U.K.’s Keir Starmer on the verge of quitting
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hosts the first roundtable meeting of British regional mayors with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham (R) at Downing Street on July 9, 2024 in London, England.
Ian Vogler | WPA Pool | Getty Images
Hello, I’m Leonie Kidd writing to you from London. Welcome to today’s edition of the Daily Open newsletter.
Monday is just getting started in London and there’s already a lot for investors to digest.
Pressure is mounting on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to plan his departure from his own party — and from US President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, negotiators agreed on a 60-day roadmap for the Iran peace deal; This is a remarkable achievement after a weekend filled with threats from both sides.
What you need to know today
Lake Lucerne in Switzerland hosted the final round of talks between the United States and Iran this weekend. A 60-day road map was agreed upon to reach a final peace agreement.
According to the joint statement made by the mediating parties of Qatar and Pakistan, “The Lake Lucerne Summit was held in a positive and constructive atmosphere. Encouraging progress was made, including the establishment of a mechanism for further technical discussions.”
This is a remarkable result after a period of escalating tensions over the weekend. On Saturday, Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz and boycott the talks, while US President Donald Trump warned that this would be done. “We hit Iran very hard again” If Tehran “hadn’t prevented the highly paid PROPRIETIES in Lebanon from causing trouble.”
Crude oil prices fell on news that tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz continues to increase and peace talks are progressing. But futures on major US exchanges are also in the red as Wall Street returns from a long weekend trading holiday.
Asia Pacific equities are showing a mixed picture, while European futures are directionless.
—Leonie Kidd
And finally…
Pixar’s ‘Toy Story 5’ had the biggest opening weekend in franchise history, grossing $160 million
There’s still some excitement left in Disney’s Toy Story series.
The fifth installment in the Pixar film series reached $160 million in its opening weekend; this is the highest number in franchise history. “Toy Story 5” grossed $152 million internationally, bringing its estimated global gross for the three-day period to $312 million.
According to Rentrak data, “Toy Story 4” held the previous record for the series, earning $120.9 million in revenue during its opening in 2019. The film series has grossed more than $3 billion in total box office revenue since the first film was released in 1995; its two installments exceeded $1 billion worldwide.
-Sarah Whitten
