North America

The rise in government borrowing costs over the long term is not slowing down, and there are more aggravators every day. If you have been enthralled by the gravity-defying markets of this year, then look no further for where stress is growing in world markets. The debt, oil, inflation and interest rate risks, combined with the domestic political and geopolitical uncertainties, as well as the waning demand from the private and public sectors for long-term bonds, have pushed borrowing costs in the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies to their highest level in over 20 years. According to ICE Bank...

Indonesia's Financial Services Authority said that on Wednesday, there was no panic sale of shares following MSCI's removal of?six companies from its Indonesia Global Standard Index. They added that they would continue their efforts to reformate the stock market. After a review of the MSCI Indonesia Index, the index provider announced that Amman Mineral International and Chandra 'Asri'Pacific had been removed from it. Dian Swastatika Sentosa was also removed, as well as Barito Renewables Energy, Petrindo Jaya Kreasi, and Sumber Alfaria. On Wednesday, the Jakarta Composite Index fell by up to 1.92% and reached its lowest level in more than...

A UAE minister told a Damascus Investment Forum that trade between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Syria has more than doubled since '2025. It will continue to grow. This is a sign of rapidly warming relations between both countries. Thani Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State in charge of?Foreign trade, told the first?Syrian Emirati Investment Forum the non-oil trading between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Syria will reach a record $1.45 billion by 2025. This is a 132% increase from the previous years. He said that the rise in bilateral trade is a positive sign. During the two-day...

A senior Pentagon official stated on Tuesday that the United States war in Iran has cost $29 billion so far, which is an increase of $4 million from an estimate given late last month. The Democrats have been able to gain a lot of ground in the public opinion polls, as they try to tie the war to cost of living issues. The Pentagon announced on April 29 that the war had already cost $25 billion. Jules Hurst who performs the duties of comptroller told lawmakers that the new costs included updated repair and replacing equipment?and operational expenses. Hurst stated...

U.S. refiner HF Sinclair announced on Tuesday that former 'CEO Timothy Go' departed the firm effective May 11, under a?? mutually agreed??? separation??? agreement after being on voluntary?? leave for almost three months. Go, the former chief executive of the company, was on leave from February 17 to March 1 as part of a review after Atanas Atanasov, the finance chief, raised concerns over Go's actions affecting the tone at the top regarding the 2025 disclosure process. Since then, Board Chair Franklin Myers has served as interim CEO and President. During the review, the board raised a number of concerns...

According to traders, analysts, and shipping data, China increased U.S. Ethane imports in April, capitalising on the strong petrochemical margins, as other Middle East?feedstocks were disrupted by the Iran War. The U.S. and Israel war against Iran halted the majority of shipments of liquefied gas (LPG) from the Middle East via the Strait of Hormuz. This forced Chinese petrochemical manufacturers to look to the United States to get more supplies. This was despite the fact that trade tensions last year caused Beijing to temporarily impose a tariff of 125% on U.S. exports. Data from Sublime China Information and?Kpler showed that...

The U.S. Energy shares had a good year, largely due to rising oil prices as a result of the Iran 'war. But the gains came with a great deal of volatility, and charts now flash a warning which could indicate a major drop. The S&P 500 Energy Index, which tracks the performance of energy stocks in S&P 500 is currently forming what technical analysts refer to as a head-and shoulders top. This pattern is often used to indicate a change from a bullish to a negative trend. This pattern has three peaks, with the highest peak in the middle. Two...

According to a'senior officer' in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, Iran has expanded the definition of the Strait of Hormuz far beyond what it was before the Iran war. Fars, a news agency affiliated with the Iranian government, reported Tuesday that the strait was no longer viewed by the IRGC Navy as a small stretch of water around a few islands, but had been significantly enlarged and given a greater military significance. "In the past the Strait of Hormuz has been defined as a small area around islands like Hormuz or Hengam. But today, this view is changing," said...

Prices of oil rose by nearly 1% on Tuesday as the talks to end U.S. - Israel's?war on Iran? appeared fragile. Tehran's response?to a Washington proposal highlighted stark differences which have kept supply concerns alive. Brent crude futures rose 86 cents or 0.8% to $105.07 per barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was up 99 cents or 1% at $99.06 as of 0411 GMT. Both benchmarks rose by nearly 2.8% Monday. U.S. president Donald Trump said on Monday that the ceasefire agreement with Iran is "on life support." He cited disagreements on several demands such as the cessation?of?hostilities across all fronts,...

The oil prices increased in the early Asian trading on Tuesday as negotiations to end the "war" between the United States of America and Iran appeared 'fragile.' Tehran’s response to the U.S. proposal highlighted stark differences which kept supply concerns alive. Brent crude futures rose 30 cents or 0.29% to $104.51 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was up 31 cents or 0.32% to $98.38 at 00:02 GMT. Both benchmarks rose by nearly 2.8% Monday. U.S. president Donald Trump stated on Monday that the Iranian ceasefire was "on life support." He cited disagreements on several demands such as the cessation...

The Iran War has further strained U.S. - Chinese ties and is expected to dominate the May 14-15 summit between U.S. president Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, his Chinese counterpart and host in Beijing. Here are some of the main issues that Washington?and Beijing will be dealing with as the U.S. - Israeli war against?Iran reshapes their broader relationship. IRAN CEASEFIRE CONFERENCES U.S. Treasury?Secretary Scott Bessent said the two presidents would discuss the Iran War, and asked China to "join in this international effort" to open up the Strait of Hormuz for international shipping. Analysts say that while Beijing did...

