Morning Roundup: New Strikes on Iran, Anthropic Heads Toward an IPO, and a Sell-Off in Asia
Anthropic has begun holding meetings with investors ahead of its expected IPO / Photo: Koshiro K / Shutterstock.com
Donald Trump stated that Iran wants to hold talks after the U.S. launched a new series of strikes. Anthropic has begun meeting with investors in preparation for a potential IPO as early as this fall, which could take place before the listings of OpenAI and DeepSeek. Shares of Asian semiconductor manufacturers plummeted following a sell-off among U.S. chipmakers. Read about these and other topics in our roundup of key events as of the morning of July 16.
Trump Says Iran Is Ready for Talks Amid New U.S. Strikes
Donald Trump stated that Iran wants to negotiate and reach an agreement, but on the same day, the U.S. launched a second series of strikes against Iranian military targets within 12 hours, according to CNBC. According to the U.S. military, the strikes targeted systems that posed a threat to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran, for its part, said it is prepared to continue military operations, while not ruling out diplomatic efforts.
Experts believe that the prospects for a resolution remain unclear, according to CNBC. Trump has threatened to expand strikes next week to target Iran’s energy and transportation infrastructure if negotiations do not take place. Amid the escalation, Brent crude is holding above $85 per barrel, and analysts are warning of the risk of a protracted conflict.
Anthropic has begun meeting with investors ahead of its IPO
Anthropic has begun holding meetings with investors ahead of its IPO, which, according to Bloomberg, could take place as early as October. If it goes public, the company will beat OpenAI—which is now targeting a 2027 listing—as well as China’s DeepSeek, which is also preparing for an IPO. Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan are handling the offering, and Anthropic’s latest valuation, following its May funding round, reached $965 billion.
Interest in IPOs is driving strong demand for shares in AI companies: since the start of the year, the amount of capital raised in the IPO market has already reached $227.5 billion—the highest level since 2021. Anthropic’s revenue growth is driven by its AI models, but the company continues to face regulatory risks and strained relations with the Donald Trump administration, the agency notes.
Asian chipmakers are under pressure due to a sell-off in the U.S.
Shares of Asian semiconductor manufacturers fell sharply following a sell-off among U.S. chipmakers, according to CNBC. In South Korea, SK Hynix shares fell by more than 11%, and Samsung Electronics shares by more than 8%. In Japan, Advantest, SoftBank, and Tokyo Electron lost between 5% and 7%. The pressure was exacerbated by news of a temporary suspension of construction on major data centers in New York and reports that CoreWeave is exploring ways to hedge against the risk of falling memory prices, the network notes.
At the same time, analysts believe that the decline is primarily due to profit-taking following strong growth, rather than a deterioration in fundamentals. Demand for AI infrastructure and HBM memory remains high, and ASML’s strong earnings report confirms the industry’s resilience.
The U.S. is imposing new tariffs on goods from Brazil
The U.S. will impose 25 percent tariffs on most goods from Brazil starting July 22, following an investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, CNBC reports. Washington has accused Brazil of unfair trade practices, including putting pressure on U.S. IT companies, weak intellectual property protection, and trade barriers. Exceptions have been made for a number of goods, including beef, orange juice, aviation products, and energy resources.
The decision was made after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the previous 50 percent tariffs, leaving only the base tariff of 10 percent in effect. Officials in Washington stated that the new measures are necessary to protect American companies, and Secretary of State Mark Rubio accused the Brazilian government of refusing to engage in good-faith negotiations.
What's Happening in the Markets
— Japan's broad-based Topix index fell 1.3%, while the Nikkei 225 fell 2.9%.
— Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 2%, while mainland China's CSI 300 Index fell 0.9%.
— In South Korea, the KOSPI index fell 6.5%, and the KOSDAQ index fell 4.5%.
— Australia's S&P/ASX 200 remained virtually unchanged.
— Futures on the S&P 500, the Nasdaq Composite, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%.
This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor
