Daily Brief
15 verified stories from global sources
US stocks fell sharply on July 23 as crude prices jumped on renewed Middle East conflict and disappointing results from Alphabet and Tesla dragged the Nasdaq down more than 2%.
The average 30-year fixed US mortgage rate climbed to 6.58% for the week ending July 23, a second consecutive weekly increase, as rising energy prices pushed Treasury yields higher.
UnitedHealth raised its full-year profit forecast after second-quarter earnings beat expectations, yet flagged the loss of roughly 500,000 ACA exchange members and 1.1 million Medicare Advantage members this year.
Indian benchmarks extended their losing streak to a fourth session on July 23, with the Sensex down 364 points and the Nifty below 23,900, as elevated crude prices and a weak rupee pressured sentiment.
The board of ICICI Prudential Life approved renaming the insurer ICICI Life Insurance and began the regulatory process to reclassify Prudential Corporation Holdings from promoter to investor.
Britain's Financial Conduct Authority announced on July 23 that it has decided to ban a father and son from working in financial services following findings of fraud and the misuse of client money.
The Bank of England's July Financial Stability Report says advances in the most capable general purpose AI models could materially increase risks through cyber and operational vulnerabilities.
Japan's consumer price index excluding fresh food rose 1.6% in June from a year earlier, its first acceleration in three months, as a historically weak yen adds to upside inflation risks.
South Korea's GDP expanded 0.6% in the second quarter from the previous three months, outpacing expectations as a semiconductor export surge offset weaker construction investment and oil-price volatility.
Singapore's core inflation rose to 1.6% in June from 1.4% in May as higher global energy costs began filtering through to prices, days before the central bank's July 27 policy review.
UnionPay International has signed three memorandums of understanding with the Central Bank of the UAE, Al Etihad Payments and Bank of China's Abu Dhabi branch to improve cross-border payment interoperability.
Germany's Allianz has agreed to acquire HSBC Life Singapore for S$2.7 billion and enter a 15-year exclusive bancassurance partnership, in a deal valued at about 2 billion euros including distribution rights.
French authorities evacuated about 20,000 residents and tourists near Bordeaux as wildfires spread, with more than 50,000 hectares burned this year already making 2026 the second-worst season in two decades.
Canada's prudential regulator has expanded the range of reinsurance options recognised under its capital test for property and casualty insurers to include catastrophe bonds.
Australia's corporate regulator secured $830 million in court-ordered civil penalties and $644 million in consumer remediation in 2025-26, roughly eight times the previous year, with insurance claims handling under scrutiny.