geopolitics

Gold slips near $4,050 as US-Iran deal hopes cool demand

Gold prices eased to near $4,050 per ounce during early Asian trading on Tuesday, pulling back from a recent rally as shifting expectations around US-Iran negotiations reduced demand for the safe-haven metal. The decline came as investors weighed progress toward…

Oil plunges as Trump cancels Iran strikes, announces talks

President Trump called off planned military strikes against Iran on Sunday and announced that negotiations would begin Monday afternoon, triggering one of the sharpest single-day oil selloffs of the year. But Iran's foreign ministry publicly denied any direct talks with…

Experts warn oil crisis buffers are spent as Iran ceasefire collapses

More than five months after the United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran and the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed to commercial shipping, the catastrophic global energy crisis that many predicted has largely failed to materialize.…

Germany’s DAX tops 26,000 for first time as Iran de-escalation lifts global markets

Global equity markets surged Monday after President Donald Trump announced he had called off planned military strikes against Iran, choosing instead to pursue a rapid diplomatic deal. The decision sent oil prices tumbling and triggered a broad risk-on move that…

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Trump says Iran talks happening ‘right now’ as Tehran denies any negotiations

President Donald Trump declared Monday that negotiations with Iran "are going on right now," calling it Tehran's "last chance" to reach a deal, even as Iran's Foreign Ministry flatly denied any discussions with Washington were taking place.

OPEC+ approves sixth straight output hike amid widening supply risks

The OPEC+ alliance agreed on Sunday to raise oil production quotas by 188,000 barrels per day starting in September, its sixth consecutive monthly increase, even as the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran continues to choke off key…

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White House signals Trump weighing new strikes on Iran

The White House signaled Friday that President Donald Trump is considering launching new military strikes against Iran as tensions over the Strait of Hormuz continue to intensify, with Iran's Revolutionary Guard claiming it struck two more oil tankers attempting to…

Analysts raise 2026 oil price forecasts as Mideast disruptions persist

Crude oil prices climbed on Friday as ongoing disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and Houthi attacks in the Red Sea continued to squeeze global supply, with a Reuters poll of analysts forecasting further price gains through the…

Food prices could jump up to 18% by next summer, analysts warn

A new analysis from Eurasia Group warns that prices for food commodities including wheat, corn, and rice could rise 10 to 18% by next summer, as ongoing wars and an intensifying El Niño weather pattern converge to strain global food…

ECB stress test finds some banks could breach liquidity limits in geopolitical crises

The European Central Bank on Friday published the results of a first-of-its-kind reverse stress test focused on geopolitical risks, finding that some euro zone banks could breach foreign-currency liquidity requirements under severe scenarios such as military conflicts or cyberattacks.

Chinese open-weight AI models pressure US tech giants to rethink strategy

A wave of powerful open-weight artificial intelligence models from Chinese companies is reshaping the global AI landscape, prompting American tech giants to call on Washington to develop a national strategy for open-source AI before the United States loses its footing…

Chinese robots fill UK warehouses as U.S. bans imports

Chinese robotics firm Geek+ is rapidly expanding across Britain's warehouse sector, with major retailers including Tesco, Asda, and Next deploying its autonomous mobile robots to address persistent labour shortages and sluggish productivity growth, according to a BBC report published this…

Oil on track for biggest monthly surge since March amid U.S.-Iran conflict

Oil prices edged higher in Asian trade on Friday, remaining on track for a monthly gain of more than 20% as renewed military exchanges between the United States and Iran and an expanding regional conflict stoked fears of prolonged supply…

Tesla weighs selling China business to clear path for SpaceX merger

Tesla is considering separating or selling its China business as geopolitical tensions between the United States and China intensify, a move that could also clear the path for a potential merger with SpaceX, according to a Wall Street Journal News…

Unitree Robotics launches Shanghai IPO days after U.S. robot ban

Unitree Robotics, one of China's most prominent robotics companies, announced on Thursday that it will begin its initial public offering on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's STAR Market next week, moving forward with a landmark listing just days after the Trump…

Russian crude discounts in India shrink as Hormuz disruptions grow

Discounts on Russian Urals crude oil delivered to India have narrowed sharply to between $1 and $2 per barrel against the dated Brent benchmark this week, a dramatic tightening from discounts of more than $10 per barrel just weeks ago,…

Oil holds gains as US-Iran fighting and Kazakh cuts tighten supply

Oil prices held onto gains on Thursday as renewed US-Iran hostilities and disruptions to Kazakh crude exports kept global supply concerns front and center, even as Shell reported stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings buoyed by elevated crude prices.

