Momentum: US Issues 60-Day License For Iranian Oil Sales As Tehran Agrees To Hormuz Access, Nuclear Inspections

Top Admiral Visits USS Lincoln, Suggests Reports Of Dire Conditions Are Greatly Exaggerated The top US military commander in the Middle East has personally visited the USS Lincoln carrier, which is currently patrolling the Middle East after having long been engaged in operations against Iran. US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief, Adm. Brad Cooper, directly inspected the ship amid widespread reports of low morale and extremely challenging conditions amid a record extended deployment. Screenshot via CENTCOM on X. But Cooper came away with the opposite conclusions from what the headlines and some lawmakers are saying....

The Private Credit Crisis Is Spreading Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance The private credit crisis is spreading to another corner of the market that I warned about back in October, when I wrote about 10 parts of the market I’d avoid. For years I’ve been warning that buy now pay later (“BNPL”) industry was built on a pretty fragile foundation. The quality of the loans was always the obvious problem. The entire business model revolves around extending instant credit with minimal underwriting to consumers making small purchases. Companies whose primary innovation is allowing consumers to...

Ukraine Faces Growing Air Defense Crisis As Patriot Supplies Dwindle Via RFE/RL, Ukraine failed to intercept any of the 24 ballistic missiles and four Zircon cruise missiles Russia fired in the August 5 attack, underscoring the strain on its missile defenses. U.S. Patriot availability has become a significant constraint after extensive interceptor use during the Iran conflict. Kyiv is increasingly seeking European inventories, expanded production, and eventually licensed or joint Patriot manufacturing to secure its air defenses ahead of winter. Ukraine's failure to intercept a single Russian missile during a large-scale overnight attack this week...