Australia / New Zealand

The Indian diet cola consumer and the buyer of an electric vehicle may appear to have little in common. But they both face the risk of being affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The world economy will be affected by the second and third round effects of the closure of the narrow waterway. Already, the price of refined fuels like diesel and gasoline has increased and inflation is a result. Electric vehicles (EVs), which allow users to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels, are considered by many to be a big winner in the current conflict between...

Investors were 'fretted' that the talks between Iran and the U.S. had reached a deadlock, leaving the Strait of Hormuz almost?closed. This sent oil prices back up. Donald Trump, the president of the United States, rejected Iran's response on Sunday to a U.S. proposal for peace talks that would end the war. He said Tehran's requests were "totally inacceptable". Brent crude futures, around 45% more expensive than they were before Israel and the U.S. began their strikes against Iran on February 28th, jumped up to 4.6% over night and closed at $103.75 per barrel, an increase of 2.4% for the...

The dollar strengthened as investors fretted about the deadlock in the talks between Iran and the United States, leaving the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway, virtually closed. This prompted oil prices to rise. Donald Trump rejected Iran's response on Sunday to the U.S. proposal of?peace?talks for ending the war. He said Tehran's requests were "totally inacceptable". Brent crude futures - which are about 45% higher now than before U.S. and Israel started strikes against Iran on February 28 - jumped up to 4.6% over night and ended the day at $103 per barrel, a 2% increase. The MSCI All-World...

On Monday, the dollar rose and share futures fell in Asia as signs emerged that the talks between the United States &?Iran had reached a deadlock. This would have effectively closed the 'Strait of Hormuz and sent oil prices up. Donald Trump rejected Iran's response on Sunday to the U.S. proposal to hold peace talks in order to end the conflict, calling Tehran's demands "totally unacceptable." Iranian media reported that an Iranian plan sent to Washington stressed the need to end the war on all sides and lift sanctions against Tehran. Bruce Kasman noted that the conflict in the Middle...

The impact of the 'crisis' on the physical fuel markets has worsened. While crude oil futures prices have fluctuated in line with headlines regarding the conflict between the United States, and Iran. Brent contracts fell 7.8% to close at $101.27 per barrel on Wednesday, despite the fact that a sustained and full reopening of the 'Strait of Hormuz is still a long time away. The United States and Israel's February 28th attack on Iran has led to a reduction in the volume of refined products shipped throughout Asia. The Strait of Hormuz is the main energy-consuming region in the world...

Oil prices fell on the back of optimism about a U.S. Iran peace deal. The fate of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway, remained unresolved. MSCI's All-Country World Index increased?0.17%, trading around record highs. Europe's STOXX 600 was down 0.25% after a 2.2% jump on Wednesday. Last up by 1.7%. After a long holiday weekend, trading on the Nikkei 225 index resumed. Samy Chaar, chief economist at Lombard Odier, said that while the Middle East situation is uncertain, "the market momentum is moving in a positive direction", and they have taken notice. He said, "The oil price has dropped...

Oil prices sank as stocks rose Thursday amid optimism about a U.S. Iran peace deal. However, the fate of the Strait of Hormuz remained unclear. MSCI's "All-Country World Index" rose by 0.23%, approaching a record high. Europe's STOXX was little changed after a?2.2% jump on Wednesday. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific index outside Japan also rose to an all-time record high. After a long holiday weekend, trading on the Nikkei 225 index resumed. Samy Chaar, chief economist at Lombard Odier, said that while the Middle East situation is uncertain, "the market momentum is moving in a positive direction", and they have taken...

The impact of the 'crisis' on the physical fuel markets has worsened. Prices for crude oil futures fluctuated in line with headlines about the conflict between the United States, and Iran. Brent contracts fell 7.8% to close at $101.27 per barrel on Wednesday, despite the fact that a sustained and full reopening of the 'Strait of Hormuz is still a long time away. The United States and Israel's February 28th attack on Iran has led to a reduction in the volume of refined products shipped throughout Asia. The Strait of Hormuz is the main energy-consuming region in the world and...

