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Every morning
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UK fintech funding plunges 21% as rates hit 5.25%
Fintech investment in the UK fell 21% in 2025, driven by the Bank of England’s base rate climbing to 5.25%. Higher rates made government bonds more attractive, pulling capital from venture funds and limiting contributions from pension schemes, while softer consumer spending and loan demand pressured fintech valuations.
French President Emmanuel Macron told Iran’s President Massoud Pezeshkian and U.S. President Donald Trump that any cease‑fire must include Lebanon to be credible. The United States and Iran have agreed to a two‑week pause in their broader conflict, but Israel says Lebanon is excluded, even as its strikes killed more than 250 people in Beirut. Macron also urged respect for Lebanon’s territorial integrity and backed the Lebanese government’s push for Hezbollah disarmament.
Iran maintained roughly 1.9 million barrels‑per‑day of crude exports in March, even as rival Gulf shipments were curtailed. By restricting Hormuz traffic to vessels linked to Tehran, the country turned the strait into a de‑facto gatekeeper, limiting eastbound supply. This scarcity...
India’s farm sector is hit by a double shock: pre‑harvest input costs and labour shortages are rising, while post‑harvest shipments of perishables are stalled due to the West Asia conflict. Crude oil prices have jumped to $120 a barrel, inflating...
The Russian Navy escorted two OFAC‑, EU‑, and UK‑sanctioned shadow‑fleet tankers, Enigma and Universal, through the English Channel under the protection of the frigate Admiral Grigorovich. A UK legal review confirmed that existing legislation would allow authorities to interdict such...
South Korean markets rallied sharply after a two‑week Iran ceasefire eased geopolitical tensions and lifted oil prices. The Kospi jumped 6.9%, with chip giants Samsung Electronics up 7.1% and SK Hynix soaring 13%. The won strengthened 2.1% against the dollar...
Gold steadied near $4,715 an ounce after a 1.5% rise over two sessions as traders weighed the prospect of diplomatic talks between the United States and Iran. The White House announced direct talks with Tehran, while Iran condemned Israeli strikes...
US President Donald Trump announced a two‑week cease‑fire with Iran, contingent on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The truce sent Brent crude down 15% to $92.97, its steepest fall in six years, and pulled WTI lower as well. Japan reported...
📊 April 8 Market Review: The Dow just surged 1,300 points — its best day since April 2025. A fragile US-Iran ceasefire crashed oil 15% and sent stocks flying. But Iran already accused the US of violating the deal. This...
President Donald Trump announced a temporary U.S.-Iran cease‑fire just hours before his self‑imposed deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Within 24 hours, Tehran accused Washington of breaching the pact and declared the strait closed, while the White...
Oil prices rebounded on April 8 after the steepest one‑day decline since April 2020, with West Texas Intermediate climbing back to around $97 a barrel. The rally came as the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments,...
One year after sweeping tariffs were introduced, the impact has only gotten worse. I met with small business owners, manufacturers, and industry leaders to hear directly how rising costs and uncertainty are increasing prices and affecting their ability to grow...
The United States announced a 14‑day ceasefire with Iran, prompting Trump to threaten 50% tariffs on any country that supplies Tehran with weapons. The ceasefire sent oil prices tumbling more than 16%, easing inflation pressures. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland...
The February‑March closure of the Strait of Hormuz eliminated roughly 11 million barrels per day of crude and fuel exports from the Middle East, forcing Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain to slash output dramatically. By contrast, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman...
The EU‑Mercosur trade agreement, worth potentially trillions of dollars, will be provisionally implemented in May 2026 after Paraguay’s ratification. It removes tariffs on about 95% of Brazilian exports, promising a major boost to EU‑Latin America commerce. Environmental NGOs warn the tariff...
The article warns that the third Gulf war, sparked by Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, has trapped roughly 15% of global oil output and 20% of LNG supplies, sending energy markets into turmoil. A two‑week cease‑fire announced by...
President Donald Trump has signaled that the United States is weighing a withdrawal from NATO after European allies refused to commit combat troops to the U.S.-Israel war against Iran. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the alliance’s response a...
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on April 8 that any fee imposed on vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz would be unacceptable and would set a dangerous precedent for freedom of navigation. Iran has floated the idea of tolls to...
Iran announced plans to levy transit fees on every tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz, insisting on payment in cryptocurrency rather than traditional currencies. The move follows a two‑week cease‑fire between the United States and Iran, which has temporarily...
"Small businesses are choking on high interest rates. Job insecurity that comes out of of the New York fed, just down the street where – from where we are right now, the Fed is not listening to small businesses, and...
Former Canadian chief negotiator Steve Verheul told a Bank of Montreal panel that mounting economic pressure on the United States gives Canada a strategic advantage in the upcoming USMCA review. He cited the war in Iran’s disruption of energy, aluminum...
Kalshi’s prediction market shows investors assign a low probability to former President Donald Trump’s claim that the Strait of Hormuz will be fully reopened soon. The market price reflects skepticism, pricing full reopening at under 20% likelihood. Meanwhile, December 2026...
SDR: Bretton Woods 1944 basket currency, GDP-weighted. IMF lender of last resort. 2014 IMF paper introduced exchange rate peg abbreviation. Ripples rebranded XRP same timeframe. XRP likely bridge between SDR currencies, not replacement.
A ceasefire, in which attacks continue on both sides To reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which is now more closed than yesterday with the fewest daily ship crossings in more than a week https://t.co/9NH0BmZ5Qv
The war in Iran has choked fuel and fertilizer supplies, pushing diesel prices in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta to levels higher than after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The surge forced rice mills to shut down and electricity costs to skyrocket,...
