With under two months until the US November midterms, a Focaldata national poll found 33% of registered voters approve of Trump’s performance as president, the lowest reading since the question was first asked in May and down three percentage points from last month. Approval among Republican voters fell by more than two percentage points to 72%, also a record low in the survey.

France completed repatriation of all official gold reserves to domestic custody earlier this year, fully clearing holdings kept in the US. Paris School of Economics professor Eric Monnet said the move standardized reserve quality and specs, generated financial returns that helped offset inflationary pressures from the Russia-Ukraine war, and highlighted sovereignty and asset-security concerns amid geopolitical shifts. Governments across Europe, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East are reassessing overseas custodial risk, and rising geopolitical and market uncertainty is prompting a new round of global gold reserve reallocations.

Iranian state media reported an Iranian military commander warned that if Washington continues to enforce a maritime blockade, Iran will intensify strikes on US naval vessels in the region.