Asian bonds followed Treasuries lower as renewed geopolitical tensions drove oil prices higher, fueling inflation concerns and expectations for further monetary tightening.

Government bonds in Japan, Australia and New Zealand fell after the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield rose two basis points to 4.77%, its highest level since January 2025. The yield on the 10-year Japanese government bond rose to 2.965% after touching a three-decade high in the previous session.

Brent crude extended gains in early Asian trading to over $91 a barrel after renewed fighting in the Middle East. The US and Iran exchanged strikes for the first time in about a month as American forces hit an island in the Strait of Hormuz and the Islamic Republic responded by launching attacks on the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

Elsewhere, the MSCI Asia Pacific equities gauge was little changed, with focus on the technology sector after Nvidia Corp. said it’s investing $3.5 billion in MediaTek Inc., deepening its collaboration with the Taiwanese chipmaker.

The flare-up in Middle East tensions has dimmed prospects for a normalization of shipping through Hormuz, keeping oil prices elevated and adding to inflation concerns. Money markets have increased bets on a September interest-rate hike after Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh underscored his commitment to bring down inflation at Jackson Hole last week, putting increased focus on this week’s employment report.

“With traders tracking geopolitical volatility as well as potential seasonal volatility, it will be interesting to see which market impulse from last week might carry over to this week,” said Chris Larkin at E*Trade from Morgan Stanley. “Unexpectedly strong labor-market data might be taken as bad news by the market, since it could reinforce expectations for a rate hike.”
The August US payrolls data is expected to be consistent with general steadiness in the labor market that’s helping the Fed focus more intently on its battle with inflation.

Friday’s jobs report “will be critical,” though the Sept. 11 consumer-price data will be even more important given Warsh’s view that the US economy is at full employment, said JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Andrew Tyler. He’s shifted to a “tactically cautious” view on US stocks for the next few weeks, but expects a strong backdrop will persist amid economic data and earnings.

Mumbai: The Indian rupee gained 21 paise Monday, helped by equity index-related inflows on the last day of the month. The inflows caught traders by surprise, triggering stop-losses among some and accelerating the currency’s rise.

The rupee closed at 95.16 per dollar, compared with 95.37 on Friday and its highest since August 5. The RBI intervened in the early hours of trade, dealers said.

“The MSCI index related inflows triggered stop losses for many traders around 95.20-95.25 levels, so the gains from there were quick. Intervention by the RBI in the offshore market and in the early hours of the trade also caused the rupee to open stronger than expected,” said Ritesh Bhansali, deputy CEO, Mecklai Financial Services.

Several Indian stocks were expected to see heightened trading activity Monday as the MSCI rebalancing changes, announced on August 13, were implemented August 31, with the revised weights becoming effective Tuesday. MSCI is also increasing the weights of seven stocks, which is expected to bring additional inflows.

Read more: Why India’s new closing auction is agonising traders: Q&A

The currency traded in the range of 95.10 and 95.50, with a major part of the rally happening in the second half.
A rise in crude oil prices to $91 per barrel from $88 last week was countered by a softer dollar index after the US Fed chair’s hawkish comments on Friday, which has prompted markets to factor in a potential US rate hike as early as September.The currency was expected to open at 95.55-95.60, but opened at 95.42 on Monday, likely due to dollar sales by the Reserve Bank of India. The rupee has weakened 0.3% so far in this financial year.

Dealers also drew comfort from banks working at full steam to garner FCNR(B) deposits on the final day of the scheme, as the inflows would give the RBI more firepower to support the rupee through dollar sales. The central bank has also said it would use part of the resulting liquidity to allow some of its short forward positions to mature.

A 13-year-old Seattle Mariners fan turned a free ballpark giveaway into a five-figure payday after a rare rookie card featuring the city’s viral raccoon sensation sold for a whopping $21,100.

The one-of-one gold “Jimothy” rookie card sold on eBay Sunday night after drawing 100 bids, transforming a quirky Mariners promotion into an unexpected $21,100 payday for the young fan.

The bidding started at just 99 cents before skyrocketing past $21,000 in a matter of days.

The card belonged to 13-year-old Mariners fan Abby, who landed the coveted gold version after the team capitalized on the sudden fame of Jimothy, an unusually shaped raccoon whose appearances around Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood have turned him into an unlikely local celebrity.

