Digital Credit Shock: Strive Asset Management blamed Thursday’s brutal selloff in digital credit on leverage liquidations, not credit deterioration, as STRC and SATA plunged on margin calls before rebounding. AI Valuation Risk: Aswath Damodaran warned an AI correction could be harsher than the dot-com bust, given today’s massive infrastructure spending and financing. Geopolitics to Trade: A US-Iran ceasefire could lift fertiliser shipments by easing Strait of Hormuz disruptions, potentially reversing an 11% year-on-year drop in global volumes. Frozen Assets Plan: The US is reportedly working with Qatar to help Iran access frozen funds for humanitarian spending, with Qatar buying food and medicines using money drawn from Iranian assets. Regulation Watch: The CFTC permanently banned Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky from commodity trading and CFTC registration, closing the regulator’s first crypto-lender case. Market Structure in India: SEBI reintroduced open-market buybacks via stock exchanges (effective Aug 1) and tightened conflict-of-interest norms for senior officials. ETF/Rate Positioning: Investors are leaning toward low-beta, diversified bond ETFs as volatility persists. Trade & Logistics: A TradeMark Africa report flags the Durban–Kasumbalesa corridor as a key bottleneck for unlocking Southern Africa’s intra-regional trade.