Asia

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called on allies on Tuesday to disrupt Iran's.financing network and said that the Treasury would clear its outdated sanctions list to.make it easier for the financial institutions to.root out the most sophisticated terrorist funding schemes. Bessent said that after the G7 finance leaders met at Paris, participants in an anti-terrorism funding conference should "stand in full measure with us" against Iran. Bessent stated that "this will require our European partners, for example to join the United States by taking action against Iran, including by designating its financiers and unmasking their shell and front company, closing its...

Sanjay Khanna, the chairman of India's Bharat Oil Corp. said that it is recalibrating its crude import strategy nearly daily and increasing?spot purchase after the U.S./Israeli conflict in Middle East disrupted Middle East supply. India, which is the third largest?oil?importer and?consumer in the world, has been affected by the rising crude prices as well as supply disruptions after the Strait of Hormuz was closed. South Asian nation raised retail petrol and diesel prices twice in one week. The refiner planned to purchase about 55% of its crude requirements for 2026/27 via annual contracts, mostly from Middle Eastern producers. Khanna stated...

Valdis Dombrovskis, EU Economy Commissioner, said that the extension of a waiver for Russian sanctions showed that 'G7 members are not always in agreement. Dombrovskis stated that the G7 was a forum to discuss and cooperate with like-minded allies. He said, "But, well... we're not always 100% in agreement on everything. This is unfortunately one of those topics." He praised, however, the joint statement after the G7 meeting. It was said to be a positive outcome of the meeting between the central bank governors and finance ministers. Dombrovskis stated that he was reassured by the United States, who said that...

Indian Oil Corp., the country's largest fuel retailer, has suffered a revenue loss on the sale of one cylinder of LPG of 617 rupees, compared to 171 rupees back in April after the Iran war pushed up the price, according to its finance chief. Anuj Jain, an analyst, said that the company lost 100 rupees on the sale of 14.2-kilogram LPG cylinders, which are mainly used for cooking. Indian state-run fuel retail outlets sell LPG to households at discounted prices. India, the second-largest LPG exporter in the world, is experiencing its worst gas shortages in decades. The government has cut...

A top government minister announced on Tuesday that Italy would extend a 'cut in fuel excise duty due to expire May 22 as part of efforts to curb the soaring energy prices caused by the Middle East conflict. Matteo Salvini, Deputy Prime minister and Transport & Infrastructure Minister, said during an interview with RTL 102.5 that "we will definitely have to extend the excise reduction." It has spent about?1 billion Euros ($1.16 billion), so far, to reduce?excise duty on?petrol or diesel pump prices. The measure was first introduced in March, and then extended for the first time in late April....

The Indian rupee will likely continue to weaken?on Tuesday and could even reach an all-time record low. This is due to high oil prices which have been a drag on the currency for several weeks. The currency is likely to be under pressure due to the weakness of Asian currencies amid low risk appetite and high U.S. rates. The rupee will open between 96.35 and 96.40, traders say, after it settled at 96.3450, where it reached a life-low?of 96.3875 on Monday. "Another Day, Another New High (on Dollar/Rupee). A currency trader from a bank said that for the moment it...

The U.S. Department of Energy reported on Monday that a'record 9.9 millions barrels of oil were shipped from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in the United States last week. This pushed the total volume of the U.S. Government's emergency stockpile to 374 million barils, the lowest level since July 2024. The Trump administration wants to?release 172 million barrels of oil from the reserve, as?part a global deal to calm down the oil markets after prices?spiked due to the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran which began almost three months ago. In April, the?Energy Department offered approximately?92.5 millions barrels of?sweet crudes and...

S&P, the credit rating agency, upgraded Nigeria's long term sovereign rating from "B-" to "B" on Friday citing improved creditworthiness. The agency stated that higher oil prices and production, an increase in domestic refining capacity, and the decision to liberalize exchange rates by 2023 will boost Nigeria's economy and improve the balance of payments. It also revised Nigeria's outlook from "positive" to "stable". The World Bank said in April that it expected Nigeria's economic growth to be about 4.2% in 2026, despite the Iran War, and encouraged authorities to conserve windfalls from higher oil prices, to maintain a tight monetary...

