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Tadawul Equities Close Tuesday Muted; Aramco, Ma'aden to Form Mining JV

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The Tadawul All Share Index closed subdued on Tuesday at 0.03% in the green as market watchers keep watch on the US-Iran developments in their peace deal.

US President Donald Trump expressed no interest in renewing the 60-day memorandum of understanding signed with Iran in June and also threatened military action against Oman if it intervenes in its efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Reuters reported Monday, citing a senior Iranian official, that Iran will shift to a "fully offensive" military stance as diplomatic efforts to finalize a deal with the US stalled. The media outlet also cited Iranian negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Tuesday, saying that Iran will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed until the US fulfills its conditions, including removal of naval blockade and sanctions, release of frozen assets, and an end to military action on all fronts.

"Trump said there was a back channel with officials from Iran's Revolutionary Guard, but that he was in 'no hurry'. Meanwhile, Iran denied Trump's assertions of a back channel, saying 'There are no talks taking place between IRGC officials and the Americans'. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright also didn't sound in any rush either for a deal, saying that the US is playing the long game with Iran," Deutsche Bank Research said in a note.

In other news, market watchers will also look out for the US Federal Reserve's latest meeting minutes on Wednesday. The minutes are slated to give insights into the group's next rate moves.

Back at home and on the corporate front, Saudi Arabian Oil Co. (SASE:2222), d/b/a Saudi Aramco, and Saudi Arabian Mining Co. (SASE:1211), d/b/a Ma'aden, will form a joint venture that will focus on mineral exploration and hard-rock mining in the kingdom.

Aramco and Ma'aden closed 0.23% and 1.85% in the green, respectively.

Meanwhile, Retal Urban Development (SASE:4322) shares closed 0.11% higher as its Building and Construction Co. unit entered into a 12-month deal to design and deliver building services for the Remal Business Court project in Al Khobar.

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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.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$AMZN$SNDK
Asia Markets

Exchange-Traded Funds Fall, US Equities Mixed After Midday

Broad Market IndicatorsBroad-market exchange-traded funds IWM and IVV edged lower. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) added 0.1%.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.EnergyIShares US Energy ETF (IYE) and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) each rose about 0.6%.TechnologyThe State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) gained 0.6%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) also advanced.The State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) added 2.3%, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) was up 2.5%.FinancialThe State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) eased 0.4%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) declined 1.4%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), advanced 1.2%.CommoditiesCrude oil rose 0.5%, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) added 1.2%. Natural gas shed 1.6%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was down 1.2%.Gold on Comex added 1%, and the State Street SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) was up 1.1%. Silver gained 2.1%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was up 2.5%.ConsumerThe State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) was down 1.4%. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) fell 1.1%, and iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) eased 1.4%.The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) was down 1.1%. VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) fell 0.8%, and the State Street SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) shed 1.3%.HealthcareThe State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) added 0.1%. iShares US Healthcare (IYH) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) edged higher as well. IShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) climbed 1.8%.IndustrialThe State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) added 0.5%. Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) were also slightly higher.CryptocurrencyIn midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) advanced 1.8%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) added 1.8%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) was up 1.7%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was up 1.3%.

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
Asia Markets

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