Technology Stocks Lift Equities, Mideast Peace Prospects Wane | The Opening Trade 8/17/2026

Technology stocks lifted global equities after stellar revenue growth at Anthropic PBC bolstered the view that massive spending on artificial intelligence will be sustained.

Fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah flared in Lebanon over the weekend, the latest setback in efforts to end parallel wars in the Middle East that have dragged on for almost six months and disrupted global markets.

Israel’s military said Sunday that it killed Abu Hassan Alaa, a senior Hezbollah commander, in southern Lebanon a day earlier. Eleven people died in the Israeli strikes, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said were in retaliation for an attack by the militant group that seriously injured three soldiers.

The Opening Trade has everything you need to know as markets open across Europe. With analysis you won’t find anywhere else, we break down the biggest stories of the day and speak to top guests who have skin in the game. Hosted by Guy Johnson and Tom Mackenzie.

Chapters:
00:00:30 – Market Check
00:01:22 – The Opening Trade
00:02:06 – Risk of Central Bank Tightening
00:04:45 – Israel Strikes Lebanon
00:07:26 – Copper Price Near Record High
00:09:32 – Riksbank Rate Decision
00:12:41 – Israel Hits Lebanon in New Strikes
00:25:18 – Dollar Weakens
00:34:34 – Alphabet Weighs AUS Dollar Bonds
00:37:22 – Alibaba AI Model Hits 3 Billion Downloads
00:38:59 – It’s Not Looking Great for The Dollar: MLIV
00:49:37 – China July Retail Sales Rises
00:57:17 – Copper Surges Toward Record
01:15:22 – Neura Robotics CEO David Reger
01:20:28 – Dexory CEO Oana Jinga
01:24:24 – Record Heatwave in Belgium
01:26:58 – Talks with Oman Continue on Hormuz: Iran
01:31:08 – Brent Crude, Oil Price
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