Japanese stocks rocketed to a one-year high after Tokyo struck a headline-grabbing trade deal with Washington, slashing auto tariffs to 15% and triggering a global market bounce. The Nikkei jumped 3.5%, with Mazda soaring nearly 18% and Toyota and Subaru not far behind. Investors cheered the breakthrough, which not only avoids a damaging tariff war but also unleashes $550BN in Japanese investment toward the US economy.
Donald Trump hailed the deal as a “massive win,” while European markets reacted with optimism, hoping for similar relief. The Euro Stoxx 600 climbed 1%, led by a 4% surge in auto shares and a 7% spike in Stellantis. Even South Korean automakers got a boost, with analysts anticipating parallel talks between Seoul and Washington.
As EU negotiators prepare to meet US officials, the clock ticks toward an August 1 deadline—now seen as a pivot point for global trade. With high-stakes diplomacy, market volatility, and investor bets all in play, this is more than a bilateral deal—it’s a tremor shaking the foundations of global trade.
The collective-defence agreement between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signals that regional powers no longer want to rely solely on external security guarantees. Whether it becomes a stabilising deterrent or another axis of rivalry remains unresolved.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
On 12 August, AnewZ’s Daybreak focused on the aftermath of Colombia’s devastating earthquake, tensions surrounding Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, growing Russia-North Korea military cooperation and security and environmental challenges across the Caspian and Black Sea regions.
On 11 August, AnewZ’s Daybreak examined U.S. President Donald Trump’s new demands for Iran, Russia-Iran cooperation and regional connectivity through the South Caucasus alongside key political, security and climate developments worldwide.
On 10 August, AnewZ’s Daybreak focused on developments in Gaza, Lebanon-Israel negotiations, Iran’s position on talks with Washington and the latest global security and climate-related challenges.
The 8 August commemorative edition of AnewZ's Context looked back on the year since the Washington breakthrough, examining how the initialling of the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace agreement and the launch of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity have reshaped regional politics.
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