TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Thursday US “economic terrorism” threatens global economy and the sovereignty of nations worldwide.
The remarks came after US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday “the most crushing economic operation ever taken” against any country providing a lifeline to Iran.
“This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale,”
US stock markets opened lower on August 20 as a brief reprieve in the bond market evaporated overnight, dragging equity indices back into the red. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all declined at the open, reversing gains from the previous session that had been fueled by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s announcement of expanded buyback operations.
NTPC, Skipper, and JSW Energy are among the power and utilities stocks on which domestic brokerage firm Axis Direct remains optimistic following their June-quarter results.
Despite the sector delivering a mixed performance during the reporting quarter, the brokerage picked these three stocks, as it believes strong capacity additions,
Mortgage rates are a smidge lower today thanks to yesterday’s announcement that the Treasury Department is going to increase purchases of long-term bonds. Mortgage interest rates are pegged to the 10-year Treasury note, so good news for the bond market is good news for mortgage rates.
The average interest rate on a 30-year,
» Read more about: Mortgage Rates Today, Thursday, August 20: Down Again »
President Donald Trump again pressured the Federal Reserve to lower its benchmark for interest rates, insisting rates are “artificially high” the same day the Treasury Department announced the U.S. national debt surpassed $40 trillion, though many forecasters are still predicting the Fed will hold its target range steady at its next meeting in September.
» Read more about: Trump calls for lower interest rates as Fed officials watch inflation »
US stocks opened lower on Thursday, August 20, as a rebound in Treasury yields and a rise in oil prices weighed on investor sentiment. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.6% at the open, while the S&P 500 declined 0.3% and the Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.5%, after all three major indexes ended higher in the previous session.
US stocks fell on Thursday after President Trump vowed to squeeze Iran economically, sending oil prices higher, while bond yields also rebounded after the US Treasury’s surprise move to intervene in the market.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) fell 0.6%, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) slipped 0.3%.
The S&P 500 had a strong start to 2026. The index gained 10.2% on a total-return basis during the first half of 2026, putting it among a group of years when strong first-half gains were followed by generally positive second-half returns.
» Read more about: S&P 500 jumps 10.2% in first half of 2026: What history says could happen next »
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