As PM Modi Calls for Conserving FX, What Steps Can India Take?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Indians to conserve foreign exchange as soaring oil prices push the rupee to record lows and drain reserves. The Reserve Bank of India has been selling dollars, cracking down on arbitrage and scouting ways to attract more dollar inflows. Analysts cite a menu of options: reviving diaspora‑deposit schemes, easing capital‑account rules, raising gold import duties, creating oil‑demand swap windows, tightening remittance caps, and, as a last resort, hiking rates. The call signals a possible shift in India’s FX‑management stance.
As Trump Heads to Beijing, China Is ‘Locked and Loaded’ for a Fight
President Trump and Xi Jinping are meeting in Beijing amid escalating economic tensions between the United States and China. Beijing has recently deployed a new legal framework to counter U.S. sanctions, blocked Meta’s purchase of a Chinese AI startup, and...
Indian Rupee Erases Recent Gains as US and Iran Fail to Reach an Agreement. What's Next?
The United States and Iran failed to reach a nuclear‑related agreement, prompting the dollar to regain modest strength. The Indian rupee erased most of its recent gains as oil‑price sensitivity and geopolitical tension weighed on the currency. Technical analysis shows...
Iran War Day 73: Trump and Tehran Clash over Latest Peace Proposals
U.S. President Donald Trump rejected Iran's latest peace proposal, calling it totally unacceptable, as the 73‑day U.S.-Israel war on Iran drags on. Tehran’s offer called for ending the naval blockade, lifting sanctions and preserving its nuclear and foreign‑policy autonomy, which...
Why Nairobi Africa-France Summit Bears the Hallmarks of Macron and Ruto Priorities
The 2026 Africa‑France summit in Nairobi marks the first time the gathering is hosted by a non‑former French colony, underscoring President Emmanuel Macron’s revamped Africa doctrine. The event highlights France’s pivot toward apologies for colonial harms, a neoliberal small‑business agenda,...
China-Founded MiroMind Halts Mainland AI Services
MiroMind, the AI startup founded by Chinese gaming mogul Chen Tianqiao, announced it will suspend its MiroThinker services in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau effective May 12. The halt follows a restructuring that separates its Singapore‑based research arm from regional...
Africa: All of Africa Today - May 11, 2026
Kenya and France sealed 11 bilateral agreements covering transport, energy, digital technology and more, notably a $83 million upgrade of Nairobi’s commuter rail and a $693 million logistics‑port joint venture. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, opposition leaders denounced President Félix Tshisekedi’s...
Heads Up: Trump-Xi Summit Due for Later This Week
U.S. President Donald Trump will travel to Beijing from May 13‑15, marking the first visit by a U.S. president since 2017. The trip, framed as a symbolically significant diplomatic overture, follows a year of tariff escalations and a postponed schedule due...
India, Peru to Hold Talks on Free Trade Pact in June
India and Peru are set to resume negotiations on a bilateral free‑trade agreement in June, with a target to seal the pact by the end of 2026. The talks will include a dedicated chapter on critical minerals, reflecting Peru’s status...
India’s Growth to Slow to 6.7% on Waning Momentum, Oil Price Shock: BMI
India’s fiscal‑year 2026‑27 GDP growth is now projected at 6.7%, a full percentage point below the 7.7% pace recorded in 2025‑26. The downgrade stems from waning domestic momentum and an oil‑price shock linked to the Iran‑U.S. conflict, with Brent crude...
Emerging Currencies Weaken as Iran Conflict Dims Risk Appetite
Emerging‑market currencies slipped against the U.S. dollar on Monday as oil prices surged past $105 a barrel and the Iran‑Israel conflict intensified. The MSCI Emerging‑Market Currency index declined 0.1%, with oil‑importing economies such as India, Chile, South Korea and Thailand...
Italy’s Edison Expects Two-Thirds of LNG Supply From Qatar to Be Delivered Shortly After Any Peace Deal
Edison, QatarEnergy’s biggest Italian customer, said it will receive roughly two‑thirds of its contracted LNG volumes within 30‑45 days after any peace agreement between the United States, Israel and Iran. The company has already seen 12 cargoes cancelled, though eight...
