Asia-Pacific markets rise in Easter trade on hopes for Hormuz reopening

Asia-Pacific markets traded higher Friday, after Iran and Oman were reportedly drafting a protocol to “monitor transit” through the Strait of Hormuz, raising hopes that the crucial waterway could partially reopen. Tanker traffic through the key oil-shipping route “should be supervised and coordinated” with the two countries, said Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister of legal…

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Investors are rethinking US assets

A year ago, on April 2, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump appeared in the White House Rose Garden with an announcement that would become one of the defining policies of his second term. The president unveiled a vast list of country-specific tariffs in what he dubbed his “liberation day” trade policies — a move that…

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Trump prepares pharmaceutical tariffs of up to 100%

The Trump administration on Thursday imposed new tariffs on branded drugs from pharmaceutical companies that have not struck deals with the president to lower their U.S. drug prices – a long-awaited move that will likely only affect a small portion of drugmakers. “We need to make sure that our drug supply is protected, secure and…

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Starbucks to award bonuses to baristas, expand tipping

A Starbucks barista fulfills an order in a South Philadelphia store. Mark Makela | Reuters Starbucks will award baristas and shift supervisors quarterly bonuses of $300 if their stores hit certain targets to aid the coffee chain’s turnaround efforts, the company said Thursday. The program will begin in July, with the first payout coming in…

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