World News Roundup — July 15, 2026 (PM)
Wall Street’s Q2 earnings cycle opened with a wave of upside beats — Morgan Stanley posting record revenue on a 69% surge in equities trading, J&J raising full-year guidance on the strength of its medicines unit, and Goldman and JPMorgan already past consensus — while the macro backdrop turned friendlier: June wholesale prices fell 0.3% on cheaper gasoline and New York Fed President John Williams declared inflation has peaked with rates “well positioned.” Below: 13 thematic stories plus an in-brief batch, drawn from 51 non-Iran articles across 5 sources; 149 Iran-conflict items were filtered out for the dedicated sitrep.
US Markets & Q2 Earnings
Big banks post record quarters as equities trading surges. Morgan Stanley reported record quarterly revenue and profit with equities trading up 69% — a massive beat at peers Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase. The Q2 cycle is shaping up as Wall Street’s “sweet spot,” with Friday’s big-bank reaction lifting the broader tape. [CNBC] [CNBC] [CNBC] [CNBC] [CNBC] [CNBC] [CNBC] [CNBC]
Buffett confirms he drove Berkshire into Alphabet, and calls Gates’ Epstein emails ‘distasteful.’ Warren Buffett told CNBC he personally initiated Berkshire Hathaway’s recent large Alphabet stake, and separately described Bill Gates’s communications with Jeffrey Epstein as “distasteful” — for the first time in two decades omitting the Gates Foundation from his annual charitable stock gifts. [CNBC] [CNBC] [CNBC]
Fed’s Williams says inflation has peaked and rates are ‘well positioned.’ The New York Fed president cited five reasons why he expects the latest price surge has run its course — a notable dovish marker hours before the PPI print came in below consensus. Treasury yields ended flat as traders weighed the soft inflation data against an oil rebound. [CNBC] [CNBC] [CNBC] [CNBC]
June wholesale prices unexpectedly drop 0.3% on cheaper gasoline. The PPI print followed a softer CPI and benefited from easing energy costs, with oil falling during a brief pause in US-Iran tensions — giving the Fed more room to hold. [CNBC]
Goldman Sachs’ Ruemmler to face House Epstein oversight questions. Kathryn Ruemmler, who announced earlier this year she would leave Goldman at the end of June over her emails with Jeffrey Epstein, will be interviewed by the House Oversight Committee. [CNBC]
AI & Tech
Alibaba shares rise 4% as Qwen AI is set to be integrated with Apple Intelligence. The Cyberspace Administration of China included Apple’s AI services on a list of approved providers on Wednesday, paving the way for Alibaba’s Qwen model to plug into the iPhone stack. [CNBC]
Wall Street star Dan Ives forms Yorkville Ives merchant bank. Dan Ives, the Wedbush tech analyst known for high-profile coverage of Tesla and Apple, has launched his own merchant bank after leaving the firm. [CNBC]
UBS says an AI chipmaker has more room to run after doubling in three months. UBS named Advanced Micro Devices as a stock likely to appreciate further as its semiconductor chip businesses expand and attract more customers. CNBC’s Charitable Trust added to a chip position for the second time this week. [CNBC] [CNBC]
Asia
Kashmiri protests stall after nine more killings; toll since June now at 28. A protest movement in Pakistan-administered Kashmir paused after nine people were killed in clashes with security forces, with the region bracing for a major march planned for the coming days. [Al Jazeera]
India-UK trade deal comes into effect, cutting tariffs across thousands of goods. The agreement widens access for services firms and professionals in both markets and lowers duties on a wide range of products — the centerpiece of a post-Brexit reset between London and New Delhi. [Al Jazeera]
Africa / Health
DRC Ebola outbreak passes 2,000 cases as health workers strike. The Ituri-province epidemic has now caused 754 deaths, with medical staff walking off the job over unpaid wages — a parallel crisis complicating the response at the worst possible moment. [Al Jazeera] [Sky News]
Global childhood vaccination recovers slightly but millions remain unprotected. New UN data shows immunization programmes continued to recover in 2025 — but conflict, poverty and growing vaccine hesitancy are still leaving millions vulnerable to preventable diseases. [UN News]
