As of June 30, Beijing's 'Specialized, Refined, Distinctive and Innovative' board counted 1,519 firms, surpassing the plan's phase target of 1,500. Cumulative equity financing for these board companies has exceeded 70 billion yuan, with Beijing leading the country in enterprise financing scale and policy support. The cohort comprises 418 innovation-oriented SMEs, 727 specialized-and-new SMEs and 218 'Little Giant' firms. Roughly 90% of firms are clustered in frontier sectors: new-generation IT,

White House spokesperson says there is a strong chance the US will reach an agreement with Iran.

InTouch Capital Markets senior FX analyst Sean Callow said the recent yen depreciation has been notable for being unusually smooth and orderly. The dollar's rise against the yen has been moderate, without the violent swings that typically justify Japanese intervention. Callow said weaker oil prices should have offered some support to the yen, but interest-rate dynamics are dominating: strong US data have reinforced expectations for Fed hikes this year. Although the Bank of Japan acted in June, a roughly 1% yield is not attractive for a currency trading near a 40-year low versus the dollar.