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Asia shares gain tech boost as Iran and rate uncertainty dominate markets
Asian stocks rose Thursday, supported by Wall Street gains, as lingering U.S. Iran tensions kept oil prices high and gold supported by safe-haven flows. The dollar strengthened after minutes of the Federal Reserve's last meeting revealed that policymakers weren't in a hurry to lower rates. Trading in Asia was thinned out due to the Lunar New Year holidays in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. However, MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific index outside Japan rose 0.5%, and Japan's Nikkei gained 0.885% led by technology stocks. The Kospi index in South Korea has risen by about 3%, reaching a new record high. This was followed by a rise in the shares of Wall Street's tech giants, after news that Nvidia had signed a multi-year agreement to sell millions of its artificial intelligence chips. We needed some good news. Tony Sycamore is a market analyst for IG. He said, "I think there's been a general sense of malaise within the tech sector." "Nvidia has been at the forefront of the rally that we've seen up until the end of 2025. And it could now be coming to?rescue? a little... some much needed good news can set tech stocks on a better run towards Nvidia earnings next week." Nasdaq Futures rose 0.05%, while S&P 500 futures gained 0.03%. EuroSTOXX futures fell 0.15%. Geopolitics continued to dominate the markets. After a surge in the previous session as investors priced in possible supply disruptions due to concerns about a conflict between Iran and the U.S., oil prices were stable. Brent crude futures fell slightly to $70.31 per barrel, after a 4.35% gain in the previous session. U.S. crude, which was last on $65.10, held onto most of its 4.6% Wednesday gain. "There has been an intensive buildup in military assets over the last 24 hours... But I think that this is part of this diplomatic game of cat and mouse and I do not think there will be an imminent attack." Sycamore said that she believes?this is designed to put even more pressure on Iran so they can come back from these talks with more reasonable goals. Gold continued to be bid on and remained steady at $4,963.99 per ounce. FED OUTLOOK The dollar remained stable?on Friday in response to better than expected U.S. data, and minutes from the Fed's policy meeting of January revealed that several policymakers are open to rate hikes as long as inflation remains high. The yen was at last?154.80, and the sterling fell to an all-time low against the dollar of $1.3488. Charlie Ripley is a senior investment strategist with Allianz Investment Management. He said, "From our perspective the minutes of the Federal Reserve confirm our belief that rate reductions are off the table in the near future." While some market participants look at inflation through the rearview mirror, the Fed continues to signal the safety warning that 'objects on the mirror are closer than it appears'. Policymakers noted that disinflation may be on a slow path. The euro was also pushed below $1.18, and it last traded at $1.1791. This was due to the news that Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank (ECB), plans to quit her position early. The New Zealand dollar rose 0.11% to $0.5972 after falling 1.4% the previous session. This was due to the central bank of the country calming market expectations that it would make a pivot towards hawkish policy at its meeting.
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Oil prices drop as investors evaluate the trajectory of US-Iran tensions
Investors assessed the efforts of the U.S. Both the U.S. and Iran have increased military activity in the region that produces oil to help resolve tensions. Brent?futures dropped 12 cents or 0.2% to $70.23 per barrel at 0110 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), however, fell 8 cents or 0.1% and traded at $65.11 per barrel. The benchmarks for both markets settled higher than 4% on Wednesday. This was their highest settlement since January 30 as traders priced potential supply disruptions due to concerns about the U.S. Iran conflict. "Tensions remain high between Washington and Tehran, but it is widely believed that a full-scale conflict is unlikely. This has led to a wait-and see approach," said Hiroyuki Kikukawa. He is the chief strategist at Nissan Securities Investment. Kikukawa said that "U.S. president Donald Trump doesn't want to see a sharp rise in crude oil prices and, even if military actions are taken, they would be likely limited to short-term aerial strikes." The White House reported on Wednesday that although some progress was made in the Iran talks held in Geneva, there was still a distance on certain issues. Tehran is expected to provide more information in two weeks. According to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's website, Iran has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), stating that it will launch rockets in its southern areas on Thursday between 0330 GMT and 1330 GMT. The U.S. also deployed warships near Iran. U.S. Vice-President JD Vance said Washington was weighing up whether it should continue its diplomatic engagement with Tehran, or pursue "another alternative". Experts say satellite images show a concrete barrier covering a new facility on a'sensitive military site, and that it has been covered in soil. This is a sign of progress at an area which Israel will reportedly bomb in 2024. Two days of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Geneva ended without a breakthrough on Wednesday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Moscow of blocking U.S.mediated efforts to end a four-year war. Market sources reported that U.S. crude, gasoline, and distillate stocks?fell' last week. They cited figures from the American Petroleum Institute on Wednesday. This was contrary to expectations in a survey, which predicted that crude stockpiles would increase by 2.1m barrels during the week ending February 13. The Energy Information Administration is due to release its official U.S. petroleum inventory reports on Thursday. Reporting by Yuka Obaashi, Editing by Sonali Paul