China Expanding Its Industrial Dominance, Warns US Business Group
A leading U.S. business coalition warned that China is rapidly expanding its industrial dominance through aggressive subsidies, state‑backed investment, and technology transfer policies. The group highlighted that China’s manufacturing output rose 6% year‑on‑year in 2023, while its high‑tech sector received...
The Winners and Losers of the Iran Energy Shock
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz in March choked roughly 20% of global oil and LNG flows, triggering national energy emergencies and sharp price spikes. Countries heavily dependent on imported fuels, from the Philippines to Zambia, scrambled for emergency...
China Fixes Currency at 3-Year High Ahead of Trump-Xi Meeting
China’s central bank intervened to hold the yuan at roughly 6.2 per dollar, a three‑year peak, just days before President Donald Trump’s summit with President Xi Jinping. State‑owned banks sold dollars and bought yuan to halt a recent slide that...
China Reflation Momentum Strengthens in April, Likely Keeping the PBOC on Hold
China’s April inflation data showed a rebound, with CPI rising to 1.2% YoY and PPI climbing to a 45‑month high of 2.8% YoY. Energy costs surged, pushing producer‑price inflation up 17.4% YoY, while food prices, especially pork, remained deflationary. Export...
Why Indian Companies Don’t Want to Invest in India
India’s private sector is hoarding cash and avoiding domestic capital spending despite strong profit growth. Over the past decade, corporate capex fell from over 40% of GDP to about a third, prompting the government to intervene with tax cuts and...
Fiscal Policy Response to Iran War Risks Worsening Inflation: BIS Chief
Bank for International Settlements (BIS) General Manager Pablo Hernandez de Cos warned that the Iran war could push global inflation higher while dampening growth. He cautioned that an overly expansive fiscal response by governments could amplify price pressures. Central banks,...
Government Targets £99bn in Australian Investment in Major Projects
The UK government aims to attract roughly $126 billion of Australian pension capital into British projects by 2035, more than doubling the current $52 billion held by Australian funds. Investment minister Lord Stockwood is touring Australia, Malaysia and Singapore to promote the...
China’s Real Estate Reckoning: Lessons From Japan’s Lost Decade
China’s six‑year real‑estate slump mirrors Japan’s 1990s bubble burst, with city‑level overbuilding driving falling prices and weak consumer confidence. Housing now represents roughly 70% of Chinese household wealth, so price drops trigger sizable consumption cuts. Research comparing 300 Chinese cities...
Taiwan’s Cheng Li-Wun on Cross-Strait Peace, Meeting Xi Jinping and Managing Ties with US
KMT chair Cheng Li‑wun met Xi Jinping in Beijing, reaffirming the 1992 consensus and stressing a “century of peace” that can survive Taiwan’s political swings. She warned that the DPP’s push for de‑Sinicisation heightens the risk of conflict and argued the KMT...
ASEAN’s Proposed Resilience Measures Must Go Into ‘Full Gear’, but Domestic Priorities a Stumbling Block
At the 48th ASEAN Summit, leaders agreed to accelerate regional resilience measures amid Middle‑East supply shocks, including a proposed fuel stockpile and a standby food‑security arrangement. The ASEAN Petroleum Security Agreement (APSA) was highlighted as a framework for collective oil...
Iran Responds to U.S. Peace Proposal as Strait of Hormuz Tensions Persist
Iran has formally replied to the latest U.S. peace proposal aimed at ending the ten‑week conflict that has choked the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. plan offers to lift the blockade on Iranian ports if Tehran permits unrestricted shipping, but...
The World’s Next Gold Rush: How Explorers Can Play a Role in the New Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is accelerating its mining sector under Vision 2030, treating minerals as a third pillar of growth to reduce oil dependence. The Kingdom’s mineral endowment is now valued at roughly $2.5 trillion, with mining licences surging 220% in 2025 and $11.7 bn...
