{"id":65639,"date":"2026-07-29T21:08:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T01:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/us-launches-retaliatory-strikes-on-iran-amid-regional-escalation-and-mixed-tech-earnings\/65639\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T21:08:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T01:08:10","slug":"us-launches-retaliatory-strikes-on-iran-amid-regional-escalation-and-mixed-tech-earnings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/us-launches-retaliatory-strikes-on-iran-amid-regional-escalation-and-mixed-tech-earnings\/65639\/","title":{"rendered":"US Launches Retaliatory Strikes on Iran Amid Regional Escalation and Mixed Tech Earnings"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>US military forces launched targeted air strikes against Iran<\/strong> starting at 8:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, hitting locations in <strong>Abadan, Qeshm Island, and near Bandar Abbas<\/strong> in response to attempted Iranian attacks on US personnel.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady<\/strong>, prompting the <strong>Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA)<\/strong> to maintain its base rate at <strong>4%<\/strong>, while US Treasury yields for the 30-year bond hit their highest levels since 2007.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Samsung Electronics (<a href=\"\/stock\/SMSN\">SMSN<\/a>)<\/strong> delivered record profits fueled by the AI boom, contrasting with a <strong>5.3% drop in a major Wall Street chip gauge<\/strong> and a <strong>7% slide for SK Hynix (<a href=\"\/stock\/000660\">000660<\/a>)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman<\/strong> held urgent meetings with President Trump and Vice President Vance to deliver a message from Crown Prince MBS regarding the war with Iran.<\/li>\n<li><strong>New Zealand business sentiment surged to 56.1% in July<\/strong>, a sharp improvement from the previous 36.6%, signaling a strengthening activity outlook despite global volatility.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>US Military Action and Middle East Escalation<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>United States military<\/strong> initiated a series of powerful air strikes against targets inside <strong>Iran<\/strong> late Wednesday. According to reports from Iranian state media and US officials, the strikes targeted strategic locations including <strong>Abadan in Khuzestan province, Qeshm Island, and areas near Bandar Abbas<\/strong>. These actions were described as a direct response to attempted Iranian attacks on US forces based in the Middle East the previous day.<\/p>\n<p>In the wake of the strikes, <strong>President Trump<\/strong> met with Saudi Defense Minister <strong>Prince Khalid bin Salman<\/strong>. The meeting, which included US officials, involved a message from Saudi Crown Prince <strong>Mohammed bin Salman<\/strong> regarding the rapid regional escalation. The geopolitical tension has already begun to impact markets, with <strong>Brent crude<\/strong> showing volatility as investors weigh the risk of supply disruptions against technical corrections.<\/p>\n<h2>Federal Reserve Policy and Global Market Reaction<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Federal Reserve<\/strong> opted to keep interest rates unchanged during its latest meeting, a move that saw three officials dissent in favor of a hike. Following the decision, the <strong>Hong Kong Monetary Authority<\/strong> maintained its base rate at <strong>4%<\/strong>. The <strong>US Dollar<\/strong> edged lower for a fifth consecutive day, while the <strong>30-year Treasury yield<\/strong> reached its highest point since 2007, signaling a steepening yield curve.<\/p>\n<p>In Asia, markets reacted to the combination of geopolitical news and central bank updates. <strong>Japanese shares<\/strong> traded lower, with the <strong>Topix<\/strong> declining <strong>1.15%<\/strong>, while <strong>JGB futures<\/strong> fell ahead of the Bank of Japan\u2019s two-day meeting. Conversely, <strong>New Zealand\u2019s<\/strong> economic outlook showed resilience, as <strong>ANZ Business Confidence<\/strong> jumped to <strong>56.1%<\/strong>, up from <strong>36.6%<\/strong> in June.<\/p>\n<h2>Mixed Results in the Semiconductor Sector<\/h2>\n<p>The semiconductor industry is facing a period of intense divergence. <strong>Samsung Electronics (<a href=\"\/stock\/SMSN\">SMSN<\/a>)<\/strong> reported record profits, benefiting significantly from the ongoing <strong>AI boom<\/strong>. This positive news helped the <strong>Kospi<\/strong> rise <strong>0.8%<\/strong> initially, supported by new curbs on leveraged ETFs.<\/p>\n<p>However, the broader sector remains under pressure. <strong>SK Hynix (<a href=\"\/stock\/000660\">000660<\/a>)<\/strong> saw its shares tumble <strong>7%<\/strong> amid general market weakness. On Wall Street, a major chip gauge fell <strong>5.3%<\/strong>, and the <strong>Nasdaq 100<\/strong> entered a correction phase, down <strong>11%<\/strong> from its record high. While <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/MSFT\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"18\" title=\"Stock: MSFT\">Microsoft<\/a> (<a href=\"\/stock\/MSFT\">MSFT<\/a>)<\/strong> jumped over <strong>8%<\/strong> on strong cloud growth, <strong>Meta Platforms (<a href=\"\/stock\/META\">META<\/a>)<\/strong> slid over <strong>7%<\/strong> following a weak revenue forecast.<\/p>\n<h2>Domestic Political and Economic Developments<\/h2>\n<p>In Washington, the nomination of <strong>Todd Blanche<\/strong> for Attorney General has stalled. Key Republicans in the Senate demanded further assurances regarding the settlement of President Trump&#39;s lawsuit against the <strong>Internal Revenue Service (IRS)<\/strong>, leading lawmakers to scrap a planned committee vote.<\/p>\n<p>In Japan, the government has downgraded its <strong>FY2026 growth forecast to 0.9%<\/strong>, citing the impact of higher <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/energy\/crude-oil\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"12\" title=\"Crude oil\">oil prices<\/a> on the domestic economy. Meanwhile, in the tech sector, <strong>Intel (<a href=\"\/stock\/INTC\">INTC<\/a>)<\/strong> has reportedly granted startup <strong>RosaicLabs<\/strong> rare access to specific chip technology, a deal currently under scrutiny due to leadership ties between the two firms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways US military forces launched targeted air strikes against Iran starting at 8:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, hitting locations 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