CNBC Daily Open: Mideast diplomacy hopes are alive, SK Hynix is set for U.S. debut

Hello, this is Justina Lee writing to you from Singapore. Welcome to another edition of CNBC's Daily Open.

The latest developments from the NATO Summit are signaling strains in the Europe-U.S. relationship, with no new commitments from alliance members over assistance with the Middle East conflict.

Renewed U.S.-Iran tensions have raised energy concerns, with oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz slowing down.

Looking past geopolitical worries, the tech and financial sectors are taking significant strides. Trillion-dollar South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix is set to list in the U.S., while Goldman Sachs has won deals to manage a combined $70 billion in retirement assets for Verizon Communications and Lockheed Martin.

The NATO Summit became a one-man-show, with the meeting revolving largely around President Donald Trump — and his disappointment with the alliance members.

"I've never witnessed such dramatic reversals of fortune, affecting so many global players, compressed into just 48 hours," said CNBC's Steve Sedgwick. And while U.S.-Iran tensions escalated as the summit was ongoing, Trump left Turkey on Wednesday without any new commitments from NATO to assist with the conflict.

"I'm not happy with NATO, because of the fact that they didn't want to help us with the No. 1 state sponsor of terror, that's Iran," Trump said during an appearance with NATO chief Mark Rutte. "They were unwilling to help us."

Renewed tensions in the Middle East, meanwhile, have raised concerns over energy supplies, with Iran attacking commercial ships. Though signs that diplomatic efforts were ongoing helped calm oil markets after prices shot up in the aftermath of U.S. strikes on Iran.

Over in the tech space, investors stay glued to the trillion-dollar South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix's debut in U.S. markets. The company's stock has surged more than sevenfold over the past year, driven by the global memory crunch.

SK Hynix is not the only tech company in the spotlight. Competitor Micron's shares surged Thursday after it announced a new round of multi-billion investments aimed at boosting the U.S. semiconductor supply chain. The memory chipmaker, which hit a $1 trillion market cap for the first time in May, has seen shares skyrocket almost 250% in 2026.

Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs won deals with Verizon Communications and Lockheed Martin to manage a combined $70 billion in retirement assets. This is one of the larger recent announcements in the fast-growing market for outsourced corporate investing.

—Justina Lee

Inside NATO’s extraordinary 48 hours that revealed Trump’s grip on global diplomacy

For 48 hours in Ankara, Turkey, it felt as though the world was moving on Donald Trump's timetable.

Markets lurched. NATO allies braced for confrontation. Ukraine searched for reassurance. Iran threatened to upend the agenda. One moment, leaders were preparing for diplomatic crisis; the next, they were describing a "love-in" with the very president many had feared would leave the alliance more divided than ever.

To recount, every European NATO member — plus Canada — was effectively on trial coming into this gathering. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had again been aggressively criticizing NATO for its lack of support over Iran and for failing to spend anywhere near enough money on its own security.

—Steve Sedgwick