
Geopolitical tensions sparked a roughly 6% jump in WTI crude, pushing the benchmark above the $68 resistance level. The monthly MACD has turned bullish, suggesting a multi‑month turnaround for oil prices. Energy giants Baker Hughes and Exxon Mobil have rallied to new multi‑year highs, but weekly DeMark “13s” and overbought stochastic readings indicate short‑term overextension. Analysts recommend holding off on new positions until the recent gains consolidate.
The U.S.–Israel air strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 have heightened geopolitical risk, creating a fluid credit environment that could swing from rapid de‑escalation to a protracted regional war. DoubleLine’s Global Sovereign Debt team entered the episode with a defensive posture,...

Uzbekistan has accelerated economic integration with Afghanistan, with 2025 bilateral trade reaching $1.5‑$1.68 billion—a 53% jump from the prior year and 2.5‑fold growth since 2021. Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev aims to lift trade to $5 billion, backed by a forthcoming Kabul...

Philippine Treasury bill yields rose for the first time in seven weeks as investors priced in higher inflation expectations and geopolitical tension. The Bureau of the Treasury auctioned P27 billion of T‑bills, well below the typical P37.8 billion raised earlier this year....
ING analyst Frantisek Taborsky warns that Central and Eastern European (CEE) currencies, especially the Hungarian forint and Turkish lira, will feel downward pressure as an Iran‑related energy shock pushes oil and gas prices higher and strengthens the US dollar. The...

Philippine stocks tumbled on Monday as the PSEi slipped 2.79% to 6,426.83 points, driven by heightened US‑Iran tensions and fears of rising oil prices. The sell‑off was broad‑based, with the services sector falling 4.11% and foreign investors exiting with net...

Nedbank has secured regulatory clearance to acquire a 66% controlling stake in Kenya’s NCBA for $855.5 million, marking one of the largest cross‑border banking deals in recent African history. The acquisition gives Nedbank access to NCBA’s $5.4 billion in assets, more than...
The Options Clearing Corporation’s Governance and Nominating Committee has put forward two candidates—Joseph C. Lewis of Jefferies LLC and Joshua Woods of Citadel Securities—for Class I Member Director seats. The election will occur at the April 22, 2026 annual stockholders meeting, with each...
OANDA announced that its proprietary trading arm, OANDA Prop Trader, will be transferred to the FTMO Group following FTMO’s acquisition of OANDA last year. The migration begins on March 2, 2026 and runs through March 31, 2026, offering clients incentives to move to FTMO’s...

Poland’s central bank is poised to cut rates by 25 basis points in March, aligning with its recent dovish communication and a cooling inflation outlook. However, recent US‑Israeli strikes on Iran have raised oil prices, introducing upside risks to headline...
Sunrun reported a year‑over‑year decline in Q4 2025 subscriber additions and installation volumes, with subscriber value metrics falling sharply. Gross subscriber value dropped 2% to $50.2 million and net subscriber value fell 30% to $9.1 million, while storage attachment rose to 71%....
Lawrence G. McMillan details a rolling‑up options strategy applied to the Silver ETF (SLV), where deep‑in‑the‑money calls were sold for credit and replaced with at‑the‑money calls. Each roll generated cash, creating a psychological edge and limiting downside to the premium...

Oil prices surged after US‑Israeli air strikes on Iran and the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei, pushing Brent crude above $80 a barrel. The conflict threatens the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for roughly 20% of global oil, adding a risk...

Fidelity’s Q4 2025 portfolio review of 3,371 advisor‑constructed accounts shows a heavy tilt toward equities, with 72 % of assets in stocks and only 23 % in bonds. U.S. equities dominate the equity sleeve at 79 % and ETFs feature in 59 % of...
Cybersecurity leaders Palo Alto Networks and Zscaler have plunged up to 55% from their peaks, placing them at historic lows. Despite high forward P/E multiples—around 40× for Palo Alto and 36× for Zscaler—analysts project high‑teens to low‑mid‑20% CAGR, implying potential...
TradingView announced native volume‑footprint support in its Pine scripting language, granting users detailed order‑flow data inside each price bar. The new request.footprint() function returns exact bid and ask volume, delta, and auction metrics such as Point of Control, Value Area...