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In coordinated attacks against Nigerian villages, suspected Lakurawa militants killed 34 people
A security report released on Thursday said that at least 34 people died?on the day of Tuesday's coordinated attack by suspected Lakurawa Islamist terrorists in Nigeria's northwestern Kebbi State. Lakurawa is a new insurgent organization that operates in the northwestern Nigerian states of Kebbi, and Sokoto, where in December, the United States carried out airstrikes against militants linked to Islamic State. The report stated that the new attacks were similar to previous Lakurawa raids on Kebbi where armed group?hit small villagers with simultaneous strikes in order to overwhelm local defences and force residents flee. Gunmen opened fire on villages in a remote border area, in what survivors describe as highly-organised, 'indiscriminate' attacks. According to the report, 16 people were killed in Mamunu; five in Awashaka; three in Masama, and two in each of five other villages. Residents fled as gunmen attacked their homes. The report stated that security forces had moved into the area in order to protect the communities, assist survivors, and cut off the militants' escape routes.
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Top US commander surprises Venezuela with surprise security talks
U.S. officials reported that General Francis Donovan and Joseph Humire, a senior Pentagon official, made a surprise visit to Venezuela for security discussions on Wednesday. This is the first trip by a U.S. Military delegation since U.S. Forces captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro last month in an audacious operation and whisked to New York for drug-trafficking accusations. First reported by. The Venezuelan government reported that the U.S. delegation met with interim President Delcy Rodriquez, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello. Both sides have agreed to collaborate to fight drug trafficking, terrorism, and migration. Padrino and?Cabello both face drug trafficking charges in the United States. The U.S. Military's visit comes after a trip to Caracas by U.S. Secretary for?Energy Chris Wright last week. The two trips together highlight President Donald Trump’s efforts to use his military might and energy policies to force Venezuela to implement sweeping?reforms. DIPLOMATHY IS THE PATH OF PREFERENCE Washington has stated that it will continue to manage Venezuela's business for oil indefinitely. It also maintains a strong naval presence in the Caribbean where the U.S. military is blowing up suspected drugs boats and working alongside the Coast Guard in order to seize Venezuelan-linked oil tanks. Venezuela's government has emphasized diplomacy in its preferred approach to Washington. Washington wants Caracas to cut off ties to U.S. enemies and to open up to U.S. business. Venezuela has the largest reserves of crude oil in the world. In a recent post on X, Venezuela's Minister of Communications Miguel Angel Perez stated that the meeting reaffirmed the importance of diplomacy as a means to resolve differences and address issues?of regional and bilateral interests. Laura Dogu was also present at the meeting, according to the U.S. Southern Command. She is the new U.S. ambassador in South America. Southern Command posted on X that "Discussions focused primarily on the security climate, steps to ensure 'the implementation of President Donald Trump’s three-phase Plan - especially the stabilization in Venezuela - and importance of shared security throughout the Western Hemisphere." In a separate posting by the U.S. Embassy, Dogu called it a "historic day" in the effort to "advance an objective of a Venezuela that is aligned with United States." For many years, high-ranking U.S. government officials rarely visited Caracas because the bilateral relationship between former President Hugo Chavez (and then Maduro) was strained. Donovan was on his first trip to Latin America since he became the Southern Command chief, a position he assumed in February. Prior to that, he led the U.S. Military's Special Operations around the globe as the No. Special Operations Command. Reporting by Phil Stewart, Idrees Al-Ali; editing by Edmund Klamann, Edwina Gibbs
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Lavrov warns Russia against any new US attack on Iran
