Fund Managers Seek Reporting Crackdown After Philippines Scandal
Fund managers, headed by BNP Paribas Asset Management and Robeco Institutional Asset Management, have urged the Philippine government to tighten reporting standards for state‑backed projects. The coalition of 11 fixed‑income investors sent a confidential letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission and the treasury, demanding stricter use‑of‑proceeds disclosures and greater transparency on infrastructure spending. The request follows a recent corruption scandal involving flood‑control projects. Investors fear opaque reporting could deter capital and undermine confidence in the Philippines’ bond market.
China Starts Bankruptcy Liquidation of Shadow Bank Zhongzhi
Beijing's No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court ordered the liquidation of Zhongzhi Enterprise Group Co. and more than 300 affiliated firms, marking a decisive move against one of China’s biggest shadow‑banking conglomerates. Creditors have until June 10 to file claims with the appointed...
Odd Lots: Daoud on How Iran War Will Reshape the Gulf (Podcast)
Ziad Daoud, Bloomberg Economics chief emerging‑markets economist, warned that the ongoing war with Iran will leave a lasting imprint on the Gulf region. Nations may need to rebuild damaged pipelines or construct new routes that bypass the vulnerable Strait of...
Hong Kong Issues 53% More IPO Banker Licenses to Ease Shortage
Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) issued 43 new licenses for IPO‑banking advisers in March, a 53 percent increase from February’s low‑volume month. The rise suggests a tentative easing of the licensing bottleneck that followed a regulator‑led crackdown on substandard...
Wise on Track for Nasdaq Listing in May as Income Jumps 24%
Wise Plc announced that it will move its primary listing from London to the Nasdaq on May 11, 2026. The money‑transfer firm reported a 24% jump in fourth‑quarter income, beating analyst forecasts and sending its shares higher. CEO and co‑founder Kristo Käärmann...
Asian LNG Prices Set to Rise as US Threatens to Block Hormuz
Asian spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices are poised to climb after the United States announced a naval blockade of all vessels entering and leaving Iranian ports. The move follows stalled peace talks between Washington and Tehran and targets only...
Stocks and Bonds Fall With Brent Back Above $100: Markets Wrap
President Donald Trump ordered a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after US‑Iran peace talks stalled, sending oil prices soaring. Brent crude jumped 6.8% to just above $102 a barrel, the first time since early 2025. The rally in...
Inside the American Startups Trying to Break China's Mineral Chokehold
Phoenix Tailings, a New Hampshire startup, has raised $120 million to process rare‑earth metals from mine tailings, aiming to close the U.S. supply‑chain gap that China dominates at the mid‑stream stage. The company claims a zero‑emission process that extracts, separates, and...
Event Bets Pose a Problem for Wall Street Firms Looking to Trade
Prediction‑market platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi are experiencing a surge, with weekly wagering volumes now running into the billions of dollars. The boom covers a wide range of events, from sports outcomes to speculative religious forecasts. While a few...
Failure of US-Iran Talks Set to Weigh on Risk Assets Monday
The United States and Iran failed to secure a peace agreement during talks in Pakistan, reigniting geopolitical tension. Analysts expect the U.S. dollar to rebound after a 1.4% weekly decline, while oil prices are projected to slip. The disappointment is...
India Forex Regulator Criticizes Banks’ Rupee Arbitrage Trades
The Reserve Bank of India’s deputy governor publicly criticized foreign‑exchange market makers for exacerbating the rupee’s weakness amid heightened Middle East tensions and large foreign outflows. He highlighted that arbitrage between on‑shore and offshore markets is draining dollar liquidity at...
Oil Tankers U-Turn in Hormuz as US-Iran Talks Break Down
Two empty crude carriers—two VLCCs and an Aframax—approached the Strait of Hormuz from the Gulf of Oman on Saturday, aiming for destinations in the United Arab Emirates and Iraq. At a checkpoint near Iran’s Larak Island, all three vessels executed...
China Unveils Taiwan Goodwill Steps After Opposition Talks
China announced a package of goodwill measures toward Taiwan after President Xi met opposition leader Cheng Li‑wun. The package includes facilitating sales of Taiwanese agricultural and fishery products to the mainland. It also encourages Taiwanese investment in China and plans...
US, Iran Fail to Reach Peace Agreement After Marathon Talks
The United States and Iran concluded a marathon round of direct talks in Pakistan without reaching a peace agreement, leaving a fragile cease‑fire in jeopardy. The six‑week war has already claimed thousands of lives and disrupted global energy supplies. Vice...
A Panicked Race for Barrels Grips the Global Oil Market
Traders in the North Sea submitted 40 bids for physical crude last week, but only four offers materialized, forcing spot cargoes to change hands at record‑high prices above $140 a barrel. The scramble for immediate supplies has spilled into distant...
New Era For Space Dawns, As Artemis II Returns
Artemis II successfully splashed down, confirming Orion’s heat shield endured the high‑speed, 400,000‑foot re‑entry despite earlier concerns from Artemis I. NASA reaffirmed its commitment to the Space Launch System and Orion through the “Ultimate 5” flights, even as the program faces cost overruns...
