President Trump told Axios on Thursday that he's seriously considering restarting major combat operations in Iran — including strikes that would be bigger than the ones carried out during Operation Epic Fury.

Why it matters: In a brief interview, Trump acknowledged that such a decision would have consequences and stressed he hasn't made a determination yet.

- Trump didn't give a deadline for his decision. Two other U.S. officials confirmed no call has been made and no new orders have been given to the military.

- The current escalation has caused oil prices to eclipse $100 per barrel. A return to all-out war is highly unpopular in the U.S.

(Continue Reading – Axios)

The European Central Bank followed expectations by keeping monetary policy on hold, while reiterating its commitment to a data-dependent, meeting-by-meeting approach.

The Governing Council voted unanimously to leave its three key interest rates unchanged, maintaining the deposit facility rate at 2.25%, the main refinancing rate at 2.40% and the marginal lending facility rate at 2.65%.

In its accompanying statement, the ECB reiterated that it remained well positioned to navigate the uncertainty generated by the conflict in the Middle East. However, ECB President Christine Lagarde revealed during the press conference that some policymakers had raised the question of whether rates should be increased at Thursday’s meeting.

In the absence of material forward guidance, investors appear increasingly convinced that another upward adjustment in interest rates is coming. Rates markets are pricing a near-100% probability that the central bank will raise borrowing costs by 25bp in September.

(Continue Reading – LiveSquawk)

The U.S. credit outlook is increasingly levered to AI investment confidence, while consumer-facing sectors and private credit markets face mounting headwinds, says Fitch Ratings.

AI investment has become a defining driver of the U.S. economy and capital markets. IT capital spending rose 18% yoy in 1Q26 and directly contributed 1.4 pp to GDP growth. Increasingly debt-funded hyperscaler capex supported a 26% yoy rise in U.S. corporate bond issuance in 1H26. The pipeline of planned debt and equity issuances in 2H26 will test market capacity to absorb new supply while equity valuations remain elevated and reliant on optimistic AI return assumptions.

(Continue Reading – Fitch)

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced today that it will host a roundtable on Sept. 17, 2026, to discuss moving towards 24-hour trading in the U.S. equity markets, including preparations to support overnight trading, operations and resiliency in a 24-hour market, and opportunities and challenges for expansion.

“We are moving towards a new day – and night – in the U.S. equity markets,” said SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins. “With the expansion to overnight trading, I’m excited at the prospect of U.S. equity markets aligning with those markets that already trade continuously and look forward to balancing round-the-clock trading with all-important investor and customer protections.”

(Continue Reading – SEC)