Economy
Cambodia will eliminate import duties on passenger electric vehicles, reducing the rate from 35% to zero effective April 1. The government also removed duties on electric vehicle battery chargers, electric motors, lithium batteries and solar energy devices to help consumers cope with rising energy costs. The......
The war between the United States, Israel, and Iran, along with a de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has upended global energy markets, and the ripple effects are now reshaping how consumers around the world buy cars. With Brent crude surpassing 116 dollars a barrel this week, drivers from Seoul......
Four weeks into the war between the United States, Israel and Iran, the near-total paralysis of the Strait of Hormuz has blocked one third of global seaborne fertilizer trade, triggering a price surge and prompting the United Nations to warn of a "systemic shock" to global food systems as planting......
The head of the International Energy Agency has declared that the global energy shock caused by the Iran war is the most severe on record, warning that no country will be spared its effects as oil prices surge and critical supply routes remain severed. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol, speaking at......
JPMorgan analysts have concluded that Bitcoin demonstrated safe-haven demand during the Iran war, outperforming both gold and silver as precious metals suffer their worst monthly rout in years. The research note, published Wednesday by managing director Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, provides what some analysts......
Asia-Pacific governments have launched urgent fiscal programs, fuel subsidies and liquidity injections to steady markets rocked by the Middle East war. The conflict pitting the United States and Israel against Iran disrupts energy supplies and undermines economic confidence across the region. A Reuters......
The Middle East war now threatens to slow US liquefied natural gas export capacity expansion. It disrupts one-fifth of global supply and spikes prices in Europe and Asia. Freeport LNG CEO Michael Smith warned Wednesday at S&P Global's CERAWeek conference in Houston. Supply chain issues from......
Investors pulled about $11 billion from commodity exchange-traded funds in March 2026. This marks the largest monthly withdrawal on record, per Bloomberg Intelligence data on roughly 100 ETFs in precious metals and broad commodities. The exodus reverses billions in inflows from weeks earlier amid geopolitics,......
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development cautioned Tuesday that the ongoing Middle East conflict threatens economic growth across its regions. Higher energy costs, supply chain disruptions, and tighter financial conditions pose risks. Forecasts could drop 0.4 percentage points if oil prices......
Europeans rush toward used electric vehicles as Iran war-driven gasoline price spikes bite. Online car sales platforms report sharp demand increases continent-wide. Consumers seek cheaper, immediate EV alternatives amid fuel cost surges. The conflict began February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on......
March proved brutal for major global macro hedge funds as fallout from US-Israeli strikes on Iran rocked world markets. Bridgewater Associates largely sidestepped the damage. Its flagship $92 billion Pure Alpha strategy fell less than 1 percent for the month through last Friday, a person familiar with......
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......
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.......