Reliance Jio Platforms, owned by Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, is preparing to apply for regulatory approvals to list in Mumbai. This is expected to be the largest-ever stock offering in India. Jio Platforms is the second largest telecom company in the world by number of users, after China Mobile. TELECOM BUSINESS Reliance Jio Platforms is part of Ambani’s oil-to retail conglomerate,?Reliance Industries. Reliance Jio Infocomm is its most well-known business. It has more than 500,000,000 subscribers and is the largest telecom company in the country. In 2016, when Jio was launched, it offered free voice and data to rivals like...

Gold prices were under pressure Tuesday, as the oil price rose due to falling hopes of an Iran peace agreement. This added to concerns about inflation and the prospect of higher interest rates globally. By 1757 GMT, spot gold had fallen 1.2% to $4678.49 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures closed 0.9% lower, at $4686.70. "Higher oil costs raise the risk that U.S. central banks and others may have to increase interest rate to combat what would certainly emerge as stagflation. Gold is reacting to that," Bart Melek said, global head for commodity strategy at TD Securities. As?hopes of a peace...

Gold prices fell on Tuesday as the markets weighed developments in the Middle East conflict and interest rate expectations before key U.S. Inflation data. Gold spot fell 0.6% to $4,705.99 an ounce at 0603 GMT after reaching a session high of three weeks earlier. U.S. Gold Futures for June Delivery fell 0.3% to $4.714.50. The hope for a peace agreement on?Iran has faded since U.S. president Donald Trump said that a ceasefire deal with Iran is "on life support".?Tehran rejected the U.S. proposal and refused to accept a list demands from the U.S. President Donald Trump called the proposal "garbage"....

The rupee and Indian shares both fell to a new record low Tuesday as crude oil prices rose. This was due to fragile negotiations over the end of the Iran 'war, which fueled concerns about global supply and economic fallout. As of 10:15 a.m. IST the Nifty 50?was down 0.69% to 23,652.4 while the BSE Sensex fell 0.82%, to 75,386.61. The benchmarks fell by 1.5% each on Monday. The mood was also affected after Prime Minister Narendra modi, over the weekend, urged fuel conservancy and restraint in gold purchases to help preserve foreign currency reserves. Jewellers, oil companies and travel...

In a press release, Brazilian labor inspectors fined Sigma Lithium after they found that the company had deposited waste into a pile which was closed because it posed a "grave" and "imminent" risk to workers and local residents. Inspectors discovered that despite three Sigma waste piles being closed last December, trucks continued to deposit waste on one of them. Sigma did not respond immediately to a comment request. The largest lithium producer in Brazil announced that it would resume mining at its flagship Grota do Cirilo Mine despite the piles having been shut down. When the piles closed late last...

Investors awaited the key U.S. Inflation data that is due later this week and assessed developments in 'U.S. diplomacy with Iran. As of 10:20 am EDT (1420 GMT), spot gold had risen 0.3% to $4,730.49 an ounce after having fallen over 1% in the previous session. U.S. Gold Futures increased 0.2% to $4.740.40. Jim Wyckoff of American 'Gold Exchange, a market analyst, said: "There are just some bargain hunters and positions?ahead?of the U.S. Inflation data this week." The U.S. Consumer Price Index is due to be released on Tuesday, and the Producer Price Index (PPI) will be released on Wednesday....

On 'Monday', copper prices rose to their highest level in over three months as fears of supply shortages outweighed worries about lower demand because of the stalemate during the 'Iran War. In open-outcry official trading, benchmark three-month copper at the?London Metal Exchange rose 1.1% to $13,715 per metric ton. This is its highest since January 29. The stock was on course to post its sixth consecutive session of gains. This is the longest bullish streak since December. It has gained 10% this year but is still well below its peak of $14,527.50 in January. Ole Hansen is the head of...

Acerinox's CEO on Friday left a 'door open' for a potential?New York IPO of its U.S. operations, which make up?the majority of the Spanish steelmaker’s earnings. Acerinox, in a Bloomberg News interview last year, floated the idea of listing its U.S. businesses locally after Haynes International is integrated. The acquisition was completed in late 2024. "We can't not consider it," CEO ?Bernardo Velazquez told . "While U.S. valuations and U.S. liquidities remain far higher than those in Spain I believe that we are obliged?to explore all?possibilities." Acerinox will maintain its majority stake in the U.S. company if it proceeds with...

The U.S. trade court ruled on Thursday against President Donald Trump’s latest 10% tariffs on global goods, stating that they were not justified by a 1970s law on trade. However, the court only halted 'the levy on Washington State and two small businesses. The U.S. Court of International Trade has ruled in favor of two businesses, Washington State and the state of Washington that had challenged the tariffs which went into effect on 24 February. The decision was 2-1 with one judge stating that it was premature for the small businesses to win. The White House didn't immediately respond to...

The United States imposed financial sanctions on Thursday on a conglomerate of businesses run by the?Cuban military and a joint venture between Cubans and Canadians in the mining industry. This comes as the Trump Administration intensifies its pressure on Cuba's communist leadership by targeting foreign investment sources. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, has commented on the January military raid that was conducted to capture the leader of Venezuela's longtime ally Cuba. Cuba is next" and blocked most oil deliveries to the country. This worsened power outages in the island. Trump signed an executive directive last week that broadened U.S. Sanctions...

Three sources claim that the largest contractor of Barrick Mining’s Loulo-Gounkoto Gold Complex in Mali has closed operations and laid off more than 600 employees. This is a new sign the Canadian miner wants to reduce its exposure to high-risk assets. Sources familiar with the situation said that the move was prompted by a sluggish investment and production at the complex. Barrick had taken control of the complex from Malian administrators after a standoff over taxes and ownership. First and second sources said Barrick did not intend to renew its contract with Gounkoto Mining Services in 2026. They added that...

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...

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...