The Open Bell — Ep. 023 — 23 Jul 2026

Today on The Open Bell: Iran nuclear talks have collapsed, the U.S. is on its eleventh straight night of strikes on Iranian military facilities, and for the first time since this conflict started, two of the world's biggest oil shipping routes are under threat simultaneously, with Brent crude already above $95 and Goldman Sachs calling $120 the base case if neither lane reopens. Alphabet just beat Wall Street's revenue expectations by nearly three billion dollars, announced it's spending $205 billion this year building AI infrastructure, and the stock still fell, which tells you something about how high the bar has become for the companies running this race. The European Central Bank held interest rates steady today at 2.25%, which sounds like nothing happened, but with oil prices surging and inflation forecasts already revised upward, the September meeting is quietly setting up to be one of the most consequential calls the ECB has faced in years. If today's episode helped you get your head around what's actually going on, a five-star rating takes about ten seconds and helps the next person find the show. Hosted by Alex Monroe. New episodes every weekday morning at theopenbell.co Not investment advice. For informational purposes only. --- Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:17 Brent Crude Surges Past $95 as Iran Talks Collapse, Two Sea 03:02 Alphabet Q2 Revenue Hits $119.8bn, But $205bn Capex Plan Rat 05:13 ECB Holds Rates at 2.25%, Signals Caution as Oil Inflation R 06:54 Closing thoughtsSupport the show