A SPORTING GOODS GIANT IS GETTING INTO THE LUCRATIVE, EVER-EXPANDING SPORTS CARD BUSINESS

The Mariners confirmed to Fox News Digital that Abby’s golden ticket or, in this case, golden card was tucked among thousands handed out during the team’s Aug. 5 promotion.

“Talk about a one-of-a-kind pull,” T-Mobile Park wrote in a social media post announcing Abby’s find alongside photos of the teenager holding up the rare card.

TENNESSEE TITANS REVAMPED THEIR MASCOT AND SOCIAL MEDIA CERTAINLY HAD SOME THOUGHTS

The Mariners announced July 29 that “Jimothy is taking over” T-Mobile Park as part of a special promotion scheduled for Aug. 5.

The first 20,000 fans through the gates were set to receive a Jimothy rookie card, the team said, with several rarer “chase cards” mixed into the giveaway.

“Among the 20,000 cards, we had collection of ‘chase cards’ which were headlined by the 1-of-1 gold card that Abby took home,” the Mariners told Fox News Digital. 

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Fans could also purchase a special ticket package that included a Jimothy T-shirt, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Ballard Food Bank.

But among the thousands of cards handed out was the ultimate prize: the pristine, one-of-one gold Jimothy rookie card that eventually ended up with Abby.

WILT CHAMBERLAIN WARM-UP JACKET BOUGHT FOR $3 AT THRIFT STORE SELLS FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS

The teenager later put the card up for auction on eBay, where collectors quickly drove up the price.

After opening at $0.99, the auction steadily climbed into the thousands before ultimately closing at $21,100 Sunday following 100 bids.

Several Jimothy and Seattle Mariner’s fan pages claimed the proceeds from the sale are expected to go toward Abby’s college fund.

VIRAL NATURE VIDEO CAPTURES STUNNING ALBINO DEER IN WISCONSIN NORTHWOODS, AND IT LIVES UP TO THE HYPE

The frenzy is the latest chapter in the unlikely rise of Jimothy, a raccoon believed to have a rare condition known as Short Spine Syndrome that gives him his distinctive compact appearance.

Jimothy became an internet sensation in July after videos showed the small, round raccoon wandering through Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood.

TAXIDERMIED RACCOONS ARE SEEING UNPRECEDENTED DEMAND THANKS TO NORWEGIAN SOCCER STAR ERLING HAALAND

Videos of the critter quickly racked up millions of views as residents documented him scurrying across streets, appearing in backyards and roaming the neighborhood.

Despite his unusual appearance, Jimothy appeared healthy and active, Fox 13 Seattle previously reported.

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Dmitriy Ishimskiy, a Ballard resident who captured footage of the raccoon and said Jimothy regularly visited his property, told Storyful in July that the animal had quickly become a neighborhood star.

“Over the past week, Jimothy has become a local celebrity, and I feel lucky to have captured this moment on video,” Ishimskiy said.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The Mariners soon joined the Jimothy craze, bringing the viral raccoon from the streets of Ballard to the ballpark with Jimothy-themed events in August.

Mumbai: India’s primary market is gearing up for a blockbuster September, with issuers set to launch IPOs worth ₹20-25,000 crore, as companies rush to beat approval deadlines that were extended until the end of this month to prevent exposing them to periods of extreme volatility during share sales.

According to bankers, nearly 25 companies are in the pipeline for September, with several issuers seeking to complete their offerings before approvals from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) are due to lapse. The pipeline includes a mix of large and mid-sized companies, with a slew of issues expected to raise more than ₹500 crore. The September pipeline reflects improving sentiment among issuers after a cautious first half, according to Sonia Dasgupta, MD & CEO, Investment Banking, JM Financial.

“The September IPO pipeline demonstrates the strength of India’s capital markets apart from signalling the release of a restrained sentiment among the issuers, which prevailed in a more cautious first half,” Dasgupta said. “Bucking the subdued trend, the issuers are now looking to capitalise on improved market sentiment, stronger recent listings, and the imminent expiry of Sebi approvals.”.

Read more: Ahead of IPO, Deepa Jewellers raises Rs 138 cr from anchor investors

In April, Sebi had provided a one-time extension to companies whose IPO approvals were due to expire between April 1 and September 30, 2026, allowing them to use the approvals until September 30.