HVS Brokerage & Advisory closed the sale of two midscale hotels in Apopka, Florida: the 81‑key Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton and the 77‑key Holiday Inn Express & Suites. Each property was sold separately to private regional investors, with the Holiday Inn purchased by a Connecticut 1031‑exchange...

Central Asian governments, long silent during Iran's December protests, issued cautious statements after the United States and Israel launched a surprise strike on Iran. Their foreign ministries emphasized restraint, the UN Charter, and humanitarian concerns while deliberately omitting any attribution...
Natural gas futures slipped back toward $3 per MMBtu after early gains, as technical resistance halted the rally. The NYMEX April contract was rejected at $3.03, signaling market caution. Simultaneously, escalating Iranian attacks disrupted global LNG flows, adding geopolitical pressure....

Josh Brown and Sean Russo spotlight three chemical leaders—Ecolab, Linde and Sherwin‑Williams—as attractive picks amid heightened U.S.-Iran tensions. Each company posted solid fourth‑quarter results, with Ecolab delivering $4.2 billion in sales and a 15% EPS jump, Linde returning $7.4 billion to shareholders...
Tycoon Eusebio Tanco invested an additional P1.04 billion in DigiPlus Interactive Corp., buying 63.12 million shares (1.4% of outstanding equity) at P16.40 per share. The purchase raises his direct holdings to 10.43 million shares and indirect holdings to 712.62 million shares, underscoring strong confidence...
Manulife Investments has launched the Singapore Opportunities Income Strategy under the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Equity Market Development Programme. The fund will invest exclusively in Singapore‑listed equities, emphasizing small and mid‑cap stocks where research coverage is thin and valuation gaps...
The Pro Farmer podcast episode released on March 2, 2026 features market analyst Hillari Mason discussing how potential U.S. military strikes against Iran could reverberate through agricultural markets. The conversation highlights risks to fertilizer imports, shipping routes, and energy costs...

The Private Equity International (PEI) Awards 2025 honored firms that excelled in emerging markets, underscoring a shift toward Middle East opportunities. Global general partners (GPs) are now scrutinizing the Gulf’s evolving regulatory and economic landscape. Limited partners (LPs) report difficulty...
District Metals is moving ahead with its Viken uranium project after Sweden repealed its uranium mining ban on Jan. 1, reopening the jurisdiction for the first time since 2018. The Viken alum shale deposit is touted as the world’s largest undeveloped...

India’s current account deficit (CAD) widened to $13.2 billion in Q3FY26, equivalent to 1.3% of GDP, up from $11.3 billion and 1.1% a year earlier. The increase was driven primarily by a larger merchandise trade deficit of $93.6 billion and higher net outflows...

Space‑based photovoltaics are poised for rapid expansion as commercial aerospace launches and AI‑driven data centers create new demand. Triple‑junction GaAs cells dominate today, but their reliance on scarce gallium, germanium and indium drives costs sky‑high. Industry leaders, especially in China,...
Lawrence G. McMillan hosted a deep‑dive webinar on volatility derivatives, moving beyond the basic VIX definition to explore real‑world behavior of VIX futures, term structure, and hedged spreads. The session covered practical tactics such as "The Big (Volatility) Short" and...

A 28‑year‑old earning $130,000 is considering cutting his 401(k) contributions to make extra mortgage payments amid fears of AI‑driven layoffs. Financial experts advise against the move, emphasizing the importance of liquidity and the long‑term benefits of retirement savings. They recommend...
Institutional foreign‑exchange trading volumes slipped about 5% month‑over‑month in February 2026 after a record‑breaking January. All major platforms—FXSpotStream, Cboe FX, Euronext FX and Deutsche Börse’s 360T—reported declines ranging from 1.7% to 10.9%. Cboe FX’s average daily volume fell to $59.67 billion, while Euronext FX posted the...
Beacon Partners submitted a land development plan for a 342‑unit multifamily community on a 3.8‑acre parcel at 122 Freeland Lane in Charlotte. The project will sit beside the Station at LoSo office and retail towers and feature courtyards, a dog park,...

Newmark arranged a $172.5 million acquisition loan for The Ben, Autograph Collection, a 208‑key luxury hotel in West Palm Beach, on behalf of Related Ross. The financing was supplied by Nomura and led by Newmark’s senior debt team. The Ben, delivered...

