Geopolitical flashpoints and supply chain vulnerabilities dominated international developments, highlighted by reports that a small-scale British power plant was taken offline for four days in July by an Iran-linked cyberattack amid broader infrastructure threats. While Iran faced mounting pressure—with commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz surging nearly 400% to nearly 200 ships last week via a US-backed Oman coastal route as President Trump declared the chokepoint an American territory—geopolitical alignment frayed further as Georgia officially refused to adopt the EU's latest sanctions against Iran, citing national interests. In technology supply chains, Beijing's export restrictions on germanium- and quartz-based materials created painful bottlenecks for Taiwan's semiconductor, aerospace, and optical companies, driving interest in alternative solutions like LightPath Technologies' BlackDiamond glass. On the corporate front, Bank of America maintained a Buy rating and $380 price target for Apple, projecting bolder R&D and product shifts under incoming CEO John Ternus as Tim Cook steps down following a record June quarter with $109.4 billion in sales. Simultaneously, regulatory shifts have opened the door for megadeals, leaving institutions like Wells Fargo and Citigroup room to acquire regional banking targets, while United Airlines evaluates premium lie-flat seating configurations for its delayed Boeing 737 Max 10 fleet.