Europe
Gibraltar border fence removed after UK-EU treaty. Crowds crossed between Spain and Gibraltar on Wednesday following the historic UK-EU agreement, with the British territory’s border controls lifted — though officials stress the jurisdiction is not joining Schengen. [Sky News] [Al Jazeera] [Al Jazeera]
France set to legalise assisted dying. Lawmakers were expected to approve a bill that would allow doctors to help terminally ill patients die — placing France in a small group of nations that permit the practice. [NYT]
Ukraine pounds Russian ships in the Azov to choke Crimea. After weeks of strikes on roads and railways, Kyiv is now focusing on sea routes to disrupt Russian fuel supplies and pressure Moscow to end the war; an Odesa strike killed three as Ukraine continued targeting vessels in the Black Sea. [NYT] [Al Jazeera]
UK proposes midnight social media curfew for older teens. The British government unveiled measures to protect older teens online, including a midnight curfew and a limit on infinite scrolling. [CNBC]
Americas
Trump welcomes Iraqi PM to the White House and vows “a lot of deals.” President Donald Trump hosted Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in the Oval Office, with both sides pledging to deepen economic ties — the readout stopped short of any security-cooperation announcement. [Al Jazeera]
A $25M-bounty Venezuelan official is also a US partner. Diosdado Cabello has been indicted by US federal prosecutors on narco-terrorism and other charges, yet he remains a working partner of a US government that once hounded him — exposing the contradictions in Washington’s Venezuela policy. [NYT]
Trump’s AG nominee Todd Blanche faces Senate Judiciary. Blanche, who previously served as a criminal defense lawyer for President Trump, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his nomination hearing. [CNBC]
US presses China to free American seismologist accused of spying. President Trump has urged Xi Jinping to release Youlin Chen, who studied the detection of North Korean nuclear tests and is now held on espionage allegations. [NYT]
Utah man arrested for allegedly targeting Muslim kiosk worker in stabbing. Rights groups condemned the attack and warned against the political climate around anti-immigration rhetoric. [Al Jazeera]
Sports
England and Argentina meet in the World Cup semifinal. Lionel Messi and Harry Kane lead their teams into Wednesday’s semifinal at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium — a tie that goes well beyond soccer for both nations, with Argentina carrying Latin America’s hopes and England seeking a first final since 1966. [Al Jazeera] [Al Jazeera]
Cody Bellinger stars at the MLB All-Star Game and wins MVP. With his father — former big-leaguer Clay Bellinger — in attendance, the New York Yankees slugger earned MVP honours in the midsummer classic. [Al Jazeera]
In Brief
Bangkok pub fire death toll rises to 32, with 15 people still in intensive care after two additional deaths were confirmed. [Al Jazeera]
IRS chief Frank Bisignano will lead the Trump Accounts expansion as the Treasury program enrolls millions of families. [CNBC]
“Miracle on the Hudson” pilot Sully Sullenberger reveals early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. The retired captain safely landed an Airbus A320 on the Hudson River in 2009 after hitting a flock of geese, saving all 155 on board. [CNBC]
Mortgage rates hit their highest level in nearly a year, causing homebuyers to pause even as refinancing saw small gains. [CNBC]
Home prices hit a new record high — credit, lender choice and loan type are the levers shoppers can pull to save. [CNBC]
Americans say they need $1.2 million to retire comfortably, but a survey finds only 30% of workplace plan investors think they will hit $1 million before retiring. [CNBC]
Australia to impose energy and water guardrails on data centres amid the AI boom, and to protect the rights of creators of work used to train AI models. [NYT]
UN youth report: Skills for an uncertain future — how young people can navigate a job market reshaped by AI and rapid technological change. [UN News]
Roundup compiled from the TTRSS NEWS feed. 51 articles from 5 sources summarized; 149 Iran-conflict items excluded (handled by the dedicated Iran sitrep).