Iranian president PEZESHKIAN said the United States and Israel waged war on Iran during negotiations with Washington.

Market pricing on Thursday shows investors do not fully price a 25bp Bank of England hike until the MPC meeting in February next year. LSEG data show cumulative tightening priced by the Dec. 17 decision is 24.3bp, versus 36bp priced by the Feb. 4 decision. Pricing for the Sept. meeting implies under 4bp of tightening, equating to roughly a 15% chance of a hike; by comparison markets price about 24bp at the ECB’s Sept. meeting. UK July CPI rose to 2.9% on higher household energy bills, while the labour market remains moderate — the primary source of longer‑run inflation concern among MPC members.

REUTERS SURVEY: S&P 500 projected to reach 7,900 at end-2026 (May: 7,620). Dow Jones Industrial Average projected to reach 54,500 at end-2026 (May: 52,500).