Asia

Kazakhs began voting 'Sunday in a snap election for a new parliament that appeared to be strengthening the power of President Kassym Jomart Tokayev over this 'Central asia country. The election was triggered after the adoption of a revised constitution in early this year. This new constitution consolidated parliament into a single chamber, reducing it from two. Kazakhstan's Supreme Court said last month that Tokayev who took office in 2019 was allowed to run for another seven-year term under the new constitution. Opinion polls show a majority of people support 'Adilet', a pro Tokayev party that was founded only a...

The United States, Iran and China exchanged defiant e-mails ahead of the scheduled announcement on Monday of new U.S. sanctions that may?impact Iran and its most important trading partners such as China. The war was approaching six months and the two sides were not only not exchanging shots but they also weren't pursuing any peace talks. Oil shipments have been virtually stopped through the Strait of Hormuz as Tehran holds on to its leverage, threatening to hit any unauthorised oil tankers who attempt to cross the narrow waterway. Scott Bessent, U.S. Treasury secretary, will hold a news conference on Monday...

Iran and the United States exchanged defiant messages before Monday's announcement of new U.S. sanctions that could affect Iran and its most important trading partners, including China. The war was approaching its'six-month mark when the sides stopped exchanging fire and also halted peace talks. Oil shipments have been virtually stopped through the Strait of Hormuz as Tehran holds on to its leverage, threatening to hit any unauthorised oil tankers who attempt to cross the narrow waterway. Scott Bessent, U.S. Treasury secretary, will hold a news conference on Monday at 2 pm EDT (1800 GMT), promising to unveil "the most severe...

According to a?statement viewed by the, the United States issued new sanctions on Thursday against Lebanon's Hezbollah. This included re-designating them?over their actions in support of Iran. According to the statement, the Treasury Department renamed the group for "service to 'the?Iranian government under the command of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - Quds Force." According to an anonymous U.S. official who spoke under condition of anonymity about the redesignation, it was meant to demonstrate that Hezbollah acts on behalf of Iran's government, and specifically the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force. Hezbollah has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization...

According to a statement seen by, the United States is planning to issue fresh sanctions on Hezbollah in Lebanon, including reclassifying it under a terrorist authority. This'move' is intended to highlight its links with the Iranian government. The statement said that while Hezbollah was not designated under a new authority, it is now a Specially Defined Global Terrorist for its "service?to Iran's regime under the command?of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force." An official from the United States said, "the re-designation is intended to show Hezbollah acting on behalf the 'Iranian Government and update the public records to 'link the...

The Central Asian country's Transport Ministry said that Tajikistan had asked for 2.5 million metric tonnes of?oil from Iran, while its traditional supplier, Russia, is also experiencing fuel shortages. The ministry posted a statement on its website last week stating that Tadjikistan had requested 2,55 million tons, which included?2 millions tons of crude oil, 150,000 tonnes of gasoline, 300,000 metric tons of diesel, and 100,000 metric tons of jet fuel. Tajikistan has traditionally imported up to 80% of its petroleum products from Russia. However, the Persian-speaking nation also shares close cultural and linguistic links with Iran. The timeframe was not...

Two sources claim that Coal India Ltd., the world's biggest?coal manufacturer, will open its first overseas trading office in Singapore. The company aims to diversify by trading iron ore and critical and strategic minerals. The move comes as Indian state-run firms step up their efforts to secure overseas supply of critical minerals like lithium and bauxite to reduce dependency on China. However, such efforts so far have not yielded much fruit. Sources involved in the discussion, who requested anonymity because the talks were not public, stated that Coal India had applied to Singapore authorities to register an office. This 'will...

Abakkus Investment Managers says that India's Nifty50 companies have shown a robust profit growth, which has improved the outlook for domestic markets. However, global risk aversion, and a healthy IPO pipeline, could dampen a broader rally in the short term. The 'benchmark Nifty 50' and Sensex have fallen 7.9% and 9.8% respectively year-to date amid inflation driven by crude and a record of $25 billion in outflows from abroad. Comparatively, peers in the region, like South Korea and Taiwan have each gained about 50%. Abakkus manages assets totaling $5.2 billion and sees rising crude prices, global yields, and volatility in...

