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- Iran says it has a 'new operational plan' if the U.S. resumes attacks, as shipping vessels report strikes
Senior Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei warned that Tehran has prepared a new response plan, “far more devastating” than the 12-day and 40-day wars, for any renewed U.S.-Israeli attack. President Trump told Newsmax he does not intend to use nuclear weapons against Iran or deploy ground troops. Several commercial vessels around the Arabian Peninsula were attacked, including a tug hit by two unknown projectiles near the UAE on Sunday and a tanker struck by an RPG on Friday. Oil prices surged, with Brent settling at $109.86 per barrel (up 3.7%) and WTI rising 3.5% to $101.41. Saudi Arabia intercepted several missiles, including one aimed at the Yanbu oil export terminal, and Aramco's administrative building in Dhahran was hit earlier this week.
- Iran plan to open shipping lane still on the table
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says Tehran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 7 days, made in mid-September after an interim ceasefire collapsed, is still on the table. If Washington accepts Iran's conditions, including lifting the US blockade of its ports and sanctions on oil exports and ending hostilities on all regional fronts, the strait could reopen within 6 days, with talks resuming the next day. The main dispute is Washington's demand that Iran's nuclear program be addressed from the outset, with Vice President JD Vance calling for a “meaningful” cut to Iran's uranium enrichment capacity. Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guards navy says two oil tankers caught fire after hitting naval mines in the strait, a claim IRNA reported without independent confirmation, as attacks around the waterway have surged over the past two weeks.
- Iran plan to open shipping lane still on the table
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says Tehran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 7 days remains on the table, and the strait could reopen within 6 days if Washington accepts Iran's conditions, including lifting the US blockade of its ports, lifting sanctions on oil exports and ending hostilities on all regional fronts. Talks have stalled because Washington has not addressed all 7 conditions, while the US insists on addressing Iran's nuclear program from the outset. Iran's Revolutionary Guards navy says 2 oil tankers caught fire after hitting naval mines in the strait, a claim that has not been independently confirmed. Maritime officials also said a container ship and a dry bulk carrier sank after being hit by projectiles in separate incidents. The strait is only 35 to 40km wide at its narrowest point, and shipping disruptions from the 8-month war have pushed up global energy prices and inflation.
- Number of Vessels Attacked in the Strait of Hormuz Hits Record High
According to data from the Tổ chức Hàng hải Quốc tế obtained by TASS, 22 vessels reported being attacked in the Strait of Hormuz from October 1 to 13. The estimated count surpassed the total for all of March 2026, the previous record. The attacks left 15 sailors injured, 2 missing, and 1 ship sunk. October 11 saw the most incidents, with 6 vessels reporting damage, while on October 4 and 13, three vessels each reported damage. The backdrop: the US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, 2026. In June 2026, the two sides signed a memorandum for an immediate ceasefire, but on the night of July 8, the Pentagon resumed large-scale strikes on Iran, accusing it of violating agreements related to the Strait of Hormuz.
- Global food inflation is expected to intensify as supply shocks pile up
Global food inflation is expected to accelerate in coming months and persist into 2027, as war-related shipping disruptions and El Niño drought squeeze cereal supplies. The FAO Food Price Index averaged 136 points in September, its highest since November 2022. According to the World Bank, food prices outpaced headline inflation in 22% of the 150 countries it analysed in the September quarter, up from 14% previously. Wheat prices have risen more than 30% in 2026 and freight rates about 50% on key routes, while importers returning to the market could spark a new wave of demand. Rising prices heighten the risk of social unrest and could prompt exporters to impose trade bans, worsening shortages.
- Expert: World oil prices set for unprecedented surge
Brent crude is trading near $110 a barrel and U.S. crude near $100, up about 80% and more than 70% respectively since the start of the year. William Blair analyst Neal Dingmann warns of a possible “super spike,” as tanker attacks linked to Iran and record shipping costs tighten physical supply. The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve is at its lowest since 1982, limiting the effect of releases, while heating oil futures have more than doubled this year. Goldman Sachs raised its December Brent forecast to $90 a barrel but sees a possible $125 if oil infrastructure is destroyed or geopolitical risk premiums stay high. Meanwhile, many U.S. producers posted record free cash flow in the second quarter.