Bloomberg This Weekend: Iran Responds to US Proposal (Podcast)
Iran’s state news agency confirmed it has replied to the latest U.S. proposal aimed at ending a ten‑week war, though details remain undisclosed. Acceptance could halt hostilities that have driven regional instability and pushed global energy prices higher, while negotiations...
No PANs Issued to FPIs for a Month, Onboarding Hit
Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) in India have been unable to receive Permanent Account Numbers (PAN) for nearly a month after the Income Tax Department altered the PAN application process within the Common Application Form (CAF). At least 20 newly registered...
Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote Targets New Refinery in Kenya
Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote is evaluating a 650,000‑barrel‑a‑day oil refinery in Kenya, with Mombasa emerging as his preferred location. He estimates the project will cost between $15 bn and $17 bn. The move follows Kenya’s President William Ruto’s call for a regional refinery, previously...
India’s Policy Push to Boost Aerospace Manufacturing: Thales
Thales says India’s new production‑linked incentive (PLI) scheme, higher defence budget and customs‑duty exemptions will accelerate aerospace component manufacturing. The Union Budget 2026‑27 earmarks roughly ₹7.85 lakh crore (about $95 billion), a 15% rise, while the UDAN programme allocates ₹28,840 crore ($3.5 billion) to develop...
Europe's Trade War with China (Episode 214)
The European Union has intensified its trade dispute with China, launching anti‑dumping investigations and provisional tariffs on sectors such as solar panels, steel and rare‑earth magnets. Duties can reach up to 25 percent, aiming to counter perceived Chinese subsidies that distort...
The Consensus on China’s Economy Is Strong, and Wrong
The article challenges the prevailing view that China’s development model suppresses domestic consumers. While China’s consumption share of GDP hovers around 40%, the author argues this metric is misleading and highlights per‑capita household consumption, which has risen 7.6% annually from...
‘Europe Is Coming to Africa’. But Macron’s Nairobi Summit Could Be Little More than a PR Exercise
French President Emmanuel Macron and Kenyan President William Ruto convened the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi on May 11‑12, positioning it as a platform for "Europe coming to Africa on an equal basis." The agenda includes French investment deals, notably...
Honduras Reviews China Deals and Taiwan Relations
New Honduran President Nasry Asfura announced a review of the previous administration’s agreements with China, including Huawei telecommunications equipment, as part of a broader effort to pivot toward the United States and potentially recognize Taiwan. The review coincides with talks...
Stock Trader’s Guide to Navigating High Stakes Trump-Xi Talks
Investors are eyeing the upcoming Trump‑Xi summit for signs that geopolitical tension may ease, which could lift the lingering overhang on Chinese equities. While analysts doubt a concrete trade deal will emerge, the mere dialogue is expected to calm market...
How to Get the Green and the Deal: Recalibrating EU Industrial Policy
European policymakers are overhauling the EU’s industrial strategy to confront aggressive state‑driven competition from China, protectionist U.S. tariffs, and a stalled multilateral trading system. The recalibrated approach seeks to fuse climate goals, economic competitiveness, and security into a single, mutually...
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How Capital Controls Safeguard Economies: Types & Effects
Capital controls are policy tools that limit foreign capital flows to curb currency volatility and protect domestic markets. They are widely used in developing economies and during crises, as illustrated by Greece’s 2015 restrictions that halted bank runs. The IMF...
Traders Looking for Next Leg in Global Stocks Rally Bet on Asia
Investors are shifting focus from the Iran conflict to Asian equities as the next driver of market gains. South Korea's Kospi index has surged 78% year‑to‑date, the highest rise among global markets, while Taiwan’s bourse posted similarly strong performance. The...
NATO and Japan Weigh Shared Use of Satellite Launch Sites
NATO is exploring shared use of satellite launch sites with Japan under its Starlift initiative, which seeks rapid replacement of disabled satellites. The proposal would give NATO access to Japanese launch facilities such as the H‑IIA complex. Japanese officials view...
Iran War Threatens Gulf Investment Boom in Central Asia
The 2026 "Ramadan War" between the United States, Israel and Iran has forced Gulf sovereign‑wealth funds to pause a $16 billion investment surge in Central Asia. Disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about 20% of global oil and LNG,...