The UAE has suspended all financial relations with Iran Iran blamed for missile threat by major Gulf oil producers * Missile Launch?comes in the midst of standoff over deal ending U.S.-Iran Conflict DUBAI, August 19 - The decision by the United 'Arab Emirates to suspend all economic and financial transactions with Iran, citing a military escalation in Tehran, with a threat of missiles, has refocused attention on the fraught ties that exist between the'major gulf arab oil producer, Iran and the'major gulf Arab oil producers. The UAE was the Gulf State most severely hit by Iran during the early stages...

Defense ministry of the United Arab?Emirates said Tuesday?that they detected two ballistic?missiles launched from?Iran. This is the first?such?incident?reported?since a strike on the Fujairah Port on May 4. One missile was said to have fallen in territorial waters while the other one fell outside. Iran has not yet responded to the report. The missile launch comes as the 60-day window of U.S.-Iranian talks ended?on?Monday without a breakthrough. This has raised fears of a re-escalation of the conflict, which has caused shipping to be disrupted through the Strait of Hormuz ever since?February. The defense ministry said that it was "fully prepared to...

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in Moscow on ?Tuesday with Myanmar's junta chief-turned-president, Min Aung Hlaing, ?discussing a wide range of issues including prospective energy deals. Min Aung Hlaing's first visit to a non-neighboring country since becoming Myanmar president in April is Russia. This shows the deepening of ties between the two countries in response to the pressures from the West. After the meeting, Putin called Min Aung Hlaing a friend of Russia, and said that the two countries are cooperating in a variety of sectors including energy, defence, and even space exploration. Putin said that Russia and Myanmar...

In its most recent tender, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. sold at least 14,000,000 barrels of'spot crude' to Asian refiners for premiums. ADNOC had issued its eighth tender?since? the start of June, as the state oil company of the United Arab Emirates continued to try and move crude produced within the Strait of Hormuz despite persistent shipping delays. ADNOC has now sold more than 108 million barrels of crude oil through eight different tenders. Sources said that Japanese refiner Cosmo Oil purchased 2 million barrels on Upper Zakum crude at a price premium of $10.50 per barrel over Dubai's benchmark...

China's and Indonesian's defence and foreign ministers will meet on Friday. Security, politics, and economic issues are expected to dominate the talks. Jakarta is trying to maintain a balance between its ties with both Beijing and Washington, amid tensions and trade disputes in the South China Sea. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Jakarta for the first two years and meet with his Indonesian counterpart Sugiono. He will also participate in the "2+2 meeting" between the defence ministers of the two countries. Arifianto Sofiyanto (an Indonesian official in the East Asia division of the foreign ministry) told a Thursday...

Gold prices fell on Thursday, after rising more than 4% the previous session. A surprise U.S. Treasury "liquidity" move pushed down bond yields as well as the dollar. Meanwhile, rising oil prices and hawkish Fed signaling prompted profit taking. By 1140 GMT, spot gold had fallen 0.9% per ounce to $4479.12. Bullion was earlier at $4,525.79, after prices rose to a two-month high on Wednesday. U.S. Gold Futures slipped?0.2% to $4,535.70. Treasury Department announced on Wednesday that it will double its liquidity-support buyback operation for longer-dated bonds and notes, helping to ease the pressure in the bond markets. The U.S....

Gold prices fell on Thursday after a?4?% gain in the previous session. A surprise U.S. Treasury move to increase liquidity pushed bond yields down and the dollar, while higher oil prices and hawkish U.S. Fed signaling prompted profit taking. By 0946 GMT, spot gold had fallen 0.7% per ounce to $4487.93. Bullion prices were at $4,525.79 earlier, after they reached a two-month high on Wednesday. U.S. Gold Futures were little altered at $4,544.50. Treasury Department announced on Wednesday that it would double its liquidity-support purchase operations for longer-dated bonds and notes, helping to ease the pressure in the bond market....

Gold prices fell Thursday, as investors took profits after the price of gold climbed to its highest level in more than two months. This was due to a U.S. Treasury announcement that it would provide liquidity support for long-term bonds. The unexpected announcement weakened dollar values and reduced Treasury yields. By 0750 GMT, spot gold had fallen 0.7% per ounce to $4488.19. Bullion was earlier at $4,525.79 - its highest price since June 2 - after a more 4% increase on Wednesday. U.S. Gold futures were little changed at $4,462.30. Treasury Department announced it would double its liquidity support 'buyback...