The global stock market rose on Tuesday as a result of a string of strong earnings. Meanwhile, the oil price remained above $100 per barrel due to the'simmering hostilities' between the U.S.A. and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. The yen was also on traders' minds after it briefly rose in the previous session, fueling speculation about another round of Tokyo intervention. The STOXX 600 index rose 0.5% in Europe. This was boosted by Anheuser-Busch shares, which surpassed expectations with their first-quarter results. Also, Unicredit, an Italian lender, reported record profits for the quarter. U.S. and Iran launched dueling maritime...

The global stock market rose on Tuesday as investors took heart from a series of robust earnings. Meanwhile, simmering hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz between the U.S.A. and Iran kept oil prices well above $100 per barrel. The yen was also on traders' minds after it briefly jumped during the previous session. This fueled speculation about another round of Tokyo intervention. The STOXX 600 index rose 0.5% in Europe. This was boosted by Anheuser-Busch shares, which surpassed expectations with their first-quarter results. Also, Unicredit, an Italian lender, reported record quarterly profits. On Monday, the U.S. launched new attacks on...

The stock market in Asia fell on Tuesday, while oil prices eased and remained above $100 per barrel. This is as the U.S. continues to work with Iran towards a ceasefire while also trading blows across the Strait of Hormuz. The yen was also in traders' sights after it briefly jumped during the previous session. This fueled speculation about another round of intervention by Tokyo. The broadest MSCI index of Asia-Pacific stocks outside Japan fell by 0.3%. In a thinned Asia market, shares in Australia dropped 0.4%. Markets in Japan and South Korea had a holiday. Nasdaq and S&P futures...

The markets found their feet in Asian trading on Wednesday, as concerns about the Iran conflict, the health of the AI industry, and corporate earnings eased. Investors also focused more attention on the Federal Reserve decision due later. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside of Japan reversed earlier losses and rose 0.2% as gains in Hong Kong stocks stabilized the index. The Japanese markets were closed on a public holiday. S&P 500 futures rose by 0.2% while Brent crude climbed 0.2% to $111.51 a barrel, as efforts to resolve the Iran conflict reached a deadlock. Kate Moore, Chief Investment Officer...

Australian shares fell on Friday, wiping?gains made in the previous two?sessions. The market was flooded with broad-based sales after the latest exchange of fire between Iran and the United States rattled the sentiment. The S&P/ASX 200 ended the week 1.5% lower, at 8,744.40. The benchmark index rose 0.2% in the past week despite the drop, but it still remained below the record highs set early in March. Investors concluded a week that saw the Reserve Bank of Australia raise its interest rates a third time in this year. The U.S. escalated hostilities with Iran, and the mood deteriorated over night....

The head of Argentina's mining chamber said Thursday that the flagship investment incentive program for large projects, which currently has a 2027 deadline, should be extended. He argued the program was key to unlocking billions in planned investments. Roberto Cacciola said that the Incentive Regime for Large Investments, or RIGI, has helped to attract capital into the mining sector. The RIGI offers tax, currency, and legal stability advantages for projects valued at more than $200,000,000. Cacciola suggested that the scheme be expanded to include smaller projects which are important in creating jobs and supporting local supply chains. Cacciola told the...

Palliser Capital, an activist?investor, has acquired a 2% share in Britain's Autotrader Group. A?source with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday. This comes at a time where artificial intelligence is putting pressure on the automotive market. Autotrader shares rose 4.2% to 521.2 pence each at 0921 GMT. This outperformed the benchmark FTSE-100, which fell 0.7%. Source: The fund manager's stake will likely be between 1% to 2%. According to a calculation based on Autotrader's closing stock price, the stake could be worth as much as 81.2 million pounds (110.6 million dollars). Palliser had previously called for change at several...

Australian'shares' logged their second consecutive session of gains,?boosted by mining and financial stocks as hopes for a?peace agreement off the Middle East helped stabilize markets worldwide and lift risk appetite. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 rose 1% to 8,878.10, continuing gains for the second consecutive session after gaining 1.3% on Wednesday. The global markets were encouraged by the prospects of a Middle East Peace Deal after Trump stated that he expects the war in Iran to be over soon. This positive sentiment spread into Australian markets. Cameron Curko (chief investment officer, Pitcher Partners) said that gold and copper-related miners are rising...

