McDonald’s to Add Energy Drinks, Crafted Sodas to US Menus, WSJ Reports
McDonald’s will add a Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer, a Dirty Dr Pepper and a Mango Pineapple Refresher to its U.S. cold‑drink menu, with a rollout slated for August. The chain plans to price the new beverages below rivals such as Starbucks, Dutch Bros and Sonic. The launch follows a broader value‑pricing push that introduced $3‑or‑less items and a $4 breakfast deal. CEO Chris Kempczinski says the strategy is attracting price‑sensitive, low‑income diners.
Asia Stocks Dip After US-Iran Talks Fall Through, Hormuz Disruptions Persist
Asian equity markets slipped more than 1% on Monday after U.S. and Iran failed to reach a breakthrough in weekend talks, prompting Washington to consider a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The geopolitical flare‑up sent Brent crude up 8%,...
Taiwan President to Visit Eswatini, Last Diplomatic Ally in Africa
Taiwan President Lai Ching‑te will travel to Eswatini from April 22‑26, marking a high‑profile visit to the island's last diplomatic partner in Africa. The trip coincides with the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his 58th birthday, underscoring...
Taiwan Government Should Lead Engagement with China on New Measures, Senior Official Says
Taiwan’s National Security Bureau chief Tsai Ming‑yen urged the island’s government to take the lead in engaging China after Beijing announced ten new incentive measures, such as relaxed tourism curbs, permissive TV content, and easier food‑product sales. He warned that...
US, Australia, Philippines Hold Second Joint Drills in South China Sea This Year
The United States and Australia joined the Philippines for a second joint maritime exercise in the South China Sea, held April 9‑12. The four‑day drills featured warships, fighter jets and surveillance aircraft, including the Philippines’ FA‑50 fighters, Australia’s P‑8A Poseidon patrol...
Saudi Arabia Restores Full Capacity on East-West Oil Pipeline to 7 Million Bpd After Attacks
Saudi Arabia announced that its East‑West crude pipeline has been restored to full capacity of about seven million barrels per day, following recent missile and drone attacks. The strikes had temporarily cut national oil production by roughly 600,000 barrels per...
South Korea Nears Kazakhstan Oil Deal as Middle East Supply Risks Mount
South Korea is close to finalising a crude‑oil supply agreement with Kazakhstan, a move aimed at reducing its heavy reliance on Middle Eastern imports. The deal follows a high‑level diplomatic tour that also visited Oman and Saudi Arabia amid growing...
BitMEX Report Finds 500%+ Increase in Tokenised Commodities and Equity Perpetuals
BitMEX’s Q1 2026 derivatives report shows TradFi perpetual swaps exploding from 0.03% to 1.72% of total crypto‑derivatives volume, reaching $30.7 billion in weekly trading. Tokenised commodity swaps surged over 65,000%, led by gold, silver and crude‑oil, while equity perpetuals grew 900% to...
Japan Targets Asian Oil Alliance as Supply Bottlenecks Persist
Japan’s economy minister Ryosei Akazawa announced a push to deepen strategic cooperation with Asian neighbours to safeguard crude‑oil supplies essential for regional manufacturing and medical‑equipment production. The government will deploy AI‑driven monitoring tools to identify and alleviate distribution bottlenecks across...
Bitcoin Hits $73,000 on Middle East Geopolitical Relief and $350M ETF Inflow
Bitcoin surged toward $73,000 on Saturday as institutional appetite rebounded and a sharp risk‑on shift lifted markets. Spot Bitcoin ETFs logged a net $358 million inflow this week, driven by BlackRock’s IBIT and the new Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust, which together...
US Plane Carrying Team for Talks with Iran Lands in Islamabad, Two Pakistani Sources Say
A U.S. government aircraft carrying senior officials arrived in Islamabad on Saturday, positioning the delegation for the first round of peace talks with Iran. The negotiations aim to halt the six‑week Iran‑Israel conflict that has caused thousands of deaths, disrupted...
Form 13G Liberty Global Ltd. For: 9 April
U.S. equities extended a seven‑day winning streak on Wednesday as news of a cease‑fire agreement between Israel and Lebanon eased geopolitical risk, pushing the Dow Jones Industrial Average into positive territory for the year‑to‑date. The S&P 500 opened with a...
Barclays Reiterates Overweight on BridgeBio Stock, Cites Attruby Strength
Barclays reaffirmed an Overweight rating on BridgeBio Pharma with a $157 price target, citing strong Attruby performance. The bank forecasts U.S. Attruby revenue of $912 million for FY2026, well above consensus estimates, and expects gross‑to‑net margins to stabilize in the mid‑30‑40%...
RBB Bancorp Director Christopher Lin to Retire Following Annual Meeting
Iran rejected a U.S.-backed cease‑fire proposal, prompting President Trump to warn that Tehran "could be taken out" if negotiations fail. The rejection sparked a modest rise in oil prices and lifted U.S. equity markets, which closed higher on renewed hopes...
What Is MATCH Act and What It Means for ASML?
The U.S. Senate is drafting the MATCH Act, a legislation that would tighten export controls on semiconductor manufacturing equipment and extend U.S. jurisdiction to foreign‑made tools if allies do not align. The bill specifically targets deep‑ultraviolet immersion lithography machines and...
