
July 16th, 2026
Asian shares mostly fell on Thursday.
South Korea's Kospi dropped 6.6%.
The Bank of Korea raised interest rates.
It was the first time since 2023.
The bank wants to stop inflation from the Iran war.
Memory chip maker SK Hynix fell 11.2%.
Samsung Electronics dropped 8.2%.
Tokyo's Nikkei 225 fell 2.9%.
Japanese chip maker Kioxia plunged 13.5%.
Tokyo Electron lost 5.2%.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1.7%.
Alibaba shares helped.
They rose 4.4% after China approved Apple Intelligence for use.
The Shanghai Composite fell 0.9%.
Oil prices slipped but stayed high.
Brent crude dropped 0.4% to $84.55 a barrel.
It was up from about $72 in late February.
ING strategists said oil gained for a third day.
They said there are no signs of U.S.-Iran de-escalation.
They noted rising tensions are affecting vessel flows from the Persian Gulf.
U.S. futures edged higher.
On Wednesday, the S&P 500 rose 0.4%.
BlackRock shares gained 6.6% after strong quarterly results.
The dollar fell to 162.09 yen.
July 16th, 2026

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US stocks rise as oil prices fall and inflation stays near expected

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US diesel prices rise above $6 a gallon, making it harder to move everyday goods

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Prices rise as Middle East fights push up fuel costs

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Diesel prices are at record highs at a bad time for many US farmers

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FACT CHECK: Trump says US banks cannot work in Canada. That is not true

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US sanctions Turkish bank that it calls 'critical lifeline' for Iran

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