Kazuhiro Nogi | AFP | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets opened lower Friday, as cautious optimism over the Middle East conflict tempered sentiment, diverging from Wall Street’s record-setting rally. U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said that the war in Iran “should be ending pretty soon,” reiterating rosy predictions about the end of the conflict. Hours earlier,…
A view shows oil pump jacks outside Almetyevsk in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia June 4, 2023. Alexander Manzyuk | Reuters Oil prices fell after U.S. President Donald Trump said that the war in Iran “should be ending pretty soon,” while a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon raised hopes of easing supply disruptions. U.S. crude…
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine speaks during a briefing on the Iran war, with a map in the background showing a blockade line on the Strait of Hormuz, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 16, 2026. Nathan Howard | Reuters Oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz…
Dieter SPannknebel | Getty Images The U.S. dollar suffered in 2025 as investors embraced the “Sell America” trade, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates, and the greenback was dealt a policy and fiscal credibility shock. The war in Iran has helped shore-up the dollar so far in 2026, but the future of the global reserve…
People walk outside a shopping mall during a week-long National Day holiday in Beijing on October 7, 2025. Greg Baker | Afp | Getty Images China’s economy gathered steam in the first quarter, as robust exports growth offset tepid domestic demand, though the Iran war-fueled energy shock clouds growth outlook, threatening global demand. Gross domestic…
Electronic screens display gongs at the Exchange Square Complex, which houses the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, in Hong Kong, China, on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. Paul Yeung | Bloomberg | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets open broadly higher Thursday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street as hopes of a U.S.-Iran deal grew. Stocks have rallied this…
Hello, this is Priyanka Salve, writing to you from Singapore. Welcome to the latest edition of “Inside India“ — your one-stop destination for stories and developments from the world’s fastest growing large economy. Amazon and Walmart’s Flipkart dominate India’s e‑commerce market. This week, I unpack why the U.S. giants are keen to expand in the…
Countries affected by the Iran war should prepare for conflict-related disruptions to last for months, even if the current shaky ceasefire lasts and the Strait of Hormuz is reopened, World Bank President Ajay Banga said Wednesday. “It’ll still take a few months for things to come back to where they were” once the key oil-shipping…
The Iran war is “very close to over” with authorities in Tehran eager to agree a peace deal, U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview broadcast Wednesday. “We’ve beaten them militarily, totally,” Trump told Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria” in a prerecorded interview. “I think it’s close to over, I view it as…
Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch visits the Well-Safe Protector Oil Rig at Aberdeen’s South Harbour, on March 30, 2026 in Aberdeen, Scotland. Paul Reid | Getty Images News | Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump has renewed his criticism of Britain’s energy policy, deriding the ruling center-left Labour government’s decision to ban licenses for new…
