Japan, South Korea Ready to Act Against FX Volatility, Ministers Say
Japan and South Korea’s finance ministers voiced serious concern over the sharp depreciation of the yen and won, saying they stand ready to act against excessive foreign‑exchange volatility. The yen slipped to its lowest level in 20 months, hovering near the 160 per dollar threshold that could trigger intervention, while the won breached the 1,500 per dollar psychological barrier for the first time since 2009. Both declines are linked to safe‑haven demand for the dollar amid the U.S.–Israeli conflict over Iran and rising oil prices that strain import‑dependent economies. The two governments pledged close market monitoring and potential coordinated action.
Higher Oil Prices Are Just a Short-Term Worry
Oil prices have surged sharply this month, driven by geopolitical friction and OPEC+ output curbs, but analysts argue the rally is transitory. Global inventories remain ample and demand growth is modest, limiting upward pressure. Historical data shows oil’s price cycle...
How China Is Wooing Paraguay’s Political Class Away From Longtime Ally Taiwan
China is intensifying a diplomatic campaign in Paraguay, offering all‑expenses‑paid tours of Chinese cities to lawmakers and journalists to showcase its economic might. The outreach aims to persuade Paraguay’s political class to abandon its long‑standing recognition of Taiwan, its last...
Decentering the Dollar: A Conversation
The Peterson Institute for International Economics hosted a high‑profile conversation titled “Decentering the Dollar,” featuring former Dutch central bank governor Klaas Knot and renowned economist Maurice Obstfeld. The panel examined how the Trump administration’s trade and geopolitical shifts could undermine...
International Imbalances Again? Still? Forever?
The Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) convened a high‑level discussion titled “International Imbalances Again? Still? Forever?” to examine why global trade and current‑account gaps persist. Moderated by Maurice Obstfeld, the panel featured Joseph Gagnon, Hélène Rey, and Alan Taylor,...
Trade 360 Degrees: Trade Winds LIVE From DC!
Global trade faces heightened tariffs, divergent industrial policies, and a weakened WTO, creating turbulence across supply chains. At the same time, recent free‑trade agreements and renewed multilateral efforts are opening fresh opportunities. The Peterson Institute for International Economics hosted a...
The Future Economic Architecture of the Eurozone
The Peterson Institute for International Economics hosted a high‑level panel on the future economic architecture of the eurozone. The discussion featured Spain’s finance minister Carlos Cuerpo Caballero, ECB Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel, and senior economists Olivier Blanchard and Ángel...
Industrial Policy for Development
The Peterson Institute for International Economics hosted a briefing on a new World Bank report examining the resurgence of industrial policy in the 21st‑century. The study finds developing economies, especially upper‑middle‑income nations, are the heaviest users, allocating an average of...
Key UAE Port Suspends Oil Loadings After Drone Attack, Fire
The United Arab Emirates suspended oil‑loading operations at Fujairah, its primary oil‑trading hub, after a drone strike ignited a fire on Saturday. The blaze was quickly extinguished, opening the possibility for loading to resume. At the time of the attack,...
Iran-Israel Conflict Driven Fuel Cost Spike Hits United Airlines (UAL) Results
United Airlines warned that a 15% jump in jet fuel prices, sparked by the Iran‑Israel conflict, could dent its short‑term earnings. The spike helped push United’s stock down about 4.5% and contributed to a broader market sell‑off, with peers such...
DOF Secures $800-M World Bank Loan for Investments, Job Creation
The Philippines' Department of Finance secured an $800 million development loan from the World Bank under the Growth and Jobs Development Policy Loan. The financing targets three pillars: stronger fiscal management, enhanced private investment, and expanded labor‑force capabilities. By focusing on...
Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street - Friday, March 13
Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street aired on Friday, March 13 on Fox Business, delivering a 20‑minute episode focused on market trends and financial commentary. The broadcast was part of the network’s daytime lineup, interspersed with several paid‑programming blocks. Viewers could stream...