Bullish traders bought 2,500 RTX April 17 220 call contracts at $1.80 on Feb 25, just days before a massive U.S.–Israel strike on Iran. The operation, called Operation Epic Fury, sparked a surge in demand for RTX’s SM‑3, SM‑6 and Tomahawk missiles, lifting...

Eurelectric’s presidency wrote to EU heads urging them to stop reopening the marginal pricing debate, warning that regulatory churn could jeopardise the massive investment needed for a decarbonised power system. The warning follows European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s indication that...

JPMorgan’s global head of credit trading, Sanjay Jhamna, says generative AI will overhaul credit trading by efficiently processing the asset class’s massive unstructured data. He described credit markets as the last frontier for automation, noting that conventional AI models have...

Anand Rathi Research upgrades Jindal Stainless (JDSL) to BUY with a target price of ₹940, up from ₹900, as the stock trades at ₹782.90. The firm projects a V‑shaped volume growth, rising 9% YoY in FY26, moderating to 6% in...

Indiana lawmakers approved a one‑year tax exemption for tips and overtime earnings in the 2026 tax year, aligning state law with the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The measure is projected to reduce state and local revenue by up to $237 million, a shortfall...

Australia’s ABARES crop report confirms a record barley harvest of 16.33 million tonnes, surpassing the previous high of 14.65 Mt set in 2020‑21. Wheat production is revised upward to 35.99 Mt, making it the third‑largest crop after the 2022‑23 peak, while canola reaches...

Ireland’s rental market tightened sharply in early 2026, with 2025 rents climbing 4.4% to an average €2,086 for a two‑bedroom unit. Listings plunged 22% year‑over‑year, leaving fewer than 1,800 homes available nationwide in February, the lowest February figure since 2006....

Dutch Bros. Coffee, the fast‑growing U.S. coffee chain, has attracted fresh Wall Street attention after Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock to a buy. The investment bank kept its 12‑month price target at $75, implying roughly 40 % upside from current levels....
The insurance brokerage sector is riding a wave of better pricing, disciplined underwriting and rising demand for a broader range of policies, pushing industry revenue higher. Digitalization and AI adoption are sharpening margins and enabling faster scale, while a wave...
The large‑cap pharmaceutical sector is rebounding in 2026 after a muted 2025, buoyed by strong quarterly results, aggressive M&A, and robust pipeline activity. Zacks ranks the industry at #172, but it posted a 10.8% gain over the past year, outpacing...
Canadian miner Taseko Mines announced its Florence Copper operation in Arizona has produced its first copper cathodes, the first new US copper output from a greenfield project since 2008. The electrowinning plant began commercial operations in late February, positioning Florence...

PropTrack data shows South Australia now has 191 suburbs with a median house price of $1 million or more, up 54 suburbs from the previous month. Adelaide’s most expensive suburb is Tennyson, where the median sits at $3.48 million, followed by Medindie...

Shippers including Maersk, Hapag‑Lloyd and CMA CGM have halted Suez Canal transits as the United States and Israel intensify conflict with Iran, fearing renewed Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. Egypt estimates a $9 billion loss in transit fees, with canal revenues...

Asia can currently absorb the recent oil‑price surge, but the region’s heavy reliance on imported energy makes it vulnerable if prices stay high. Japan and the Philippines source almost 90% of their oil from the Middle East, while China and...

Central Asia’s five states (C5) have coalesced around a sovereignty‑first coordination model, dubbed a “soft confederation,” that emphasizes consensus and minimal delegation. Recent C5+ diplomatic rounds—an EU summit in Samarkand, a U.S. White House meeting, and Germany’s C5+1 foreign‑minister talks—have...
India’s Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas reviewed crude, LPG and petroleum product supplies as Iran‑Israel tensions heightened global energy volatility. Brent crude surged to roughly $82 a barrel, prompting concerns over the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint that carries about...
The RENIXX renewable‑energy index closed the week at a record 1,288.68 points, though it quickly retreated into a sideways range. German turbine maker Nordex led gains with a 26.3% jump after reporting record 2025 revenue of €7.6 billion and strong order...
Smith+Nephew reported an 8.3% year‑over‑year increase in fourth‑quarter revenue, reaching $1.70 billion, with underlying growth of 6.2%. Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine & ENT segments drove the bulk of the rise, posting 9.8% and 9.5% gains respectively, while Advanced Wound Management grew 5.3%. The...