Walk the Intl. NYC Auto Show with a Gearhead
Bloomberg This Weekend hosts Christina Ruffini and Matt Miller at the New York Auto Show, highlighting the scarcity of manual‑shift sports cars, the rise of high‑performance hybrids, and the market for ultra‑luxury hypercars. They note that only three models on...
Zambia’s Cabinet Approves Revised 2026 Budget as Fuel Costs Jump
Zambia’s cabinet approved a revised 2026 budget to offset revenue pressures linked to the Middle East conflict. The government has temporarily suspended value‑added tax, customs and excise duties on fuel imports, even as global fuel prices continue to climb. The...
US Navy Ships Crossed Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, Axios Says
On Saturday, U.S. Navy vessels sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first such transit since the regional conflict escalated. The maneuver was not pre‑coordinated with Iran, according to an unnamed U.S. official cited by Axios. Reporting journalist Barak...
Turkish Airlines Replaces Management, Names New CEO and Chairman
Turkish Airlines announced a sweeping management overhaul, naming Ahmet Olmustur as its new chief executive officer and Murat Seker as chairman of the board. Olmustur replaces retiring CEO Bilal Eksi, while Seker succeeds Ahmet Bolat, who stepped down. The changes come as the airline...
India Stock Fund Flows Accelerate in March Despite War
India’s equity‑oriented mutual funds attracted 404.5 billion rupees ($4.4 billion) in March, the second‑largest monthly inflow on record. The flow jumped from 259.8 billion rupees ($2.8 billion) in February, a 55% increase month‑over‑month. The surge came despite heightened geopolitical tensions that have rattled global...
Turkey Overhauls Leadership at State Lenders Halkbank, Vakifbank
Turkey reshuffled the top ranks of two state‑owned banks, appointing new leadership at Halkbank and moving its outgoing chief executive to Vakifbank. Halkbank named Chairman Recep Suleyman Ozdil as chief executive officer and board member Meltem Taylan Aydin as chairwoman,...
China Reminds Battery Makers to Avoid Excess Capacity Growth
China has summoned its leading electric‑vehicle and stationary battery manufacturers for a second time in just over three months, urging them to curb capacity expansion. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other agencies addressed 16 firms, calling for...
CATL Short Sellers at Risk of Squeeze on Earnings Surprise
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) is poised for an earnings beat next week, sparking expectations of a short‑squeeze. Short interest in its Hong Kong‑listed shares has climbed to 29.3 million, the highest level since the company went public last May. The...
Gold Heads for Weekly Gain as Traders Weigh Iran Truce Prospects
Gold edged toward a third consecutive weekly gain on Friday, hovering around $4,765 an ounce. The metal is on track for roughly a 2% rise this week as central‑bank buying offsets lingering inflation worries. Traders are eyeing a U.S. delegation...
Oil Holds Gain After Attacks Lower Saudi Production Capacity
Saudi Arabia announced that attacks on its energy infrastructure have reduced its oil production capacity by roughly 600,000 barrels per day. The cut pushed Brent crude above $96 a barrel, marking a 1.2% gain on Thursday, while West Texas Intermediate...
Ukrainian Railways Bond Restructuring Rejected by Investors
Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) failed to reach a debt‑restructuring agreement after bondholders rejected its opening proposal. The state‑owned operator seeks to restructure roughly $1.1 billion of outstanding bonds, a debt load swollen by war‑induced revenue drops and soaring repair costs. Damage from...
Gold Steadies as Traders Weigh Fragile Ceasefire in Iran War
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 Stock Futures Slip as Oil’s Rebound Damps Mood: Markets Wrap
US equity‑index futures edged lower on Thursday, with the S&P 500 futures slipping 0.1% as investors digested fresh geopolitical risk. Tehran’s parliament speaker warned that three clauses of the cease‑fire agreement with Washington have been breached, tempering the optimism that had...
UBS-Led Group Funds Echo Global Debt as Investor Talks Pause
UBS Group AG led a financing syndicate for Echo Global Logistics' $765 million loan to acquire ITS Logistics. Early investor outreach was halted as market volatility spiked in early April 2026. The pause reflects UBS's caution in offloading debt risk amid...
Oil Rises After Biggest Drop Since 2020 as Hormuz Stays Blocked
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,...
Pop Culture Mentions, Direct-to-Consumer Strategy Drives Levi's Earnings
Levi Strauss & Co. reported a 9% organic revenue increase and 14% growth on a reported basis, driven by high‑profile pop‑culture collaborations with Beyoncé, Blackpink and other artists. CEO Michelle Gass highlighted the brand’s shift toward a direct‑to‑consumer (DTC) model...
Bond Rally Fades as Iran Says Ceasefire Violated
U.S. Treasury yields erased an early rally after an Iranian official declared the newly announced two‑week ceasefire with the United States was violated. The ceasefire, which had initially driven oil prices lower and softened inflation concerns, sparked a brief surge...
Oil Shock Pushes Thailand’s Inflation Toward Positive Territory
Thailand’s year‑long deflation streak is weakening as oil price spikes and Middle East supply disruptions feed through to consumer prices. The Commerce Ministry reported a 0.08 % year‑over‑year decline in the CPI for March, the twelfth consecutive month of falling prices...
