Top Stories This Morning: Meeting on Iran, Gold Below $4,000, Valuation of a Kazakh Unicorn

Donald Trump announced that a new round of talks between the U.S. and Iran will take place in Doha on June 30 following the recent escalation. The U.S. Supreme Court allowed Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook to remain in office during the legal proceedings, emphasizing the special status and independence of the U.S. central bank. Gold fell below $4,000 per ounce, and the yen weakened to a 40-year low. Read about these and other topics in our roundup of key events as of the morning of June 30.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that new talks with Iran will take place in Doha on June 30—after the two sides exchanged blows over the weekend, according to CNBC. According to the U.S. leader, Tehran itself requested the meeting, and the U.S. delegation will be led by Special Envoys Steve Whitecoff and Jared Kushner.

The White House reported that the parties are currently observing the ceasefire and continuing discussions on a memorandum of understanding. In addition, officials there assured that commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is continuing without restrictions.

Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said it would send only a delegation of experts to Doha and ruled out the possibility of direct talks, according to Bloomberg. It also warned that Tehran intends to carry out its plans to control traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Amid mixed signals ahead of a new round of talks between the U.S. and Iran, the price of gold fell below $4,000 per ounce. Since late February, when the Iran crisis began, the precious metal has already lost about 25% of its value.

Although oil prices are falling after a sharp spike at the start of the conflict, investors increasingly expect global central banks to keep interest rates high for longer due to persistent inflation risks. This is having a negative impact on gold, which does not generate interest income, explains Bloomberg.

The strengthening dollar is adding to the pressure: the U.S. dollar index has risen by more than 2% since the beginning of the month. A stronger dollar makes gold more expensive for buyers using other currencies, the agency reports.

The Japanese yen weakened to 162.27 per dollar, reaching its lowest level since 1986. Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama stated that the authorities are prepared to take decisive action against excessive exchange rate fluctuations.

Experts believe that such measures, including interventions in the foreign exchange market, can only temporarily prop up the yen, as pressure persists due to the significant interest rate differential between Japan and the United States. Earlier this spring, Tokyo had already allocated more than 11.7 trillion yen ($72.8 billion) to support the national currency, but after a brief strengthening, its decline resumed.

Chinese electronics manufacturer Luxshare Precision Industry, one of Apple’s key suppliers, plans to raise up to 24.27 billion Hong Kong dollars ($3.1 billion) through an initial public offering in Hong Kong, according to CNBC. The company will offer 383.5 million shares, and trading is scheduled to begin on July 9.

The funds raised will help Luxshare accelerate the diversification of its business beyond consumer electronics, which still accounts for about 80% of its revenue. One of the fastest-growing segments remains the production of automotive electronics, whose share of the company’s sales has increased from 3.9% to 11.8% over the past two years.

The American AI startup Higgsfield AI, which develops technology for generating videos based on text prompts, is in talks to raise $300–500 million at a pre-money valuation of $5 billion, according to The Information. This is more than four times higher than the valuation received in the previous funding round in January. In June, Higgsfield AI’s annual revenue reached $500 million, up from $200 million in January, the publication notes.

Higgsfield AI was founded in 2023 by Alex Mashrabov, a former Yandex employee, and Erzat Dulatov, a machine learning specialist. In September 2025, the startup became Kazakhstan’s first “unicorn,” reaching a valuation of $1 billion.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled by a 5-4 majority that Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook may continue in her position while her lawsuit against the Donald Trump administration is pending, Yahoo Finance reports. The court noted that the U.S. president cannot remove members of the Fed’s Board of Governors without following the procedure prescribed by law and without sufficient grounds.

The ruling has become one of the most significant judicial defenses of the Fed’s independence in recent times, the publication notes. The court emphasized that the central bank enjoys special status and must be protected from political pressure. Trump, who had previously accused Cook of irregularities in the processing of mortgage documents, stated that he intends to seek her removal.

— Japan's broad-based Topix index rose 0.8%, while the Nikkei 225 rose 1.6%.

— Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 1.3%, while mainland China's CSI 300 Index rose 1%.

— In South Korea, the KOSPI index jumped 2.9%, while the KOSDAQ remained virtually unchanged.

— Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.2%.

— S&P 500 futures rose 0.1%, Nasdaq Composite futures rose 0.3%, and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were virtually unchanged.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor