Economy
U.S. stock markets posted sharp gains Wednesday, their strongest session in a year, after the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire. The truce raised hopes of easing an oil shortage that had stalled the economy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1,325 points, or 2.85 percent. The......
Six weeks into the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran with no ceasefire in sight, Asia, the destination for roughly 90 percent of the oil and 83 percent of the liquefied natural gas that normally transits the Strait of Hormuz, is bearing the heaviest economic toll of a conflict it did not......
Bitcoin climbed approximately 3 percent to trade near $69,200 on Monday, lifted by reports of a last-minute diplomatic initiative between the United States and Iran and a wave of forced liquidations that punished bearish traders across crypto markets. The rally, which pushed the leading cryptocurrency......
European Union energy ministers will meet by videoconference on Tuesday, March 31, to coordinate a joint response to the oil and gas market disruptions triggered by the war in Iran, according to an internal EU briefing document cited by Reuters. The emergency session comes as European natural gas prices......
The U.S. dollar climbed toward a 10-month high on Monday as the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran entered its fifth week with no clear path to resolution, buoyed by safe-haven capital flows and surging oil prices that rattled global markets throughout March. The dollar index traded around......
Asian airlines are cutting flights heavily from April 2026 as a spike in jet‑fuel prices pushes the region toward what analysts are calling the worst aviation crisis since the pandemic. The war between the United States, Israel and Iran, along with disruptions to oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz,......
The war in Iran has upended energy markets and exposed vulnerabilities in fossil fuel supply chains. Consumers and governments now show sharp interest in clean energy technologies, from electric vehicles and rooftop solar panels to heat pumps and induction stoves. Fighting has nearly halted oil exports......
US and Israeli military strikes on Iran since February 28 have thrown Asia's $19 billion used car export industry into disarray. Ships avoid the Middle East, stranding cargoes at sea and overwhelming ports from Sri Lanka to China. Dealers feel the impact acutely. Umar Ali Hyder Ali runs Yokohama-based......
Gold dropped below $4,500 an ounce Thursday morning while oil prices remained elevated above $100 a barrel, as markets absorbed the collapse of a U.S. ceasefire proposal to Iran and the continued military conflict in the Middle East. The Trump administration transmitted a 15-point ceasefire plan to......
The US dollar eased slightly in Asian trading Thursday. Investors parsed prospects for diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the US-Israel-Iran conflict. Expectations for Federal Reserve rate hikes by year-end fell. The US dollar index, tracking the currency against six major peers, dropped 0.1 percent.......
Asian stock markets declined and oil prices rose on Thursday after Iran rejected a US-backed ceasefire proposal, dimming hopes for a swift resolution to the conflict now entering its fourth week. Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.3 percent, while South Korea’s Kospi dropped 1.9 percent. Hong......
The energy shock triggered by the war in Iran is reshaping Asia’s energy outlook. Analysts say the disruption is accelerating the region’s shift toward renewable energy and electric vehicles, even as several countries increase coal use in the short term. Fighting has severely disrupted oil......
Nearly one month after US and Israeli strikes hit Iran on February 28, the effective Strait of Hormuz closure triggered Asia's worst energy crisis in decades. Regional governments rolled out fuel rationing, cut workweeks, and scrambled for alternative supplies. Asia depends on over 80% of the oil......
