Economy
A six-week conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran has triggered Asia's worst energy crisis in decades, with surging fuel prices, severe LPG shortages, and widespread economic fallout. A fragile two-week ceasefire announced April 7 offers only tentative relief. Wood Mackenzie's......
Finance ministers from Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Austria have urged the European Commission to introduce an EU-wide windfall tax on energy companies, as fuel prices surge בעקבות geopolitical tensions. In a joint letter dated April 3 and addressed to climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra,......
The European Central Bank has warned that banks across the euro area must prepare for tighter liquidity conditions as excess reserves decline rapidly. In a blog post published on April 2, the ECB said nearly half of the banking system will soon operate close to minimum reserve comfort levels. Central......
European Union authorities could temporarily relax rules requiring member states to keep budget deficits below 3% of GDP if the Middle East conflict persists, Italy’s EU Affairs Minister Tommaso Foti said on Wednesday. Foti explained that the EU Council might act in response to prolonged crises,......
A new analysis has found that solar generation across Europe saved the continent more than €3 billion in fossil fuel import costs during March, as the war in Iran drove sharp increases in oil and gas prices and revived fears of an energy crisis across the bloc. The findings underscore how rapidly......
European government bond markets are facing one of their most severe sell-offs in nearly a decade, driven by surging energy prices linked to the conflict involving Iran. Investors are increasingly pricing in higher interest rates, widening fiscal deficits, and renewed stagflation risks across the region. Yields......
Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS), one of Italy’s oldest financial institutions, has announced plans to propose a change in its leadership as part of efforts to improve internal coordination and governance. The decision comes ahead of a key shareholders’ meeting scheduled for mid-April, where......
The European Investment Fund has unveiled a 15 billion euro fund of funds, the largest of its kind in Europe, as part of a sweeping initiative to address the continent's persistent shortage of late-stage venture capital. The vehicle, named ETCI 2, will back around 100 growth-stage funds and aims......
Italy’s economy is expected to grow just 0.5% in 2026, the country’s main business association, Confindustria, said on Wednesday. This is a downgrade from its previous forecast of 0.7% in October, as the organization highlighted the potential risks if the Iran conflict continues. Last year,......
The second Morocco Italy Economic Summit opened on Tuesday in Rabat, focusing on strengthening trade ties and accelerating investment flows between the two countries. Organized by the Moroccan Chamber of Commerce in Italy in partnership with the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Morocco, the event aims......
Russia’s central bank has reduced its gold holdings to the lowest level in four years after selling roughly 500,000 troy ounces in early 2026, as mounting fiscal pressure and declining energy revenues weigh on the country’s finances. Data released by the Bank of Russia shows reserves fell......
European stock markets opened sharply lower on Monday, weighed down by surging oil prices and ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with no signs of de-escalation as the fourth week of tensions begins. At around 9:05 a.m. Paris time, major indices were down: Paris’s CAC 40 fell 1.44%, London’s......
European electricity markets are proving more resilient than expected to the Middle East energy crisis, as rapid expansion in wind and solar generation limits the impact of surging gas prices, according to a Bloomberg analysis. Gas prices in Europe have risen by more than 50 percent since late February,......