In an interview published on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov?said any new U.S. attack on Iran would have serious consequences. He called for restraint in order to find a solution that will allow Iran to pursue a peaceful nuclear programme. Lavrov's interview with Saudi Arabia's Al-Arabiya TV was broadcast a day after U.S. negotiators and Iranian negotiators met in Geneva for indirect talks to avert a new crisis between Washington, D.C. and Tehran. "The consequences of this are bad." Already, there have been attacks on Iran's nuclear sites under the control the International Atomic Energy Agency. Lavrov stated in an interview posted on the website of his ministry that "we can judge there were real risks" of a nuclear accident. "I carefully watch reactions in the area from Arab countries and Gulf monarchies. Nobody wants tensions to increase. "This is playing with fire." He said that a rise in tensions could reverse 'the positive steps taken over the past few years, such as improved relations between Iran, and neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia. On Wednesday, a senior U.S. Official said that Iran would be expected to present a written proposal regarding how it will resolve its standoff against the United States following the Geneva talks. The official stated that U.S. national security advisers met at the White House Wednesday, and were informed by the administration that all U.S. forces in the region must be "in place" by mid-March. The United States has asked Iran to 'give up' its nuclear program, but Iran has refused and denied that it is developing an atomic bomb. Lavrov said that Arab countries sent signals to Washington, "clearly calling on'restraint' and the search for an accord that won't infringe Iran’s legal rights and... guaranteeing that Iran has a purely pacifist nuclear enrichment program". He said that Russia remained in regular, close contact with Iran's leadership "and we do not have any reason to doubt the sincerity of Iran to solve this problem by observing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty". Reporting by Christian Schmollinger; Editing by Christian Schmollinger
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US states sue Trump Administration to unlock funding for Clean Energy Projects
California, along with a dozen other states, is suing the federal gov't to force it to pay out grants approved by Congress for clean energy projects. The California Attorney General's Office announced this on Wednesday. The Trump administration has terminated funding under environmental laws including the Inflation Reduction Act. This is part of a broader effort to limit support for wind, solar, and other fossil-free energy sources, while prioritizing an increase in U.S. oil production. California is one of the states that have launched dozens suits to oppose various Trump?administration policy. California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Tuesday that he would'sue' over the changes to vaccine policy, and also a plan to rescind a key Environmental Protection Agency conclusion, the "endangerment" finding, which was crucial to the regulation of climate change. Bonta explained that the new lawsuit is in response to California's $1.2 billion federal funding loss for the Alliance for Clean and Renewable Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES). The hydrogen plan was designed to replace fossil fuels for?utilities and public transit, trucks, ports, and trucking. California said that federal agencies must implement laws. Bonta told a?interviewer on Tuesday that it was as simple as Congress having the power to appropriate the funding, and not the executive branch. The filing shows that 13 states are involved in the lawsuit, including Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey and New York. One of the named defendants in this case, the U.S. Department of Energy did not respond immediately to a comment request.
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Australian shares rise on the back of banks and miners
Australian shares rose Thursday, after the top business lender, National Australia Bank led banks to record high levels after recording a higher profit a day earlier. Meanwhile, miners boosted overall gains as commodity prices trended upward. S&P/ASX 200?index?rose 0.8% at 2333 GMT and is now a little closer to its record high of 9,115.20. The benchmark index rose by 0.5% on Tuesday. After posting better quarterly profits, National Australia Bank extended its gains and reached?its highest level ever. The "Big Four" lenders were followed by the rest, who gained between 1.4% to 2.3%. The top lender Commonwealth Bank of Australia reached its highest level in August 2025. The mining sub-index grew?1.4% as copper prices rose on dip buying, and technology stocks recovered. The shares of BHP, the top copper producer in the world, rose 1.2%. Rio Tinto, a rival Anglo-Australian company, rose 2% ahead of the release of its annual results later that day. The sub-index was boosted by gold stocks as the price of bullion surged due to geopolitical concerns. Northern Star Resources, Evolution?Mining and other companies saw their shares rise by 1.1% and 1.5 % respectively. Whitehaven Coal's 6.3% drop in the first half of this year was a shock to Australia's largest independent coal miner, as low prices weighed. Wesfarmers shares, Australia's largest non-food retailer fell the most in three months, after a weaker than expected?start to second-half, as consumers struggled with high living costs. The discretionary index fell by 2.4%. Telstra shares soared by 3.2% after it beat its half-year profit expectations and increased its share buyback program. New Zealand's S&P/NZX 50 benchmark index rose 0.7% to 13,337.09, just a day after central bank kept its benchmark rate the same.
