Independence Day (July 3, 2026)

United States home prices ascended to a fresh peak in June, reinforcing a challenging landscape for prospective buyers despite decelerating sales volumes. Data from the National Association of Realtors indicated that the median price for existing homes climbed to $440,600, representing a 1.8% annual advance.

Global markets ended the week on a cautious note as investors balanced renewed U.S.–Iran tensions with expectations for further central bank tightening.

The fragile truce between the United States and Iran has collapsed after a sequence of reciprocal military engagements repositioned the Middle East at the forefront of global risk. Following targeted American airstrikes against Iranian air defense networks, surveillance hubs, missile installations, and drone depots, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard retaliated by striking U.S. military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait. Washington maintained that its initial kinetic operations were necessary to safeguard merchant shipping lanes transiting the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz.