North Korea

Gold Surges 2.6% After Jackson Hole and N. Korean Missile

“Financial markets think the only realistic option for the U.S. and North Korea will be to sit down and talk at some point because other options are too costly for everyone involved. But no one can rule out the risk of accidents. Markets think the chicken game will continue for now and North Korea will remain a risk.”

      - Masayoshi Kichikawa, chief strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui.

Ahead of tonight's missile launch across Japan, North Korea warned that The UK “faces a miserable end” should it decide to join the joint military exercises being conducted by the US and South Korea that began last week, according to local media reports cited by Russia Today.

The annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills, which have been conducted every year since the Korean War ended in an uneasy ceasefire, involve nearly 20,000 troops and have long provoked the ire of North Korea’s leaders.

Just hours after North Korea fired a ballistic missile across Japan, South Korea has released footage of its testing of a new ballistic missile, in a show of "overwhelming force."

While The White House has yet to respond to North Korea's provocation, South Korea's Blue House has stated that:

"We are considering the development of strategic assets in the US and we will consult with the United States."

While we await Donald Trump's response to the second consecutive North Korean provocation in four days, both on twitter and elsewhere, South Korean President Moon Jae-in has already ordered his troops to demonstrate their capability for "strong retaliation" and put on a show of "overwhelming force", after his office convened a National Security Council session.