China’s oil import cuts helped stabilize global prices during Iran war, analysts say

As the U.S.-Iran war approaches its sixth month, China's decision to sharply curtail crude oil imports has emerged as one of the most consequential factors keeping global energy prices from spiraling out of control, defying early forecasts of a catastrophic…

Oil surges as U.S.-Saudi strikes on Iraq shatter diplomatic calm

Oil prices jumped about 7% on Wednesday after airstrikes resumed in the Middle East, wiping out earlier losses that had come on hopes of a diplomatic resolution to the U.S.-Iran conflict. The spike came as President Donald Trump vowed a…

Gulf states turn to China to pressure Iran on Hormuz

Five months into the U.S.-Iran war, Gulf Arab states are turning to Beijing rather than Washington in a bid to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea shipping lanes, testing the limits of China's economic leverage over Tehran.

Asian markets split as Fed holds rates, Korea rout deepens

Asia-Pacific markets traded in divergent directions on Thursday as investors weighed the Federal Reserve's decision to hold interest rates steady against escalating US-Iran hostilities that drove oil prices sharply higher, while South Korea's stock market continued a historic rout fueled…

Bond yields surge as Fed holds rates, BoE stands pat

European government bond yields climbed on Thursday after a sharp sell-off in U.S. Treasuries triggered by the Federal Reserve's decision to hold interest rates steady, while the Bank of England also kept rates unchanged amid escalating Middle East tensions and…

European stocks steady as strong earnings offset U.S.-Iran escalation

European equities closed mostly lower on Wednesday as an escalation in the U.S.-Iran military conflict sent oil prices sharply higher and a global technology selloff deepened, before trading cautiously on Thursday morning amid a flood of corporate earnings.

Dollar regains ground as U.S. strikes Iran, Fed holds rates steady

The U.S. dollar regained footing in Asian trading on Thursday after the United States said it was conducting airstrikes in Iran, offsetting earlier weakness triggered by the Federal Reserve's decision to hold interest rates steady. The dollar index nudged up…

Oil pulls back after surging on U.S.-Iran escalation

Oil prices whipsawed this week as renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran drove one of the sharpest single-day rallies of the five-month conflict on Wednesday, only for prices to retreat on Thursday after shipping data showed tankers were…

US resumes airstrikes in Iran after pause for diplomacy collapses

The US military resumed airstrikes inside Iran on Wednesday, marking the first direct attacks on Iranian territory since President Donald Trump paused a 13-night bombing campaign on July 24 to create space for diplomatic negotiations, according to Axios.

European gas prices jump as U.S.-Saudi strikes reignite Middle East supply fears

European wholesale natural gas prices surged on Wednesday as renewed military hostilities in the Middle East shattered a brief diplomatic calm, sending energy markets scrambling to reprice geopolitical risk.

Oil surges as U.S.-Saudi strikes on Iraq roil markets ahead of Fed

Crude oil prices jumped more than 4% on Wednesday as joint U.S. and Saudi military strikes on Iran-backed groups in Iraq reignited fears of a wider Middle East conflict, pushing Treasury yields higher just hours before the Federal Reserve's rate…

Trump vows to hit Iran ‘hard’ after missile attack on US forces in Jordan

President Donald Trump issued a profanity-laced vow of retaliation against Iran on Wednesday morning after Tehran launched a surprise ballistic missile attack on American forces in Jordan overnight, shattering a brief respite in the months-long conflict between the two nations.

Houthis consider charging transit fees on Red Sea ships

Yemen's Houthi movement is considering imposing fees on commercial ships sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a week after declaring a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, according to Reuters reporting on July 29.