanced 0.8% to $4,472.1, and silver futures jumped 1.2% to $65.92.While equity indices are trading close to all-time highs, there is evidence that "challenging" August crosswinds are playing out in bond markets, according to a note from Deutsche Bank. "Expectations for an imminent Fed rate hike have been pulled back, but this has been accompanied by a significant US curve steepening, with the backdrop of higher oil prices, elevated fiscal deficits, and demand for capital from the AI investment boom putting upward pressure on yields."In economic news, the National Association of Home Builders' monthly housing market index rose to 35 in August from 34 in July, compared with expectations for a decline to 33 in a Bloomberg-compiled poll. The index was above 32 a year earlier.The New York Federal Reserve's Empire State manufacturing index rose to 20.6 in August from 15.6 in July, compared with an expected decrease to 10.0 in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. The Empire State index is the first manufacturing sector reading for August and suggests expansion is picking up pace.In company news, Amazon-backed (AMZN) Anthropic informed potential investors that Q2 revenue increased at least 14-fold from a year earlier to over $11.5 billion, Bloomberg News reported Monday, citing documents.Among companies with market capitalizations exceeding $200 billion each, eight of the top 10 by Monday's returns were in the technology sector, according to data compiled by Finviz. Of those eight firms, five were related to the semiconductor industry. Sandisk (SNDK) led the pack, with an 8.9% gain.

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Exchange-Traded Funds Fall, US Equities Mixed After Midday

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Dow Jones^EEM^EXI^FAS^FAZ^GLD^IBB^IGM^IGV^IPK^IVV^IWMNasdaq Composite^IYE^IYH^IYJ^IYK^IYW^PMR^QQQ^RTH^SOXXS&P 500^SPY^UNG^USO^VDC^VHT^VIS^XLE^XLF^XLI^XLK^XLP^XLV^XRT^XSD$BETH$BITO$EETH
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Update: US Equity Indexes Mixed as Tech Gains Lift Nasdaq, Trump Threatens to Bomb Oman as Iran Peace Deal Deadline Expires

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes traded mixed, as speculation about Anthropic's Q2 sales propped up technology and President Donald Trump warned Oman of attacks on the day a deadline to reach a permanent peace deal with Iran expired.The Nasdaq Composite was little changed at 26,718.2 after midday Monday. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% to 7,770.7, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.4% to 53,545.8.Amazon-backed (AMZN) Anthropic informed potential investors that Q2 revenue increased at least 14-fold from a year earlier to over $11.5 billion, Bloomberg News reported Monday, citing documents.Among companies with market capitalizations exceeding $200 billion each, seven of the top 10 by intraday returns were in the technology sector, according to data compiled by Finviz. Of those seven firms, five were related to the semiconductor industry. Sandisk (SNDK) led the pack, with a 9.1% gain.Monday marks 60 days since the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding that called for a wider peace deal to be negotiated within that timeframe, CBS NEWS reported. On the same day, Trump threatened to bomb Oman if the country "gets in the way" of US efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war with Iran, CBS cited Fox News.Earlier, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tehran had reached an agreement with Oman regarding future shipping routes in the strait, according to the CBS report. That being said, Iran has decided to shift its policy from defensive to "fully offensive" due to the deadlock in efforts to agree a permanent end to its war with the United States, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday.The front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil contract rose 0.1% to $82.51 per barrel, and global benchmark North Sea Brent edged up 0.4% to $88.86 per barrel.The National Association of Home Builders' monthly housing market index rose to 35 in August from 34 in July, compared with expectations for a decline to 33 in a Bloomberg-compiled poll. The index was above 32 a year earlier.The New York Federal Reserve's Empire State manufacturing index rose to 20.6 in August from 15.6 in July, compared with an expected decrease to 10.0 in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. The Empire State index is the first manufacturing sector reading for August and suggests expansion is picking up pace.US Treasury yields traded mixed, with the 10-year yield up a basis point to 4.71% while the two-year slipped one basis point to 4.17%.Gold futures advanced 1% to $4,481.2, and silver futures jumped 2.1% to $66.51.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$AMZN$SNDK