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Whitehaven Coal in Australia posts a surprise loss for the first half on lower prices and falling shares
Whitehaven?Coal?of Australia posted a surprising first-half loss Thursday. Pressured by lower realised prices, which offset robust production in its major operations. This sent its shares down over 6% at the start of trading. Whitehaven is the top independent coal miner in Australia. It achieved an average coal price per ton of A$189, which was 19% less than last year's levels. This resulted in a 28% drop in revenue to A$2.48 billion. billion. The company stated that "cyclical price weakness in the metallurgical coal and thermal markets continued into the first half FY26 due to ongoing global uncertainty surrounding U.S. Tariffs and related trade dynamics." The Queensland operations of the company, which account over half of the group's earnings, and includes the Blackwater coal mines and the?Daunia coking coal mines that it acquired from BHP 2024, have reported a 58% decline in first-half operating earnings. The?New South Wales operation also reported a drop of 46% in earnings. Whitehaven Coal reported a net loss of A$19.38 million (13.38 millions) for the six months ended December 31. This is a significant change from the Visible Alpha consensus estimate of A$16.38 million and the A$350.38 million profit that was recorded a previous year. Net profit after taxes fell by 31% on a statutory basis to A$69 millions. Whitehaven remains confident about the future of metallurgical prices. They cite supply constraints after Cyclone Koji in Queensland, which was a Category 1 storm. The miner also pointed out early 'indications' that the oversupply of seaborne thermal coal could ease, after Indonesia, which is the world’s largest thermal exporter, indicated plans to reduce its output. Curb production Whitehaven's fiscal 2026 outlook was maintained. The company said that run-of mine (ROM) coal production and coal sales are trending upwards, while unit cost is expected to be at the lower end. The miner announced a?interim dividend of 4 Australian cents per share, and plans to spend another A$32million on share buybacks in the next six-months.
Effect manager Acre raises $100 mln for African environment facilities
2 former BNP Paribas bankers have raised almost $100 million for a new fund which aims to open billions of dollars of funding for climatealigned infrastructure tasks in Africa.
Acre Effect Capital, a private-debt effect investment supervisor, is aiming to resolve the approximated $100 billion yearly facilities financing space on the continent by supplying a. part of the unsecured financing for export finance projects.
Generally, export credit agencies ensure as much as 85% of. loans and require the rest to be raised privately, yet banks'. determination to fund the rest has actually decreased as such jobs. carry a greater capital charge and can be difficult to reinsure.
As result, as many as half of all offers that an export. credit company would back do not get done, Acre Chief Executive. Hussein Sefian informed .
We make it possible for a transaction that would not occur otherwise as. there is no insurance coverage capacity and banks are not able to. ( without it), he said. We can be available in and help them close a. deal by providing that 15%, that's really where we include worth in. the marketplace.
The fund, which aims to back projects in areas including. renewable resource, health, food and water, will seek to mobilise. $ 5.60 of private sector capital for each dollar invested, he. stated. Acre will charge a management fee for running the fund.
Among the fund's backers are the European Investment Bank,. commercial lenders consisting of Standard Bank and Rand Merchant. Bank and professional effect investors, which seek to attain a. quantifiable social impact in addition to making a financial return.
Export credit companies, such as UK Export Financing support. some $250 billion of annual funding to emerging markets,. according to the United Nations Environment Program Financing. Effort, making them a crucial source of funding for. developing countries.
By contrast, multilateral development banks, such as the. World Bank offer around $260 billion annually, UNEP FI added.
(source: Reuters)