Transcript: The Economic Fallout of the Iran War
The US‑Israeli strikes on Iran prompted Tehran to shut the Strait of Hormuz, cutting roughly a fifth of global oil flows and pushing Brent crude above $100 a barrel. The surge in oil and LNG prices is spilling into gasoline,...
Top Chinese Entrepreneurs Commit to Middle East Expansion Despite Iran War
Chinese tech magnates, including the founders of TCL and Xpeng, announced plans to double their outbound investment, targeting the Middle East and Latin America. The pledge comes as the US‑Israel conflict with Iran escalates and Washington intensifies pressure on Venezuela....
Boosting China-India Ties Should Be Pillar of Hong Kong’s Five-Year Plan
Hong Kong’s upcoming five‑year plan proposes making the Sino‑Indian partnership a strategic pillar. The proposal calls for extending visa‑free entry for Indian nationals, leveraging the Indian diaspora for scholarships and AI talent, and offering tax incentives to attract Indian firms...
Trump Tells South Korea He Is only Leader Who Can Break North Korean Deadlock
U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min‑seok met in Washington to discuss reviving high‑level talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong‑un. Trump asserted he is the only Western leader capable of breaking the Korean Peninsula deadlock,...
Wall Street Drops, Set for Weekly Loss as War on Iran Fuels Inflation Worries
Wall Street closed lower on Friday, with the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all in the red, putting the week on a negative trajectory. The decline was driven by heightened tensions in the war on Iran, which pushed crude oil above...
The UK North Sea at a Tipping Point: Why the UK Government Must Act Now
The UK North Sea faces a critical juncture as high taxes, a ban on new licences and geopolitical volatility are eroding investment and jobs. An effective tax burden of about 75 % under the Energy Profits Levy has driven rigs and...
China’s Global Port Push Reveals Supply Chain Security Goals
A new AidData report shows China granted or loaned $23.9 billion to finance 168 ports across 90 countries between 2000 and 2025. The investments, covering construction, expansion and equipment, often sit near Chinese‑financed mines and have hosted naval visits at more...
Iran War Knocks Out Thai Mideast Rice Exports, Squeezing Farmers Harder
Thai rice exporters halted two ships carrying 80,000 tonnes bound for Iraq after a Thai vessel was struck near the Strait of Hormuz, effectively pausing Middle‑East shipments. The disruption comes as Thailand’s rice export outlook has already slipped 11% to...
Analysis: Ramadan Inflation Surges, with Geopolitics Adding New Risks
Indonesia’s February 2026 consumer price index rose to 4.76% year‑on‑year, overshooting the 1.5‑3.5% target range. The surge is driven by Ramadan‑related food demand, a government free‑meal scheme, and sharply higher electricity tariffs. Commodity pressures are amplified by a tenfold cut...
U.S. Officials Have Discussed Trading Oil Futures, Burgum Says
U.S. officials, including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, confirmed that the Trump administration has discussed using oil futures contracts to temper soaring crude prices amid the escalating Iran‑Israel conflict. While the idea was explored, Burgum said no concrete market intervention has...
U.S. Vows to Block Iran’s Attempt to Shut Down Strait of Hormuz
The United States announced it will actively prevent Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil shipments. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth downplayed the disruption but affirmed U.S. readiness, while the Trump administration lifted select sanctions...
Volatility Grips Wall Street, Judge Rejects Subpoenas of Fed Board | The Close 3/13/2026
Wall Street faced modest declines as the S&P 500 slipped 0.3% amid heightened oil price volatility and ongoing geopolitical tension in the Middle East. A federal judge dismissed subpoenas targeting the Federal Reserve Board and Chair Jerome Powell over alleged renovation...
Centre Flags War Risk to Thai Growth
The Center for Economic and Business Forecasting at UTCC outlined three Middle‑East war scenarios, estimating that a prolonged, wide‑scale conflict could shave 2.31 percentage points off Thailand’s GDP. In the worst case, energy‑cost burdens would rise above 200 billion baht, exports could...
