Want to stay ahead of the markets without spending hours reading?

Elite Trade Club gives you the top stories, trends, and insights — all in one quick daily email.

It’s everything you need to know before the bell in under 5 minutes.

Join for free and get smarter about the markets every morning.

Click Here to Join Now

What you need to know

What is Donald Trump up to?

President Donald Trump has been at the center of speculation and political turbulence this past week. After days of rumors about his health, fueled by his Labor Day weekend absence, visible bruising, and posts that do not seem to be written in his style, he is scheduled to deliver a major Oval Office announcement at 2:00pm today. All we know about the announcement is that it somehow relates to the Department of Defense.

Trump has not spoken in public since last Tuesday, which is unheard of. Viral claims that he had died trended online, but were dispelled when he was photographed golfing twice in the past two days. The White House attributed his bruises to vigorous handshakes and aspirin use, and said he suffers from a benign circulatory condition.

The Trump Administration has continued to forge ahead with its strategic agenda, canceling collective bargaining rights at federal agencies, and defending emergency tariffs and a suspension of foreign aid in the courts. Trump is also preparing to award his close political ally, and former NYC Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, the Presidential Medal of Freedom

At home, more than 1,000 Labor Day rallies under the banner “Workers Over Billionaires” protested against Trump’s economic agenda, while other critics blamed his rhetoric and restrictive immigration policies for a decline in U.S. tourism.

Meanwhile, Gold (the traditional safe haven in times of economic concern) has reached record levels above $3,500 an ounce, while silver has climbed to around $41–42 (it has not been this high since September 2011. U.S. bonds remain weak, with the 10-year Treasury yield at roughly 4.25% and the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF falling to $86.60. Bitcoin has dropped slightly in value, but is still trading around the $110,000 level.

The manufacturing sector shows tentative strength, with the S&P Global U.S. Manufacturing PMI rising to 53.3 in August, its first expansion in several months. The housing market, by contrast, remains subdued. New single-family home sales slipped by 0.6% in July to an annualized rate of 652,000 units, and pending contracts eased by 0.4%, reflecting affordability constraints even as mortgage rates touched a ten-month low. Markets now place a 90% probability on a Federal Reserve cut in September, most likely by 25 basis points, though a larger move remains possible if labor data weakens further.

It’s now the U.S. vs China, everyone else needs to pick a side

A U.K. shipbuilding push at home and abroad

Britain is pressing ahead with an ambitious defense and shipbuilding program.

The government has secured a landmark £10 billion ($13.2bn) deal to export at least five Type 26 anti-submarine warfare frigates to Norway. Norway had just cancelled a previous deal that it had with the U.S., after concerns about U.S. control over technologies and weapons platforms in the new ships.

Built by BAE Systems in Glasgow, the contract is the largest British defense export by value, supports around 4,000 jobs, and embeds joint UK–Norway operational capability by creating a combined fleet of 13 frigates to patrol northern Europe and reinforce NATO’s northern flank.

Domestically, shipbuilding continues apace: at least five of the eight Type 26 frigates are under construction at Clyde shipyards, alongside three of the five lighter Type 31 frigates.

Work also continues on the Dreadnought-class ballistic missile submarines, several of which are already in build, and the Astute-class, where the seventh vessel is nearing completion.

The Ministry of Defence has also confirmed plans for up to six new amphibious Multi-Role Strike Ships, and is pursuing the SSN-AUKUS program with the U.S. and Australia, which aims to deliver up to 12 advanced nuclear attack submarines by the late 2030s, though some analysts doubt the timetable can be met without significantly expanding industrial capacity.

Russia claims deal with China on new Siberian gas pipeline

Russia said it had signed a legally binding agreement with China and Mongolia to build the long-awaited Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, a project intended to deliver up to 50bn cubic meters (1.8 trillion cubic feet) of gas annually to China over a 30-year period.

The deal also envisages higher supplies through existing routes, with flows via the current Power of Siberia pipeline set to rise from 38bn to 44bn cubic meters (1.3 trillion to 1.6 trillion cubic feet) a year, and deliveries through the Far Eastern route to increase from 10bn to 12bn cubic meters (353bn to 424bn cubic feet).

Alexei Miller, the chief executive of Gazprom, described the venture as one of the most ambitious and capital-intensive gas projects in the world, highlighting Russia’s strategic shift to Asian markets as European demand shrinks.

If confirmed by Beijing, the agreement would represent a significant political triumph for Russian President Vladimir Putin, tightening Moscow’s energy partnership with China, shoring up his domestic authority, and signaling Russia’s capacity to secure long-term markets despite Western sanctions.

Yet China has not publicly endorsed the deal, leaving open questions over pricing, financing, and the real timetable for implementation.

