The Open Bell — Ep. 028 — 30 Jul 2026

Today on The Open Bell: The Fed held rates steady again, but three of its own members wanted a hike, the bond market threw a fit, and long-term borrowing costs are now at levels most people haven't seen since the mid-2000s — so "on hold" is doing a lot of work as a phrase right now. Iran fired ballistic missiles at US troops in Jordan, every one of them was intercepted, and oil still surged nearly 8% in a single session, because markets aren't pricing what happened, they're pricing what comes next. South Korea's stock market hit its emergency stop for the second day in a row, something that has never happened in its history, and the reason buried under all the numbers is a growing fear that the AI spending boom won't actually pay off the way everyone assumed. If today's episode helped you get your head around a genuinely strange news day, a five-star rating takes about ten seconds and helps other listeners 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 00:15 Divided Fed holds rates at 3.5–3.75%, sparking bond market r 03:00 Brent crude surges 7.90% to $90.74 as Iran targets US forces 04:58 South Korea's KOSPI triggers circuit breaker for second stra 06:53 Closing thoughtsSupport the show