BOJ Seen Waiting Till April for Rate Hike Amid Iran War Turbulence
The Bank of Japan is expected to keep its policy rate at 0.75% at the March 2026 meeting, postponing any hike until at least April. Market participants cite heightened volatility from the Iran‑Israel conflict and surging energy prices as key...
Market Swings Trading Amid the Fog of War (E254)
DoubleLine’s March 13 Minutes highlighted a market caught between lingering war‑driven energy shocks and rising inflation concerns. Eric Dhall and Ryan Kimmel noted that energy stocks remain volatile while front‑end Treasury yields climb amid jittery price data. Fed funds futures shifted...
US Warned of China Rare Earth Curbs if Section 301 Tariffs Expand
The U.S. Trade Representative announced Section 301 investigations into 16 countries, including China, and separate probes into 60 economies over forced‑labor concerns. In response, Chinese officials warned they could reinstate rare‑earth export restrictions and halt soybean purchases if Washington proceeds with...
Data Mining? Old Servers Could Become New Source of Rare Earths
Enterprises are eyeing retired server hardware as a new source of rare earth elements after Korea Zinc entered talks with major U.S. tech firms to recycle data‑center waste. The initiative follows Western Digital’s pilot with Critical Materials Recycling and comes...
Morningstar DBRS Confirms Republic of Ireland at AA, Stable Trend
Morningstar DBRS reaffirmed Ireland’s long‑term sovereign rating at AA with a stable outlook, and its short‑term rating at R‑1 (high). The agency highlighted a 4.9% rise in real modified domestic demand and a 12.3% surge in real GDP in 2025,...
What Happens at $200 a Barrel?
Economists warn that a sustained $200 per barrel WTI price would trigger a systemic shock to the U.S. economy. At that level, gasoline could top $7 per gallon, eroding over $400 billion in discretionary consumer spending and deepening energy poverty. The...
Is a Transcontinental Highway the Key to Unlocking Trade in Latin America?
The Inter‑American Development Bank is backing the Bi‑Oceanic Corridor—a 2,300‑mile road and rail link from Brazil to Chile—with a $200 million loan for the critical Paraguay segment. The corridor, slated for completion in late 2026, promises to shave roughly two‑and‑a‑half weeks off...
Private Credit Vs Geopolitical Risk: The 2026 Showdown
In 2026, escalating Middle‑East conflict has reignited oil‑price volatility while the private‑credit market grapples with heightened redemption pressure. Economists warn that these seemingly separate shocks can compound, tightening liquidity across capital markets. War‑related fiscal outlays—about $365 billion annually—provide a short‑term economic...
Here’s a Rare Chance to Invest Before Big Stock-Index Funds and Wall Street Dive In
FTSE Russell plans to reclassify Vietnam from a frontier market to the secondary‑emerging category, a move that will trigger substantial index‑fund inflows. Analysts estimate up to $5 billion could be redirected into Vietnamese equities once the change is implemented in September. Retail...
US Exports to Middle East in Limbo Amid War Zone Service Disruptions
US exporters are scrambling to locate containers shipped to the Middle East after ocean carriers halted almost all services due to the war with Iran. Mediterranean Shipping Company invoked an “end‑of‑voyage” clause for shipments bound for Dubai’s Jebel Ali, leaving cargo...
Leaders in Ag and Manufacturing Stress Stability of USMCA
Leaders in agriculture and manufacturing emphasized the stability of the US‑Mexico‑Canada Agreement (USMCA) as essential to North‑American supply chains. Soybean exports to Mexico have quadrupled and to Canada doubled since the pact took effect, while Canadian pork and cross‑border equipment...
Markets End Another Week Down—Dropping Over 1%—As Oil Still Above $100 Amid Iran War
U.S. equity markets closed the week in the red, with all three major indexes falling at least 1.3% as the United States and Israel escalated their conflict with Iran. The Dow Jones Industrial Average led the declines, slipping nearly 2%...