Great to join @WmBrangham and @NewsHour to talk about the tenuous ceasefire in the Gulf and what it may mean for high energy prices.
Proposed US chip curbs on China risk deeper supply chain disruption ...whether the proposed 150-day timeline was sufficient to achieve meaningful policy coordination remained uncertain.... Clearly not feasible. It has been nearly 4 years already... https://t.co/RLwyFRVVUe
China entered the Iran‑War with extensive oil and gas stockpiles and a clean‑energy infrastructure that outpaces any other nation. The conflict has throttled Hormuz shipments, prompting a rapid global shift toward renewables where China already dominates solar panels, wind turbines,...
Every time I think I've seen the most ridiculous tariff thing, they totally top themselves. It's impressive, really. https://t.co/wU9nRMenyP
SCOOP: The US is considering lifting sanctions on #Venezuela’s central bank to facilitate the flow of billions of dollars into the country’s battered economy, sources familiar with the matter tell Andreina Itriago, @zerpius and me. https://t.co/DlIY8v24CH
Iran’s state media said it suspended oil‑tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz after Israel launched a large‑scale attack on Lebanon, while U.S. officials insisted the waterway remains open and traffic is rising. The announcement came amid a fragile cease‑fire...
World's dumbest tariff strikes again: "Top Aluminum Makers Hike US Surcharge as War Disrupts Supply" https://t.co/RhlIuA1Ll5 https://t.co/Xc1FLheuKV
In the buildup to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it took 91 days for the price of crude to rise from 66 to 112. This year, it took but 42 days for the price of crude to cover the same ground. https://t.co/052pDnWj0v
Vice President JD Vance has been appointed to lead the United States delegation in direct talks with Iran, scheduled for Saturday in Pakistan. The discussions follow a newly announced cease‑fire, which Vance praised as a "good first step" but warned...
According to the FT, the FED has MISSED its 2% inflation target for 60 STRAIGHT MONTHS. Across the world, 3 out of 4 developed economies and 1 in 2 emerging economies are missing their targets as well. THE GLOBAL INFLATION GENIE REMAINS...
It is remarkable that the NZ 2-year yield saw little adjustment with the RBNZ's hawkish shift. The NZ-US 2-year spread was essentially unchanged despite the $NZUSD rally. Remarkable
Saida Mirziyoyeva, daughter of Uzbekistan’s President and head of his administration, visited Donald Trump’s Mar‑a‑Lago estate and met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Sergio Gor. The trip coincided with the inaugural meeting of the American‑Uzbek Business...
Shipping through Hormuz is backed up and the cease fire and reopening already look at risk. @mike_castle2 , what is the best case scenario (ceasefire holds and we restore shipping) for crops given we are essentially at the start of...
“I think the most interesting thing about today is that bonds haven’t reacted as strongly as the rest of the market,” said Eric Wallerstein, chief macro strategist at Clocktower Group @MarketWatch https://t.co/Eyc4GpGRzX
Federal Reserve officials highlighted the economic fallout from the U.S.-Iran conflict in the March 17‑18 FOMC minutes, noting that a prolonged war could lift energy prices and feed core inflation. The committee voted to keep the policy rate steady in...
Netanyahu announced that the new US-Israeli ceasefire “does not include Lebanon.” This contradicts PM Sharif of Pakistan, who brokered the ceasefire, and said that the ceasefire was agreed to "everywhere including Lebanon". ISRAEL = THE SPOILER. https://t.co/mfcKZPYJqD
The Iran‑driven crisis and the temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz sparked warnings of the largest geopolitical oil shock in history, with the Dallas Federal Reserve estimating a disruption two to three times larger than the 1973, 1979 and...
U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran have forced Iran to restrict traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, cutting global oil supply by more than 10% and pushing crude prices up $40 per barrel. U.S. gasoline prices have risen above $4...
North Macedonia's foreign exchange reserves rose 9.6% year‑on‑year to €4.249 bn (about $4.6 bn) in March 2026, according to the central bank. The gain follows a 5.5% dip in February, which the bank linked to rising business costs from Middle‑East tensions. Securities still...
Ocean freight rates climbed sharply in early April as the Iran war drove fuel costs higher. The Asia‑to‑U.S. West Coast lane rose 11% week‑over‑week to $2,420 per FEU, while the East Coast lane increased 5% to $3,350 per FEU. Despite...
U.S. Vice President JD Vance warned Iran not to jeopardize the fragile cease‑fire between Israel and Hezbollah by insisting Lebanon be included, saying the United States never promised such a provision. He labeled Iran’s stance a “legitimate misunderstanding” and cautioned...
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The United States and Israel launched coordinated airstrikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader and senior officials, abruptly ending a fragile nuclear‑negotiation track mediated by Oman. The attacks violated Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and U.S. congressional requirements, undermining the legal...
The Reserve Bank of India announced that its recent non‑deliverable forward (NDF) market curbs are temporary, targeting speculative pressure linked to the West Asia conflict. Banks must trim net open forex positions to $100 million by April 10, with no deadline extension,...
In late 2025, President Trump warned that if Iran did not accept a cease‑fire, the United States would target oil infrastructure, potentially cutting half of the seaborne oil that fuels China. Three unnamed Iranian officials told the New York Times...
Joined @CNNThisMorning earlier today to try to make sense of the ceasefire. Several hour later, my take remains true: the pause in fighting is likely only temporary, Israel remains the wild card, and Iran still holds the cards on the...
Mortgage rates slipped on April 8 after the United States and Iran announced a two‑week ceasefire, with the 30‑year fixed rate dropping from 6.44% to 6.38%. Analysts say the dip is likely temporary, as lingering uncertainty over energy prices and inflation...