Fuutura Responds to IMF Stablecoin Concerns with Compliance-First Infrastructure for Emerging Markets
The IMF’s April 2026 Global Financial Stability Report warned that cross‑border stablecoin flows to emerging economies surged from roughly $12 billion in early 2020 to $316 billion by early 2025, outpacing Bitcoin and Ethereum. It cautioned that unchecked growth could spur currency...
US Escalates Trade Row with China over Iran War Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
The U.S. State Department sanctioned three Chinese companies—Meentropy Technology, Earth Eye and Chang Guang Satellite Technology—for providing satellite imagery that aids Iran’s military strikes against U.S. forces. The move comes days before President Donald Trump’s high‑stakes summit with Chinese President...
Power Shortages Threaten Kazakhstan’s $1.9 Billion Data Center Push
Kazakhstan has signed a memorandum to build a Tier IV data center worth up to $1.5 billion, paired with a $400 million, 250 MW gas‑fired power plant. The initiative is a cornerstone of President Kassym‑Jomart Tokayev’s plan to position the country as a regional...
East Africa Capital Markets Dodge Bullet From Gulf War
East Africa’s capital markets have largely avoided the capital‑flight shock from the Gulf war, with foreign investor participation on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) slipping only modestly. In Q1 2024, foreign holdings fell 4.73 percentage points to 32.27%, and investors...
Trump Heads to China Weakened as Xi Gains Leverage Ahead of Summit
President Donald Trump arrives in China for a landmark summit while his diplomatic leverage is eroding. Ongoing war in Iran has rattled global energy supplies, and recent legal defeats on U.S. tariffs against Chinese imports have strained trade negotiations. Domestic...
Putin Leads Scaled-Down Victory Day Celebration as Temporary Ceasefire Holds
Russian President Vladimir Putin presided over a scaled‑back Victory Day parade in Moscow, omitting tanks and ballistic missiles for the first time in years. The event took place under heightened security as a three‑day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine appeared...
Resilience and Divergence in the Face of the Latest Oil Shock
The Iran‑Middle East conflict that erupted in February 2026 triggered a sharp oil price surge, creating a combined price‑and‑supply shock. Emerging‑market (EM) economies are being evaluated for resilience, with exporters poised to benefit while import‑dependent nations face heightened cost pressures....
Iran War Fallout: The Real Market Risks Aren’t Just Oil
The Iran‑related conflict has damaged key energy infrastructure, most notably Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG complex, which now removes roughly 3‑4% of global LNG capacity for up to five years. Analysts estimate 40‑80 facilities across the oil‑gas‑petrochemical chain are affected, with five...
Ignore Market Noise, India’s Long-Term Story Intact, Say D-Street Bulls Ramesh Damani and Sunil Singhania
D‑Street veterans Ramesh Damani and Sunil Singhania told investors at the Groww India Investor Festival to ignore short‑term market turbulence and focus on India’s long‑term wealth‑creation story. They highlighted that foreign institutional investors have off‑loaded roughly $24.8 billion of equities in...
Trump Says He ‘Might’ Move US Troops to Poland From Germany
President Donald Trump indicated he could relocate U.S. forces from Germany to Poland as the Pentagon plans to withdraw roughly 5,000 troops from German bases over the next year. The move aligns with Poland’s request to bolster NATO’s eastern flank,...
ADB Launches $70bn Push to Connect Asia's Power Grids and Digital Networks
The Asian Development Bank announced a $70 billion initiative to modernize Asia’s energy and digital infrastructure by 2035. The program will fund cross‑border power‑grid interconnections and create an “APAC Digital Highway” that expands broadband access across the region. By linking electricity...
FIIs Sell over Rs 2 Lakh Crore Worth of Indian Equities in 2026. What Lies Ahead?
Foreign institutional investors have sold more than Rs 2 lakh crore (about $24 billion) of Indian equities in 2026, marking a third consecutive month of net outflows. The latest daily data showed FIIs dumped Rs 4,110.60 crore ($49 million) on Friday while domestic institutions bought Rs 6,748.13 crore, yet...