Public Markets 3h Briefing

Last updated: August 10, 2026, 2:39 PM ET

Municipal Bonds

A Los Angeles performing arts school is borrowing $117 million in the municipal bond market, the largest private school deal in two years. The transaction underscores renewed appetite for niche education credits as yields stabilize.

Energy & Commodities

Oil futures wsj.com were pressured by a US naval blockade that has left Iran’s oil terminals bloomberg.com largely idle this month. A Glencore-backed consortium is seeking to rescue North America’s only cobalt refiner, Sherritt International ft.com. Meanwhile, a new study finds that AI ft.com will boost oil and gas production more than green energy, stoking debate on technology’s emissions impact. Braskem bloomberg.com bondholders are pressing Petrobras for fresh capital before a bankruptcy deadline.

Technology & AI

Wall Street giants including Apollo, Blackstone and Goldman Sachs are partnering with Nvidia ft.com to raise capital for a $500bn data center boom. Meanwhile, FanDuel and DraftKings ft.com are pivoting into prediction markets as sportsbook operators hedge their bets. President Trump has dismissed concerns over AI and data centers nytimes.com despite growing voter anxiety and national blowback.

Markets & Hedging

Demand for downside protection has collapsed: investors bloomberg.com are abandoning hedges to chase record stock rallies, a level not seen since Trump’s tariff capitulation last year.

Sovereign Debt & Policy

A Bloomberg piece examines financial repression bloomberg.com as an underappreciated tool for reducing government debt. At home, RFK Jr.’s new food guidelines wsj.com will require companies to notify regulators of new ingredients, though tougher enforcement awaits congressional action.

Politics & Corporate Affairs

President Trump conceded there was “some contractor error” nytimes.com in White House reflecting pool renovations, after weeks blaming vandals. Traffic to Truth Social nytimes.com fell sharply in June and July, according to web tracking data. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton nytimes.com makes a six-figure income from a cell tower lease at a hospital where he served as a board member. In India, police used tear gas to disperse youth protesters alleging irregularities in government job exams. Netanyahu nytimes.com is walking a tightrope on Trump’s Gaza disarmament deal ahead of a tough election.

Weather

Muggy heat and storms nytimes.com continue to grip the eastern US, though an end is in sight later this week.