Squawk Box Europe Express

The White House maintains pressure on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to cut interest rates but markets appear sanguine. The S&P 500 closes at a fresh record high while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tells our colleagues Stateside that he intends to investigate the Fed’s decision-making. Brussels is reportedly preparing a range of ‘nuclear options’ should the EU fail to agree a trade deal with Washington ahead of President Trump’s August 1st deadline. Anglo-Swedish drug firm AstraZeneca says it will invest around $50bn for manufacturing and R&D in the US over the next five years as it braces for potential pharma tariffs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.