Normally, companies are required to launch their public issues within 12-18 months of receiving Sebi’s observation letter, which allows them to proceed with the issue. The regulator extended the validity of these approvals, citing geopolitical tensions and heightened market volatility that had delayed several fund-raising plans. Of the 161 companies that currently have valid IPO nods, approvals for 35 companies are set to expire on September 30, 2026, according to the data from Prime Database. Companies risk fresh regulatory clearance if the issues aren’t completed by the deadline.

Giorgio Saumat
Chairman & CEO

Good afternoon. It is now 5:00 p.m., the time for this meeting, and I call to order the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Earth Science Tech. My name is Giorgio Saumat. I serve as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Earth Science Tech. I will be chairing today’s meeting. So welcome to all of you, and thank you for joining us. With me today is Mario G. Tabraue, our COO; and the Director, Ernesto Flores, our CFO, and a Director; Chris Rose, our Chief Technology Officer; Victoria Losada, the Secretary of the Company and a Director; Yovan Sanchez, another director, Dr. Emiliano Curia and Jeff Cazeau, both independent directors, and we also have Ron Shaw, a representative of our independent registered public accounting firm of Semple, Marchal & Cooper. Carl Ranno, our attorney Securities Counsel, is currently not on the call, but is available at any time during the meeting in the event he is needed.

I have appointed Margaret Lloyd from our transfer agent to serve as inspector of elections for this meeting. The inspector has taken the required oath and will tabulate the votes and certify the results at the end. I will now ask Victoria Losada, our Secretary, to report on notice of the meeting and the presence of a quorum.

Victoria Losada
Treasurer, Secretary & Director

Notice of this meeting, together with the proxy statement and form of proxy, was duly mailed and/or made available to all shareholders of record at the close of business on July 2, 2026, in

The governor of the Bank of England has warned G20 finance ministers that artificial intelligence could cause a global economic downturn and pose a significant cyber security risk to financial systems.

Andrew Bailey said any collapse of growth in the AI sector could lead to a “future market correction” that spreads worldwide.

In an open letter to finance ministers in the US on Monday, he said companies around the world should prepare for security breaches “involving simultaneous disruption across multiple firms”.

Earlier this month, a group of 100 firms, including Google, Microsoft, Anthropic and OpenAI, urged countries and groups to beef up their cyber defences before AI grows powerful enough to override them.

Bailey told the G20 finance ministers that a combination of highly priced stock markets, increased borrowing by investors, and the growing concentration of money into a small number of major technology companies could amplify any future market correction.

“The issue is not simply that investors are borrowing more, but that leverage is interacting with high valuations and market concentration, in particular the increasing cross-investment between artificial intelligence (AI) companies and hyper scalers, in a way that could amplify a future market correction,” he said.

Bailey has called on those in charge of financial security to develop “appropriate steps to support safe and responsible model release and deployment on a global basis”.

Bailey, who was writing in his capacity as chairman of the Financial Stability Board international watchdog (FSB), expressed concern about the “volatility” prompted by the effect of energy supply shocks caused by the US-Iran war.

His warning comes several months after UK Chancellor John Healey announced a £100m fund aimed at backing British AI start-ups.

That is part of the government’s efforts to grow the country’s “sovereign AI” capacity, developing homegrown AI technology to ensure the UK is not dependent on services from abroad.

Ministers want to see companies compete for the funding to help tackle challenges like cutting waiting lists in the NHS and bolstering cybersecurity and defence.

A UK government spokesperson said its new AI economics institute was working with international partners to build “a stronger shared understanding of how AI is transforming economies around the world.”

“The institute is the first government-backed body of its kind focused on AI’s economic impact, helping policymakers understand what AI means for growth, productivity, jobs and public services as the technology develops at pace,” the spokesperson said.

But there is growing concern that AI companies are increasingly developing models that can easily override the safeguarding systems of banks and financial centres.

I wish I jumped into gold the last time I had FOMO (fear of missing out), around the start of the year. Is it too late now to grab some of the precious metal, which is up about 15% this month alone? That’s what I’m wondering, but it’s the wrong question to ask. Everyday investors shouldn’t be timing gold—or any market.

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