Luis Lucero, Argentina's mining Minister, said that the country expects to export $20.6 billion of copper and $12.1 billion of lithium in 10 years. This is up from $6.0 in mining exports in last year. The expected surge in lithium exports and copper is an early indicator that President Javier Milei’s RIGI incentive scheme is unlocking capital for large-scale mining. If achieved, these export levels would be five times higher than the mining exports of 2025. This would provide a new major source of hard currency to an economy that has been historically restricted by foreign exchange shortages. In 10...

The London Court of Appeal has ruled that BHP can't appeal against the UK ruling that found it liable for the 2015 collapse of a dam in southeastern Brazil. In November, London's High Court ruled BHP was legally responsible for the collapse of the Fundao dam in Mariana, southeastern Brazil, ?which was owned and operated by Samarco, a joint venture ?between Australia-headquartered BHP and Brazilian company Vale. Brazil's worst ecological disaster unleashed a toxic sludge wave that left 19 dead, thousands homeless, inundated?forests, and polluted?the length of the Doce River. The High Court refused BHP permission to appeal the ruling...

The chief executive of Australia's Lynas Rare Earths?said that new government?regulations?in the U.S.and Europe?are helping to?push customers?to buy rare earth products?from suppliers?outside China?. China has been the world's leading and cheapest producer of metals and magnets, which are used in industries ranging from automotive to defense. It is also the default supplier for many years. Last year, China's restrictions on some exports in response to U.S. Tariffs left automakers and other industries vulnerable. Washington has since pledged to support higher?earths prices for its top rare?earths producers to spur non-Chinese supplies, but convincing customers to pay more, when there are cheaper...

Vandita Pant, BHP's Chief Finance Officer, said on Wednesday that generalist investors are buying into the company as AI demand makes its exposure to copper more valuable. BHP shares, the largest listed copper miner in the world, reached a new record on March 2, but then dropped amid a sector-wide selloff when the war with Iran began. They have since recovered some of their losses. She told the Macquarie Australia Conference that she has seen a?growing?interest since half results. We also see more generalist international investors in our register. BHP Group reported a ?stronger-than-expected half-year underlying profit driven ?by copper,...

Regis Resources will take over Vault Minerals, a smaller competitor in Australia. This merger is expected to create Australia's third largest listed gold producer with a market value of around A$10,7 billion ($7.67billion). Both boards would support the combination to create an entity that would have five mines operating in Western Australia, and two expansion projects. This entity would produce 700,000,000 ounces per year of gold. Executives of both companies stated on Tuesday that the deal will unlock more than A$500 Million?in tax benefits for corporations and provide scale to improve procurement and capital cost savings for the combined entity....

Pernod Ricard & Brown-Forman announced that they had ended their merger talks after failing to reach mutually satisfactory terms. Last month, the companies announced that they had been in talks about a possible merger. This would have combined the second largest spirits producer in the world with the largest American whiskey producer. Sazerac American spirits group, which has brands such as Corazon Tequila and Svedka Vodka, emerged this month as a potential new bidder for Brown-Forman. Pernod Ricard said Tuesday that it remains confident and focused on its operating model and strategy, backed by a strong team of committed employees...

Australian shares fell on Friday, and are on course for their worst week in more than a month due to uncertainty over a lasting peace agreement in the Middle East. However, insurer Suncorp has bucked the trend after securing a reinsurance policy. By 0034 GMT, the S&P/ASX 200 Index had dropped 0.2%. If losses continue, the benchmark is set to drop nearly 2%, making it its worst week since last March 16. After a meeting of high-level officials at the White House, Israel and Lebanon?extended a ceasefire for a period of three weeks. However, markets are still uncertain whether a...

China's exports to Chile of sulphuric acids sank to zero in March according to Chinese 'customs' data. The world's largest 'copper-producing nation' is now facing a shortage of the chemical that's used to refine around half of it. China plans to ban exports of sulphuric acids from May, to avoid a shortage in its domestic market. This includes the fertilisers industry. The shipment of acid to Chile has already stopped. It was the biggest market for China's acid exports in 2025, and it accounted for almost one-third. Comparatively, China exported 31,870 tons of acid to Chile between February 2026, and...