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Oil Prices Spike As Israel Strikes Iranian Nuclear Program

Oil Prices Spike As Israel Strikes Iranian Nuclear Program

Forbes13-06-2025

Global crude oil prices jumped sharply while US stock futures fell early on Friday after Israel conducted a round of military strikes against Iran's nuclear program and military leadership, marking a significant escalation of tensions in the Middle East region.
People look over damage to buildings in Nobonyad Square following Israeli airstrikes in Tehran, ... More Iran.
The global benchmark Brent Crude Futures index briefly touched $78 per barrel, up 13% from the previous day—the biggest single-day jump since the early days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to Bloomberg.
At the time of publishing, prices settled at $74.4 per barrel, which is more than 7% from the previous day.
The U.S.'s West Texas Intermediate benchmark also surged by more than 7% to nearly $73 a barrel.
US stock futures took a hit in early trading, with S&P 500 Futures slumping 1.2% to 5,977.50 points, while Dow Futures slid 1.15% to 42,816 points.
The tech-focused Nasdaq futures fell nearly 1.5% to 21,833 points.
This is a developing story.

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This millennial was rejected from 200 jobs—now he makes millions charging wealthy families six-figures to get their kids into the Ivy Leagues
This millennial was rejected from 200 jobs—now he makes millions charging wealthy families six-figures to get their kids into the Ivy Leagues

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This millennial was rejected from 200 jobs—now he makes millions charging wealthy families six-figures to get their kids into the Ivy Leagues

Like many Gen Zers today, after graduating from college, Christopher Rim was rejected from more than 200 job applications—including at top firms like Goldman Sachs and BCG. But, he says, 'that was the best thing that could have happened to me.' Now, he's making millions disrupting the $3 billion college consultancy industry. How much would you pay to help your child get accepted into Harvard, Stanford, or MIT? $10,000? What about $100,000, or even $750,000? Hundreds of families are paying six-figure price tags to a young millennial named Christopher Rim to get their kids into their top college choices. As the founder and CEO of college admissions consultancy group Command Education, Rim has become a wizard of sorts for how to crack the Ivy League code. Over the last five years, 94% of his clients have been accepted into their top three college choices. And while the $3 billion college consultancy industry may sound like another leg-up the rich have to get their children into schools, Rim says it's about helping students reach their dreams and unlock their potential. After all, on average, only about 5% of pupils who want to go to an Ivy League school actually get in. 'You have one chance. That's it,' the 30-year-old tells Fortune. 'You can't go back to college or apply to these selective universities again.' Unlocking potential is something that hits home in Rim's own story toward success, both in his own journey trying to attend an Ivy League school as well as trying to find his footing as a young graduate. As a public high school student in New Jersey, Rim was told he'd never be cut out for an Ivy League institution. While he admits himself that he wasn't the smartest kid in his class, he had a mission to attend Yale University, and decided to apply even when his guidance counselor pleaded with him to settle for Rutgers University, an in-state public school. Out of the nearly two dozen students from his school who applied to Yale, he was the only one who got in—despite having a lower GPA than the rest. As a student, he kept the ball rolling by charging high schoolers $50 to edit their admissions essays and advising them on how to strengthen their resumes and 'authentically stick out.' After his first two clients got into MIT and Stanford, he realized he might have a gift, and thus Command Education was born in 2015 in his New Haven, Conn., dorm room. However, Rim still wasn't sure it was the key to a post-grad career. Then came the time to apply for jobs. 'I applied to over 200 jobs senior year. All my friends were getting jobs at Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, BCG, major corporations. I got none. I got zero,' he says. 'And that was the best thing to have that happen to me.' Instead of letting the rejection defeat him—like what happens to millions of young adults each year—Rim used it as motivation to help others reach their dream college, too. 'Everyone has this potential, and I was able to instill that confidence and belief and motivate them through the process,' Rim says. 'I think that was a major reason as to why my students succeeded, which, of course, led me to succeed with the business.' So far, Command Education has guided over 1,500 students into top-tier schools, with acceptance rates that soar far above the national average—more than seven times higher at places like Harvard, Caltech, and the University of Chicago. And with parents investing close to $100,000 on average for his services, Rim isn't just shaping student futures, he's built a booming business in the process. 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At the same time, college is only getting more expensive. Tuition and fees at private universities have increased by about 41%, when adjusted for inflation, according to U.S. News and World Report. And while some colleges have made attempts at softening the burden for many lower-income students—like Harvard making tuition free for families making less than $200,000—attending a top college remains an uphill battle for many students. However, Rim says services like his aren't making the process less equitable, but rather helping young people find their true calling. 'I know I am not helping my student take a spot away from a middle-class student or a lower-income family student,' Rim adds. 'I'm helping other wealthy families and their kids compete against other wealthy families.' And despite some students feeling that their degree wasn't worth the cost, Rim says demand is higher than it's ever been before. But young people are expanding their interests outside of the traditional Ivy Leagues to other top-ranked schools like Duke University, Vanderbilt University, and the University of North Carolina. 'If you want to get a specific job at a bank, consulting firm, or become a doctor or lawyer, your school is going to matter a lot,' he tells Fortune. But at the end of the day, he says it's about finding students' passions and interests. 'I really will never tell a student, join the debate team, join band club, join newspaper club, because we think that's what colleges want. In fact, it's the total opposite,' Rim says. 'Do what you want.' This story was originally featured on