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- A bank stock unexpectedly drew nearly 300 billion VND in net buying from securities firms' proprietary desks early this week
On 19/10, the VN-Index fell 16.07 points (-0.94%) to 1,689.84, with selling pressure intensifying in the afternoon session. Securities firms' proprietary trading net bought 275 billion VND on HoSE, led by CTG at 230 billion VND, followed by KBC (134 billion), VPB (133 billion) and MSN (45 billion). On the other side, proprietary desks net sold the most of ACB at 221 billion VND and FRT at 144 billion VND.
- BingX, YouHodler added to ESMA MiCA register in latest update
ESMA's latest MiCA register update added nine crypto-asset service providers (CASPs), bringing the total to 375 unique providers, including BingX's Austrian entity MEGE zweite and the Italian subsidiary of YouHodler. Other additions were Spain's Prakma Markets, Openbank Deutschland (a unit of Banco Santander) and two German cooperative lenders, while Denmark's Penning Financial Services is no longer listed. The EMT register stayed at 50 entries for 25 unique entities, the ART register remained empty, and the non-compliant NCASP register rose by five entries to 178. BingX's EU CEO Daniel Lai said the authorization lets the company operate under a clear regulatory framework as it prepares to launch regulated services across the European Economic Area.
- Zcash Developer Zakura Proposes Fix to Stop Quantum Computers Linking Shielded Swaps
Zcash full node developer Zakura has proposed “one-time” viewing keys to stop a future quantum computer from linking a user's shielded Zcash payments. The biggest risk is swaps through NEAR Intents, where each swap out of ZEC posts one of the user's shielded addresses to NEAR's public chain as a refund address, and around $600 million to $700 million had flowed through that route by May, according to Zcash Open Development Lab CEO Josh Swihart. The fix derives a separate incoming viewing key for each published address while leaving the spending key untouched, so a quantum attacker who breaks one address would only see payments to that address. The approach needs no network upgrade, and wallets built on Zakura's open-source libraries, such as Vizor, can add it in the coming weeks, with hardware wallets to follow. At the time of reporting, ZEC traded at $1,165, up 3.6% on the day.
- JPMorgan's JPM Coin, representing dollar deposits, is coming to Ethereum: Bloomberg
JPMorgan will make JPM Coin, a token representing its dollar deposits, available to institutional clients on Ethereum, according to Bloomberg. The bank says Ethereum's liquidity makes it attractive to crypto companies seeking blockchain payments and to financial firms settling trades or backing tokenized assets. The move extends JPMorgan's blockchain work beyond Base and its private Kinexys network, which processes more than $7 billion daily. The bank did not say when the token will go live on Ethereum. Meanwhile, JPMorgan is among US banks planning a shared tokenized deposit network, but it was not on Swift's list of 17 banks preparing live transactions on its blockchain ledger in July.
- Robot factories and hypersonic missiles: JPMorgan Chase’s first $5 billion of defense investments
JPMorgan Chase said it has made $5 billion in startup investments in the first year of its U.S. security and resiliency initiative, a faster pace than expected. The bank had pledged $10 billion into startups over a decade and may expand the program beyond that amount, according to co-president Doug Petno. Among the disclosed stakes, JPMorgan has taken direct positions in Hadrian, which builds automated factories making parts for defense, aerospace and maritime companies, and Castelion, maker of the relatively low-cost hypersonic missile Blackbeard. The bank helped lead a $1.4 billion funding round for Hadrian and was involved in a $1 billion round for Castelion. The direct equity stakes mark a departure from JPMorgan's usual role as a lender and advisor.
- One Year In, JPMorganChase's Security and Resiliency Initiative Is Helping to Strengthen Industries Critical to Long-Term Economic Growth
One year after launching its $1.5 trillion Security and Resiliency Initiative (SRI), JPMorganChase said it has deployed $5 billion in equity investments through its Strategic Investment Group, half of its initial $10 billion SRI allocation. The firm has financed and facilitated more than $230 billion in transactions across SRI's focus areas, including supply chains and advanced manufacturing, defense and aerospace, energy, frontier technologies, and pharma and healthtech. The Strategic Investment Group, led by Todd Combs, invests in venture, growth and later-stage companies, while a team of more than 35 SRI professionals has expanded the initiative to Europe and Canada. Nearly one-third of SRI-related activity in the past year occurred outside the United States, as many critical technologies and supply chains cross borders. Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon said strong economies and national security require investment in infrastructure, manufacturing, energy, defense and innovation.
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