现货黄金短线回落20美元，回落至4440美元/盎司下方，日内跌0.36%。

TRUMP said on Wednesday at the start of a WHITE HOUSE Cabinet meeting that if Iran expects him to soften his stance to avoid a prolonged standoff with Tehran, they are miscalculating. "They think they can outlast me. I don't care about the midterm elections," he said. During the three-month war between the US and Iran, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining closed, inf rising and gasoline prices climbing, TRUMP's approval has slipped. Critics say TRUMP has led the US into a Middle East conflict with no defined end date, despite his vow as a candidate to avoid such wars. TRUMP responded, "I don't call it a war, I call it a conflict." He signaled he is prepared to continue negotiations but did not rule out further military action. He said Iran's economy is already unsustainable, "inf rate as high as 250%."

Cognition AI Inc. raised over $1 bln in its latest funding round, taking its post-money valuation to $26 bln, according to an announcement the startup is scheduled to release on Wednesday. The round was co-led by VCs Lux Capital, General Catalyst and 8VC; other participants included Ribbit Capital, Atreides Management LP and Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. The post-money valuation is more than double the firm’s valuation at its prior financing in September last year, a development that further evidences strong market demand for AI-assisted software development companies.