Europe's center of gravity shifts east, politics moves right, hostility to migrants from the south rises, as ties with the U.S. fray

Starmer balances flags, Gaza, and justice reform

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who is under considerable pressure and sliding dramatically in the polls after months of poor political decisions, said yesterday that he encourages the flying of national flags as a symbol of pride but warned against their misuse for divisive purposes. Uproar had emerged on U.K. social media over British flags being removed from public places by the authorities, on the grounds that they might spark offense. In return, activists have been filmed tearing down Palestinian flags flown in public.

The United Kingdom has also stated that it intends to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September unless Israel halts annexations, allows humanitarian access, and agrees to a ceasefire.

At home, the government has moved to suspend new refugee family reunion applications until stricter rules come into effect in 2026.

Separately, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced a new Sentencing Bill that will give ministers the power to approve or veto sentencing guidelines drawn up by the Sentencing Council.

The British economy is meanwhile under mounting pressure. Long-term government borrowing costs are approaching 27-year highs, with yields on 30-year gilts hovering around 5.6%, the highest since the late 1990s.

The surge reflects persistent inflation close to 4%, elevated debt levels, and doubts about fiscal sustainability following expansive budgets and tax policies.

Investors and economists are calling for bold measures, including credible autumn budgeting, pro-growth tax reform, and actions to strengthen the Bank of England’s independence, to restore market confidence.

Birth pangs in the birthplace of civilization

Libya still on edge as mediation and troop build-ups raise fears of conflict

In the past 24 hours, tensions in Libya, particularly around Tripoli, have remained very high as reports surfaced of international and domestic mediation efforts to prevent Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah from taking steps that might ignite conflict. The United Nations has voiced concern over the steady build-up of troops and heavy weaponry near the capital, warning of dangers to civilians and to the fragile political process. Mohammed Menfi, head of the Presidential Council, stressed the need to consolidate the ceasefire, safeguard civilians, and foster conditions for a meaningful national dialogue.

Beyond politics and security, Libya’s National Oil Corporation again reported daily production of nearly 1.39m barrels of crude oil, together with substantial gas output, reflecting the sector’s resilience despite the political and security unrest.

Tripoli remains in a fragile equilibrium between diplomatic appeals for calm and the threat of renewed violence, while the oil sector continues to provide one of the few elements of national stability.

Lebanon in precarious position over Hezbollah arms

Lebanon is entering a precarious phase as its government, under pressure from the U.S., has approved a plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year in exchange for reconstruction aid and an Israeli withdrawal.

The move was hailed by U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack as historic but denounced by Hezbollah as a capitulation. Hezbollah’s Secretary General, Naim Qassem, has warned of dire consequences, including the threat of civil war, if the state presses ahead. President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam insist that only the state should hold arms and that disarmament must proceed without igniting internal conflict. Disarmament without violence would seem to be a difficult thing to achieve at this point.

Tensions grew after six Lebanese soldiers were killed in August during the clearance of a Hezbollah arms depot in Wadi Zibqin, an explosion still under investigation by the military and a reminder of the practical dangers of dismantling Hezbollah’s arsenal.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has renewed the mandate of the Lebanon border monitoring force UNIFIL for the final time, extending it until December 2026 before a phased withdrawal in 2027.

The months ahead will test whether Lebanon can reassert state sovereignty without sliding back into conflict. But there are no easy answers to the question of disarming Hezbollah.

Tensions rise between Venezuela and Guyana

Gunfire has broken out across the Venezuela–Guyana border, intensifying a long-running territorial dispute over the Essequibo region. A Guyanese patrol boat escorting election officials came under fire on Sunday from the Venezuelan side of the Cuyuni River, prompting return fire, in the latest of several incidents that have left Guyanese soldiers wounded this year.

Venezuela has deployed large numbers of troops to the frontier and built a bridge to Ankoko Island, where it maintains a military base that Guyana insists lies on its sovereign territory.

At the heart of the quarrel is the Essequibo, a vast, resource-rich area administered by Guyana but claimed by Venezuela since the 1960s, despite an 1899 international arbitral award that fixed the boundary.

As we have been reporting for the past year, Venezuela has recently moved to harden its claim, even passing legislation declaring Essequibo a Venezuelan state, while Guyana has turned to the International Court of Justice, which has asserted jurisdiction.

The clash comes against the backdrop of Venezuelan naval incursions into Guyana’s waters and rising oil production by ExxonMobil in Guyanese fields, adding a combustible mix of nationalism, resource competition, and military posturing to a century-old border dispute.

The U.S. has positioned naval assets off the Venezuelan coast in recent days, including destroyers, at least one submarine, and amphibious vessels, citing anti-narcotics operations.

While Guyana President Irfaan Ali has not issued a fresh statement in the past day, Georgetown is understood to view the U.S. deployment as a reinforcement of its security at a time of mounting pressure from Venezuela.

Center of Gravity sign up link: https://www.namea-group.com/the-daily-brief