Bombing Iran's Nuclear Sites Complicates Hunt for What's Left
Bombing Iran's Nuclear Sites Complicates Hunt for What's Left

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Bombing Iran's Nuclear Sites Complicates Hunt for What's Left

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump's decision to order US forces to attack three key Iranian nuclear installations may have sabotaged the Islamic Republic's known atomic capabilities, but it's also created a monumental new challenge to work out what's left and where. Bezos Wedding Draws Protests, Soul-Searching Over Tourism in Venice One Architect's Quest to Save Mumbai's Heritage From Disappearing JFK AirTrain Cuts Fares 50% This Summer to Lure Riders Off Roads NYC Congestion Toll Cuts Manhattan Gridlock by 25%, RPA Reports Trump said heavily fortified sites were 'totally obliterated' late Saturday, but independent analysis has yet to verify that claim. Rather than yielding a quick win, the strikes have complicated the task of tracking uranium and ensuring Iran doesn't build a weapon, according to three people who follow the country's nuclear program. International Atomic Energy Agency monitors remain in Iran and were inspecting more than one site a day before Israel started the bombing campaign on June 13. They are still trying to assess the extent of damage, and while military action might be able to destroy Iran's declared facilities, it also provides an incentive for Iran to take its program underground. Indeed, there's just a slim possibility that the US entering the war will convince Iran to increase IAEA cooperation, said Darya Dolzikova, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank. 'The more likely scenario is that they convince Iran that cooperation and transparency don't work and that building deeper facilities and ones not declared openly is more sensible to avoid similar targeting in future,' she said. IAEA inspectors haven't been able to verify the location of the Persian Gulf country's stockpile of near-bomb-grade uranium for more than a week. Iranian officials acknowledged breaking IAEA seals and moving it to an undisclosed location. The IAEA called on a cessation of hostilities in order to address the situation. Its 35-nation board will convene on Monday in Vienna, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said. Trump dispatched B-2 stealth jets laden with Massive Ordnance Penetrators, known as GBU-57 bombs, to attempt to destroy Iran's underground uranium-enrichment sites in Natanz and Fordow. Satellite images taken on Sunday of Fordow and distributed by Maxar Technologies show new craters, possible collapsed tunnel entrances and holes on top of a mountain ridge. No evidence of damage to the underground enrichment halls can be seen, and IAEA inspectors reported there were no radiation releases from the site. US Air Force General Dan Caine told a news conference on Sunday that an assessment of 'final battle damage will take some time.' Before the US intervention, images showed Israeli forces alone had met with limited success four days after the bombing began. Damage to the central facility in Natanz, located 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of Tehran, was primarily limited to electricity switch yards and transformers. The US also joined in attacking the Isfahan Nuclear Technology and Research Center, located 450 kilometers south of Tehran. That was after the IAEA re-assessed the level of damage Israel had dealt to facility. Based on satellite images and communications with Iranian counterparts Isfahan appeared 'extensively damaged,' the agency wrote late on Saturday. The IAEA's central mission is to account for gram-levels of uranium around the world and to ensure it isn't used for nuclear weapons. The latest bombing now complicates tracking Iranian uranium even further, said Tariq Rauf, the former head of the IAEA's nuclear-verification policy. 'It will now be very difficult for the IAEA to establish a material balance for the nearly 9,000 kilograms of enriched uranium, especially the nearly 410 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium,' he said. Last week, inspectors had already acknowledged they'd lost track of the location of Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpile because Israel's ongoing military assaults are preventing its inspectors from doing their work. That uranium inventory — enough to make 10 nuclear warheads at a clandestine location — was seen at Isfahan by IAEA inspectors. But the material, which could fit in as few as 16 small containers, may have already been spirited off site. 'Questions remain as to where Iran may be storing its already enriched stocks,' Dozikova said. 'These will have almost certainly been moved to hardened and undisclosed locations, out of the way of potential Israeli or US strikes.' 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If You Can Only Buy 1 Cathie Wood Stock in 2025, It Should Be This
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If You Can Only Buy 1 Cathie Wood Stock in 2025, It Should Be This

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