Halfway there

Markets reach the halfway point of 2026 with a packed and shortened week, with the June payrolls report moved to Thursday ahead of the July 4 holiday. Chip stocks are sitting on their best quarter on record, but profit-taking, a possible OpenAI IPO delay, and a fresh warning from the Bank for International Settlements about the durability of the AI boom are giving investors pause. Oil markets shrug off a weekend U.S.-Iran exchange after both sides agree to resume talks, and Andy Burnham prepares to make his first major economic address as the UK's widely presumed prime minister-in-waiting.

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