Energy Minister said that Serbia will present its final offer to MOL, the Hungarian oil company, on Friday, in response to the Hungarian bid for NIS, the operator of the Balkan nation’s only refinery. Gazprom and Gazprom, two Russian companies, agreed in January to sell their 56% stake in NIS majority to MOL after the U.S. demanded that Russian shares be divested due to sanctions imposed by the U.S. over Moscow's involvement in the war in Ukraine. We had intensive discussions yesterday and the previous day with representatives of MOL. "We agreed on certain topics," Energy Minister Dubravka Handanovic, was...

Serbia's energy minister said that it will present its final proposal to MOL on Friday regarding the Hungarian company's bid for NIS to be acquired by MOL, the operator of the Balkan nation’s only refinery. Gazprom and?Neft, two Russian companies, agreed in January to sell their 56% stake in NIS majority to MOL after the U.S. demanded that Russian shares be divested due to sanctions imposed by the U.S. over Moscow's involvement in the war in Ukraine. Washington has given MOL and the Russian companies until May 22 for the sale to be completed. This will require the Serbian government's...

U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer said in a live interview with Bloomberg News on Friday that China wanted to see the Strait of Hormuz open again without any curbs or tolls. He added that the U.S. Beijing was confident that it would take action to 'limit' material support for Iran. He cited remarks made by Chinese officials during the Beijing summit of U.S.-China leaders. "It was very clear that the Strait of Hormuz should be open for China, with no tolling and no military control. We welcome this. Greer attended summit meetings between the?U.S. President Donald Trump met with Chinese...

?India raised petrol and diesel by more than 3% or 3 rupees per litre for the first time in 4 years, according to retail stores in?Delhi? on Friday. This was to recoup losses due to rising crude oil prices. After the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran began, the global oil price spiked up to over $120 per barrel. Then it dropped back down to $100 or $105. India is among the last major economies to raise fuel prices at retail. Diesel will now cost 90.67 rupies per litre in Delhi, and petrol will be 97.77 rupees. This represents a...

The Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, told the 'Izvestia' newspaper that Russia is worried by U.S. efforts to secure access to rare earths and vital minerals in Central Asia. The?G7 nations including the U.S., EU and Canada have been exploring alternative markets to help reduce their reliance on Beijing. Russia is interested in the Central Asian countries - Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Turkmenistan, and 'Uzbekistan. This is at a time when China has been increasing its focus on the region. Galuzin, in an interview with?Izvestia published on Wednesday, said: "We are worried by the intensity of Washington's push for agreements on...

Iron ore prices fell a further 5% on Tuesday, to their lowest level in more than two months. The reason was China's new stricter plan to curb overcapacity?in the steel sector. This dampened the prospects for demand?for feedstocks. However, near-term consumption has capped these losses. Iron ore, the most traded contract at China's Dalian Commodity Exchange(DCE), closed daytime trading down 0.87% to 798.5 Yuan ($117.38) per metric ton. This was a decline for a 4th consecutive session. The contract hit its lowest?level since the 30th of April at 794 Yuan during the daytime session. By 0814 GMT?the benchmark July iron...

Iron ore prices fell on Tuesday, reaching their lowest level in over two weeks. China's new plan to curb the steel industry's overcapacity dampened demand prospects, but a firm near-term consumer base capped losses. Iron ore, the most traded contract on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange DCE, fell by 0.87% at 0313 GMT to 798.5 Yuan ($117.50), a metric tonne. This was the fourth consecutive session of declines. The price of iron ore fell to its lowest level since April 30 at 796 Yuan during the morning session. By 0303 GMT the benchmark 'June iron ore' on the Singapore Exchange had...

Prices of copper fell to a one-week low on Monday, as concerns about demand were exacerbated by weak economic data from China, the world's largest consumer and high oil costs. Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange traded 0.6% lower, at $13,470 per metric ton. This was a drop from a previous low of $13,394.5. It has fallen 5% since reaching a three-and-a half month high of $14196.50, last week. The traders said that the Chinese data triggered an unwinding of positions long - bets made on higher prices by funds and traders. China's industrial output data increased 4.1% from...

