<p><span style="font-size:inherit;"><span data-teams="true"><strong>GLOBAL: US President Donald Trump signaled on Monday that a new diplomatic agreement with Iran is within reach</strong>, following Tehran’s offer to conditionally reopen the Strait of Hormuz.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:inherit;"><span data-teams="true"><strong>Market impact: Oil dropped the most since July and 10-year Treasury yields eased on prospects of a US-Iran agreement</strong>, while equities fell as technology stocks entered a correction.&nbsp;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:inherit;"><span data-teams="true">Though a formal agreement remains uncertain, <strong>openness to dialogue marks a key de-escalation of the conflict</strong>.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:inherit;"><span data-teams="true"><strong>LOCAL: According to a BusinessWorld poll, inflation could rise to a fresh high of 7.6% year-on-year in October</strong>, driven by rising fuel costs, volatile food prices, and a persistently weak peso.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:inherit;"><span data-teams="true"><strong>Market impact: The PSEi fell amid rising global oil prices, while the peso rose for a third straight day</strong> on government intervention signals.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:inherit;"><span data-teams="true"><strong>Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Eli Remolona Jr. has left the door open for further monetary policy tightening</strong> to anchor inflation expectations.</span></span></p>