China’s Electric-Arc Steelmakers Regain Edge as Profits Recover
China’s electric‑arc furnace (EAF) steelmakers raised weekly capacity utilization to over 61 % in the week ending April 2, the highest level since January 2024. This marks the first time production has surpassed the 60 % threshold in more than two years, indicating stronger...
Singapore Minister Warned Worst Case Not Fully Priced
Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan warned that the war in Iran could trigger a deeper energy shock than markets currently anticipate. He highlighted that Singapore generates over 95% of its electricity from imported natural gas, with roughly half of...
Japan 30-Year Bond Sale Sees Tepid Demand Ahead of Iran Deadline
Japan’s latest auction of 30‑year government bonds recorded a bid‑to‑cover ratio of 3.12, the lowest level since June and below the 12‑month average of 3.36. Investor demand softened as market participants remained wary of escalating tensions in the Middle East,...
Indian Bank Stocks’ $95 Billion Rout May Deepen, Analysts Say
Indian bank shares have plunged about $95 billion after the Reserve Bank of India tightened rupee‑trading rules and energy costs surged. The sell‑off intensified as the RBI’s new foreign‑exchange curbs limit banks’ ability to hedge currency exposure. Higher oil and gas...
Debanking Is a Confusing Nightmare. It’s at Risk of Getting Worse
A Citigroup customer discovered his checking account disappeared, highlighting a growing "debanking" phenomenon where banks abruptly close or freeze accounts. The incident, described by former academic John Ghazvinian, underscores the opaque decision‑making and lack of communication from financial institutions. Industry...
Hormuz Tracker: Iraq-Linked Oil Tanker Exits Hormuz Via Iran
On Sunday, a Suezmax tanker named Ocean Thunder, loaded with roughly one million barrels of Iraqi crude, transited the Strait of Hormuz using a northerly passage through Iranian waters. The movement follows Iran’s decision the previous day to exempt Iraq from...
By The Way | Headlines You Should See
Bloomberg reports that Q’s AI "Junior" is being sold as a virtual coworker that monitors employee activity, flags under‑performance on Slack, and raises privacy concerns. The Wall Street Journal highlights electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) suits that promise a 20‑minute session...
Chinese Bonds Near Inflection Point as Inflation Path Shifts
Chinese government bond yields are edging up from record lows as deflationary pressure eases. The benchmark 10‑year yield, currently around 1.8%, could climb toward or beyond 2% this year. Simultaneously, the spread between five‑year and 30‑year notes has widened to...
OPEC+ Plans Symbolic Oil Quota Hike Amid War, Delegates Say
OPEC+ members agreed in principle to raise their oil production quotas for May. The increase adds roughly 206,000 barrels per day, a modest but symbolic adjustment. Saudi Arabia and Russia led the video‑conference decision as the Middle East war constrains...
Danantara Advances Asset Manager Merger With $159 Million Deal
Danantara Asset Management, a unit of Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund, signed agreements on April 1 to acquire the investment‑management subsidiaries of four state‑owned banks—Bank Mandiri, Bank Rakyat Indonesia, Bank Negara Indonesia, and Permodalan Nasional Madani—for about $159 million. The transaction, subject to...
Kuwaiti Oil Headquarters Set Ablaze by Iranian Drone Strike
On April 4, 2026, Iranian drones struck Kuwait Petroleum Corp.’s headquarters, igniting a fire and prompting evacuation. The building also houses Kuwait’s oil ministry, underscoring the attack’s symbolic targeting of the nation’s energy sector. The strike follows a series of...
US Inflation Seen Spiking in First Snapshot Since Iran War
The U.S. consumer price index for March is expected to rise 1% month‑over‑month, the steepest gain since 2022. The jump is largely attributed to a roughly $1‑per‑gallon increase in gasoline prices following the Iran‑Israel conflict. This surge will be the...
Sleijpen Says ECB Discussion Will Be Rate Hike or Hold: Podcast
Olaf Sleijpen, president of the Dutch central bank, told the College Leaders in Finance podcast that the European Central Bank’s next Governing Council meeting will focus on a binary decision: raise interest rates further or keep them unchanged. He indicated the...
Economist Slok Sees ‘Nike Swoosh’ Recovery for US
Apollo chief economist Torsten Slok predicts a "Nike swoosh" recovery for the U.S. economy, citing a three‑month average of 68,000 jobs—well above the Federal Reserve’s 10,000 break‑even threshold. He points to three emerging tailwinds: accelerated AI‑related data‑center spending, an industrial...
US Bonds Fall as Strong Jobs Data Undermines Fed Cut Outlook
U.S. Treasury prices slipped after March employment numbers outperformed expectations, pushing yields up three to four basis points across the curve. The robust jobs report reinforced the view that the labor market is stabilizing, prompting traders to discard bets on...
Meloni Visits Gulf to Bolster Energy Ties to War-Hit States
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni embarked on a surprise two‑day Gulf tour, becoming the first EU or NATO leader to visit the region since the Iran‑related conflict began. She met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Jeddah and scheduled talks with officials...