The Australian share market closed Monday at its lowest level in over a month, with mining and gold stocks dragging it down. This was due to a fall in commodity prices. Meanwhile, the stagnation of Middle East peace negotiations boosted crude prices, fueling inflation fears. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 ended 1.5% lower, at 8,505.30 point, its lowest close since March 31, As commodity prices fell, the number of miners dropped 2.8% to a new low. BHP and Rio Tinto fell between 2.8% to 3.6%. Gold miners fell 4% while real estate dropped about 3%, and financials fell 0.3%. Santos and...

India has curbed the imports of silver in nearly all forms, with immediate effect. The government order was issued on Saturday. India, the world's largest consumer of this metal, is trying to reduce shipments to ease the pressure on the rupee. The restrictions are expected to result in a reduction of silver imports, and a tightening of domestic supplies. This could potentially increase premiums on the local market. India's lower demand, which imports more than 80% its total consumption, could have an impact on global prices. The order stated that India had placed imports of 99.9% pure silver bars and...

The White House said on Sunday that China will address U.S. concern about a'shortage of certain specialty rare Earths due to?Beijing’s export controls. China's export controls on rare earths, introduced in April 2025 as a retaliation to President Donald Trump's Liberation Day Tariffs, continue to restrict the exports of some rare earths. This is despite an agreement last October that China agreed to let shipments flow freely. Beijing's 'grip' has been most tightened on specialty?rare Earths like yttrium and scandium. Both are used in defence, chipmaking, aerospace, and other industries. It read: "China will address U.S. concern regarding supply chain...

India's Tata sons, an umbrella organisation that includes Tata Motors?, TCS?, and Tata Steel?, is under pressure to go public. This, despite the fact that the charitable trusts which control two-thirds? of the company are battling internal disagreements. Tata Sons was not listed until now. The Shapoorji Pallonji Group, its second largest shareholder and a major internal stakeholder, is pushing for the listing. The Reserve Bank of India's rules may also force it to?list, unless an exception is obtained. What is the structure of TATA Group? Tata Sons, the 108-year old salt-to steel conglomerate, is unique in its structure. A...

Thoma Bravo may sell its stake in construction software maker Command Alkon as it tries to maximize returns on software that is seen to be more resistant to broader AI disruption risk, according to four sources familiar with the matter. Thoma Bravo is working with Evercore's investment bankers to sell its 55 percent stake in Command Alkon. Other private equity firms have expressed interest in the last few weeks. Sources who spoke on condition of anonymity about the private discussions said that Command Alkon could be valued at over $1.5 billion. Thoma Bravo refused to comment while Heidelberg Materials Evercore...

Gold dropped to a'more than a week low on 'Friday as U.S. Treasury Yields?and -the- dollar rose, and inflation fears due to the U.S./Israel war against Iran reinforced bets on higher interest rates. Gold spot was down 2.3% to $4,555.63 an ounce at 1:19 pm EDT (1719 GMT), after it had hit its lowest price since May 4, earlier in the day. Prices have fallen 2.5% so far this week. U.S. Gold Futures for June Delivery fell 2.7% to $4,560.20. "There were a few reasons for the sell-off in (precious metals). The dollar is strong right now. Not only are...

As U.S. Treasury yields and the dollar rose, gold fell to its 'lowest level in over a week on Friday. Meanwhile, inflation fears due to the Middle East conflict reinforced bets that interest rates would rise. By 9:40 am EDT (1340 GMT), spot gold had fallen 2.6% to $4,527.80 an ounce, its lowest price since May 5. Prices have fallen 4% this week. U.S. Gold Futures for June Delivery fell 3.2% to $4,535 "There were a few reasons for the sell-off in (precious metals). The dollar is strong right now. Edward Meir is an analyst with Marex. Benchmark 10-year U.S....

JSW Dulux, an Indian paint manufacturer, expects to achieve double-digit growth in volume in fiscal year 2027. However margins are likely to be under pressure due to volatile costs associated with Middle East uncertainty. The warning shows how the increase in raw material prices linked to crude oil and the war in the Middle East are impacting India's painting sector, even though demand is strong. Paint makers are forced to raise prices due to the higher costs, and disruptions to gas supplies also affect production. There are challenges... many workshops aren't running at full speed because there isn't enough gas,"...