Sky-High Oil Prices Are About to Hit Puerto Rico’s Grid
The ongoing Iran‑Israel conflict has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, pushing global crude to around $100 a barrel. Puerto Rico, which generates roughly 60 % of its electricity from aging oil‑fired plants, will see its regulated power rates rise when...
EXCLUSIVE: Cyprus Acts as a “Third Force” In EU Sanctions Extension Vote
Cyprus, currently holding the EU presidency, has moved from a neutral position to actively opposing the removal of sanctions on Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, citing historic disputes with Turkey. The shift follows a letter from Turkish President Recep Erdoğan to Slovak...
U.S. Economy Has Lost Jobs Under Trump Tariffs, 'Gold Standard' Jobs Data Shows
The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) – the “gold standard” of jobs data – shows U.S. employers added only 123,000 jobs in the 12 months through September 2025, far below the 636,000 reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics...
US Picks 60 Trade Partners for Tariff Action
The U.S. Trade Representative announced investigations into 59 countries and the EU, selecting a total of 60 major trading partners for new import taxes under Section 301. The tariffs aim to block goods made with forced labor, replacing the 15%+ emergency...
Iran Conflict Raises Specter Of Inflation, But CRE Could Be Spared
The U.S. war with Iran has disrupted oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing crude prices above $100 and reviving inflation concerns. Analysts warn that a prolonged conflict could lift interest rates, jeopardizing the refinancing momentum that commercial‑real‑estate (CRE)...
Dire Strait
The Financial Times has unveiled the Monetary Policy Radar editorial team, a dedicated unit focused on tracking central‑bank actions and their market impact. The team is led by Chris Giles, FT’s economics commentator, and includes Andrew Whiffin, award‑winning UK CFA Journalist...
Middle East Conflict Sends Ammonia Prices Higher
Ammonia fertilizer prices have jumped as the Middle East conflict disrupts shipments from key producers, lifting European spot rates by roughly $50 per tonne. The region, responsible for 23% of global ammonia trade, saw vessels stranded and diverted, tightening supply....
India, UK Trade Pact May Come Into Effect in One Month From Now: Piyush Goyal
India and the United Kingdom are set to bring their Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) into force by mid‑April, just a month after the announcement. The deal grants duty‑free access for 99% of Indian exports to the UK market...
India’s Imports From China Slowed Overtime, Exports Grow Faster: Govt Tells Parliament
India’s imports from China have decelerated sharply, rising only 87.8% in FY2015‑25 versus a 618% surge in FY2005‑14, while exports to China accelerated to a 38.3% year‑on‑year gain in April‑January FY2024‑25 compared with a 13.8% import rise. The slowdown is...
How This Oil Supply Shock Compares With the Embargo of 1973
The article compares the present oil supply shock, triggered by Iranian retaliation against U.S. and Israeli strikes, with the 1973 Arab oil embargo. Experts say the current disruption is the largest ever, affecting a far greater share of global consumption...
U.S. Tech Giants Flocked to the Persian Gulf. Now They Are Targets.
U.S. tech giants including Amazon, Google, Microsoft and OpenAI have poured billions into data center projects across the Persian Gulf to support AI development. Iranian drone attacks in early March damaged Amazon’s facilities in Bahrain and the UAE, disrupting services...
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ISS TODAY: Agoa Extension Offers Little Relief as US Trade Chaos Rattles African Exporters
The U.S. Congress extended the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) only until 31 December 2026, a modest reprieve after President Trump’s 2025 tariffs eroded its benefits. Tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and a new 10% surcharge under...
“The Market Is Way Too Aggressive with Its Rate Hike Forecast”
Russell Investments’ head of Canadian strategy, BeiChen Lin, warns that the market is over‑pricing rate hikes after Canada shed a record 84,000 jobs in February, the biggest monthly loss since 2022. He attributes the slowdown to trade‑policy uncertainty and a...