BUSINESS
LNG tanker rates double to $200,000 in less than a day on Iran
The surge in vessel rates followed Qatar’s shutdown of LNG production as the conflict with Iran began to spill across the wider region.
BUSINESS
Asian banks' billions in Gulf loans at risk amid Mideast turmoil
Asian and Chinese banks, which have emerged as the Gulf’s top financiers, extended more than $15 billion in loans last year — a record high and triple the previous year — with most of the capital flowing to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to Bloomberg-compiled data.
BUSINESS
Anthropic tries to win users from ChatGPT with memory feature
The memory feature, which had been available to paid subscribers, was offered to Claude users beginning Monday, Anthropic said.
BUSINESS
US has no immediate plan to tap oil reserve on Iran concerns
A decision to tap the Energy Department’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve could help stanch prices spikes, at least temporarily.
BUSINESS
Gold rises as escalating conflict in Middle East stokes demand
Bullion climbed as much as 0.8% to top $5,360 an ounce, having added more than 3% over the previous four sessions, as the conflict reverberated across the region.
BUSINESS
Asian stocks drop as inflation concerns sink bonds
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell 0.8%, with the Kospi gauge in South Korea — the world’s second best-performing market this year — falling 1.1% upon return from a long weekend.
WORLD
UAE and Qatar urge allies to help Trump find off-ramp on Iran
The UAE has requested assistance from its allies with medium-range air defense, while Qatar has asked for help to counter drone attacks.
COMPANIES
Food giant Wilmar hit by $150 million loss from Pakistan company
The Singapore-listed trader revealed in its full-year financial statement last week that it had made the provision for losses in relation to an 'associated company' in Pakistan
INDIA
Billionaire Nirmal Jain bets on India’s wealth boom to hire, woo assets
IIFL Capital Services Ltd.’s wealth book of about Rs 60,000 crore ($6.6 billion) will expand 80% to 100% over the next 24 months, Jain said
WORLD
Major insurance clubs to end ship war-risk cover in Persian Gulf
The decision only affects war risks, with other terms of cover remaining unchanged.
INDIA
Mark Carney meets Modi in New Delhi, marking new chapter in ties
The two leaders shook hands as they kicked off their meeting at Hyderabad House, a colonial-era state guest house used for high-level diplomatic meetings
BUSINESS
Indian refiners eye Russian oil again as Iran crisis hits supply
The world’s third-largest oil importer is considering options that include turning to Russian cargoes currently loitering near its waters, according to people familiar with the discussions.
BUSINESS
Amazon cloud suffers outage after 'objects' hit UAE data center
AWS said the incident took place around 4:30 p.m. Dubai time on Sunday and the fire department shut off power to the facility and generators as they worked to extinguish the blaze, according to a post on its Health Dashboard.
BUSINESS
Gold climbs as Middle East war drives investor rush to safety
Bullion climbed more than 2% to around $5,390 an ounce in early trading, having gained more than 3% in the previous week as American troops amassed in the region.
BUSINESS
OPEC+ confirms 206k barrel-a-day production hike for April
The increase exceeds the monthly increments of just 137,000 barrels a day in the fourth quarter and comes amid turmoil roiling the Middle East
BUSINESS
Iran crisis threatens worst disruption in gas markets since 2022
Iran’s neighbors, like Qatar, are some of the world’s most important producers, and the region is also a vital supply route, with 20% of liquefied natural gas exports traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial chokepoint for global energy.
BUSINESS
Bitcoin recovers above $68,000 after death of Iranian leader Khamenei
The original cryptocurrency rose as much as 2.21% to $68,196 following the news. It was trading at around $67,700 at 11 a.m. in Singapore, after dropping as much as 3.8% the previous day.
WORLD
Trump gambles new Iran attack will save flailing MAGA agenda
Attack on Iran comes less than two months after Trump ordered a high-stakes US military raid inside Venezuela, another signal that his second term has tilted toward muscular intervention abroad.
BUSINESS
OPEC+ to weigh bigger hike after Iran strike, delegate says
The group led by Saudi Arabia and Russia was expected to resume modest production increases from April after a three month supply freeze, several delegates said earlier this week.
BUSINESS
Bitcoin slides below $64,000 after explosions reported in Tehran
Bitcoin dropped as much as 3.8% to $63,038, while Ether, the second-largest token, slid 4.5% to $1,835.
WORLD
Trump administration seeks delay in tariff refund fight
The government wants to wait as long as four months before reviving litigation before the US Court of International Trade on the refund question
WORLD
Bill Clinton deposition focused on Epstein flights, DC visits
Hillary Clinton was questioned by the panel Thursday and told reporters afterward she is confident her husband knew nothing about Epstein’s crimes.
SCIENCE
NASA overhauls moon mission in effort to cut risks and costs
The changes announced on Friday mean that NASA is essentially swapping the actual moon landing for an additional test mission staged closer to Earth
COMPANIES
Coal India inventories swell as miner gears up for summer demand
The state-owned company had 115 million tons in unsold stockpiles as of February 26, which are expected to rise through the next month
