GoKawiilThis is CNBC's Morning Squawk newsletter. Subscribe here to receive future editions in your inbox. Happy Wednesday. I saw "Maybe Happy Ending" on Broadway last night. The musical about robots got me wondering whether humanoid robots will be able to sing. Stock futures are flat this morning after a positive day for all three major indexes. Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day:
1. Sense of scale
Jensen Huang, chief executive officer of Nvidia Corp., departs after speaking at the Nvidia GTC conference in San Jose, California, US, on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
2. Tit for tat
Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Internal Trade of Canada speaking on CNBC's Squawk Box on Aug. 25th, 2026. CNBC
Canada officially announced its promised retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. yesterday, saying it would match the Trump administration's 50% duties "dollar for dollar." As CNBC's Kevin Breuninger reports, the new batch of tariffs set to take effect Sept. 8 cover more than 700 U.S. goods and amount to around $20 billion. Canada notably slapped a 50% tariff on American steel and aluminum, doubling the current rate. President Donald Trump had signaled that the U.S. and its northern neighbor were closing in on a trade deal last week, but talks fell apart as both sides accused the other of making last-minute changes. Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said yesterday that the U.S. "asked too much and offered too little."
3. Clear the way
Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, Aug. 24, 2026. Stringer | Reuters
Iran and Oman discussed a proposal to create a temporary, joint shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday as tanker traffic remains sharply below prewar levels. Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi, Oman's foreign minister, said he was hopeful a route and "practical arrangements to restore safe navigation" could be announced soon. The two countries also considered a mission to clear mines from the passageway, contradicting Trump, who said in a Truth Social post earlier Tuesday morning that "all mines have been removed and/or detonated" from the strait. Crude prices are lower this morning after falling more than 3% in yesterday's session.
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