Gold prices fell Thursday, as investors took profits after the price of gold climbed to an 'over two-month high on a surprise U.S. Treasury's announcement of liquidity support for long-duration bond, which weakened the dollar and sent Treasury rates lower. By 0604 GMT, spot gold was down by 0.7% to $4,487.63 an ounce. Bullion was earlier at $4,525.79. This is its highest price since June 2 after a more-than-4% gain on Wednesday. U.S. Gold Futures was?little different at $4,545.60. Treasury Department announced that it would double its liquidity support 'buyback operations' for bonds and notes with longer maturities. This came...

Copper prices fell on Thursday but remained?above $14,000 per metric ton, as increased inventories at the London Metal Exchange (LME), eased supply concerns, and countered the?support of sharp drops in the dollar. The benchmark three-month copper price on the LME fell 0.04% to $14,043.5 per ton at 0300 GMT. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract edged up 0.15% to 107140 yuan (15,934.20 USD) per ton. The LME copper stocks rose another 12,425 tons on Wednesday. This alleviated concerns about supply caused by outflows into the?U.S. Warehouses are being prepared in anticipation of a possible tariff on refined copper....

Indian?shares declined on Wednesday as high crude oil prices and rising global bond yields dampened appetite for risk assets globally. The Nifty 50 index has dropped for seven consecutive sessions, the longest losing streak since 11 months. Its drop of 2.1% is over this period. The BSE Sensex fell in six of seven sessions by 2.1%. The Nifty 50 fell 0.32% on the day to 24,078.30, and the Sensex dropped 0.42% at 76,909.68. Sudeep Shah, SBI Securities' head of technical research and derivatives, said that the Indian market has a weakened appetite for risk, with the Nifty index experiencing a...

Executives and analysts say that Indian steel mills face increasing pressure on their margins due to higher "coking coal" prices as a result of the Iran War and supply disruptions in Australia and China. India, after China the largest crude steel producer in the world, imports 95% of its coal, at least half from Australia. Nearly 40% of the cost of steel production is accounted for by coking coal. Indian steelmakers are increasing their spending in order to meet the strong domestic demand, driven by infrastructure development and economic growth. This could lead to squeezed margins and a delay in...

Investors are awaiting the minutes of the U.S. The Federal Reserve's meeting in July will provide new clues about its outlook for monetary policy. Spot gold remained unchanged at $4,337.59 an ounce as of 0558 GMT, after dropping nearly 2% Tuesday due to higher Treasury rates, while U.S. Gold Futures fell 0.7% to $4391.20. U.S. yields have backed off their earlier highs after a global bond sale saw long-term borrowing rates in major economies reach the highest levels in decades. Kelvin Wong is a senior analyst at OANDA. He said that the reduced expectations of Federal Reserve interest rates increases...

Indian?shares declined on Wednesday as high crude oil prices and rising global bond yields dampened appetite for risk assets worldwide. As of 9:45 a.m. IST, the Nifty '50 fell 0.35%, to?24.070.65, and the BSE Sensex dropped 0.32%, to 76.991.33. In the six previous sessions, the 50-stock index has dropped by 1.7%. 13 of 16 major sectors posted losses. Small-caps and middle-caps both fell by 0.5%. U.S. president Donald Trump said Tuesday that no talks are taking place with Iran. He also insisted that the 'Strait of Hormuz is open, contrary to Iran's claim that the waterway remains closed for?shipping. Brent...

Prices of copper fell on Wednesday as a large increase in warehouse stocks pushed supply concerns that had supported prices to the background. By 0300 GMT, the benchmark three-month copper contract on the London Metal Exchange was down 0.06% to $13,978 per metric tonne. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract fell by 1.02%, to 106 880 yuan per ton. Ed Meir, Marex consultant, wrote that copper was "tripped" by a surprise increase in inventories at the LME. The LME data on Tuesday and Monday showed total copper stock The number of large parcels delivered to warehouses increased by...

Rusal, the Russian aluminium giant, reported a?first-half adjusted net loss?on a Wednesday. This was due to a?rise in?aluminium?prices?linked to increased global volatility. The largest aluminum producer in the world outside of China posted a net profit of adjusted $196 million during the six months ended June 30. This is a dramatic turnaround from a $194 million loss a year earlier. Revenue increased by 10.9%, to $8.34 Billion. "Aluminium Prices?surged up to four-years highs in just a few months and then 'rapidly returned to their initial point," said Chairman Bernard Zonneveld. In many markets, where Rusal was a reliable and responsible...