Stock markets diverge before Nvidia results, Federal Reserve minutes
Stock markets diverged as traders awaited earnings from US tech darling Nvidia, in addition to minutes from the Federal Reserve...
Market Report
Geostrategy
Russia attack on Ukraine turns Europe eyes to Saudi Arabia, Qatar
Qatar and Saudi Arabia host American troops, but their economic and political relations with Russia have grown over the years.
- Russian gas accounts for about 40 percent of the European market, leaving it highly exposed to supply disruptions due to the conflict
- A similar logic applies to the 2.3 million barrels of Russian crude that heads west each day through a network of pipelines
Geostrategy
Russia launches full-scale invasion of Ukraine as US vows ‘support’
Russian air strikes hit military facilities across the country and ground forces moved in from the north, south and east,...
- Weeks of intense diplomacy to avert war failed to deter Putin, who had massed more than 150,000 troops along the borders of Ukraine.
- Ukraine has around 200,000 military personnel, and could boost that with up to 250,000 reservists. But Moscow's forces are much larger.
Geostrategy
US declares Russia’s prized Nord Stream 2 pipeline ‘dead’
Although the pipeline is seen as an efficient way to supply energy to the European Union, which depends heavily on...
- Built to funnel Russian natural gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea, Nord Stream 2 has long been controversial
- The pipeline is completely built, but has not been put in use and for now at least it won't be
Geostrategy
Oil nears $100 as Western powers prepare sanctions against Russia
The jump in oil prices is compounding worries about inflation around the world, with the US Federal Reserve coming under...
- That has in turn battered equity markets in recent months, and the latest developments out of Europe led to another day of hefty selling on Tuesday.
- Russia's recognition of the breakaway regions of Ukraine will "strongly increase" economic uncertainty for the EU, its economy commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said.
Geostrategy
Amid troop buildup, Biden says Putin has decided to invade Ukraine
There were growing fears that only a spark — which Washington warns could be a deliberate "false flag" incident created...
- The Kremlin insists it has no plans to attack its neighbor, which has angered Russia by seeking long-term integration with NATO and the EU
- However, the US says that with an estimated 149,000 Russian troops, as well as separatists, on Ukraine's borders, it's only a matter of when
Analysis
Global trade hit record $28.5trn in 2021: UNCTAD
The UNCTAD’s Global Trade Update said all major trading economies saw imports and exports rise above pre-pandemic levels in the...
- The global trade volume in the year gone by was an increase of 25 percent on 2020
- It was also 13 percent higher compared to 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic struck
Business
Air travel momentum up as countries lift Covid restrictions: IATA
Air travel recovery was gaining momentum as countries were lifting restrictions, with a sharp 11-percentage-point increase for international tickets sold...
- There was an 11-percentage-point increase for international tickets sold in recent weeks.
- The 11-percentage point improvement between the January and February periods is the fastest such increase for any two-week period since the crisis began.
Geostrategy
Islamic Development Bank sets up fund for providing aid to Afghanistan
The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) approved the establishment of the Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund (AHTF), which will channel humanitarian and...
- The Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund will be administered by the bank and receive contributions from member states.
- For project financing, it approved $337.63 million for transport, agriculture, and human capital development projects in Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, and Senegal.
Geostrategy
Iran says Vienna nuclear deal talks ‘complicated’ but ‘no impasse’
Iran is engaged in negotiations with Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia directly and with the United States indirectly to...
- But the US unilaterally withdrew from deal in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump and reimposed economic sanctions.
- Sanctions prompted Tehran to begin rolling back on its commitments. The drive to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal resumed in late November.
Geostrategy
US warns Ukraine attack would bring ‘severe costs’ to Russia
Efforts to defuse the crisis in Ukraine via a frenzy of telephone diplomacy failed to ease tensions on Saturday, with...
- Weeks of tensions, which have seen Russia nearly surround its western neighbor with more than 100,000 troops, intensified
- That came when Washington warned that an all-out invasion could begin "any day" and Russia launched big naval drills
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Company News
Saudi Arabia discusses tennis tournaments in Kingdom
Arts & Culture
Latest News
Jordan-ASEAN Economic Forum to be held in March 2024, says ACC
AMMAN, JORDAN - Chairman of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq said the Jordanian Economic Forum with...
Business
West blocked Russian assets worth $280bn, says US treasury
Washington, US - The REPO (Russian Elites, Proxies and Oligarchs) task force, set up to search and freeze Russia-related assets, estimates the...
Geostrategy
Saudi Nazaha, Interpol discuss ways to enhance cooperation
LYON, FRANCE - President of Saudi Arabia’s Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority ‘Nazaha’ Mazin bin Ibrahim Al-Kahmous on Friday visited the...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Arts & Culture
WTA Finals to be held in Mexico, says sports body
NEW YORK, US - Cancun will host the WTA Finals October 29-November 5, the WTA announced on Thursday. The Mexican resort...
- The prestigious year-end finale features the top eight singles players and doubles players in the WTA's Race to the WTA Finals.
- The tournament returns to Mexico for the second time in three years, after Guadalajara hosted in 2021.
Geostrategy
Saudi crown prince says ready for economic partnership with BRICS
DUBAI, UAE – Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin has...
- The Russian president and the Saudi crown prince discussed the outlook for BRICS expansion.
- The two leaders reviewed cooperation between the two countries within the OPEC+ agreement framework.
Geostrategy
2023 likely to be hottest year in human history, says EU climate monitor
"2023 is the year that climate records were not just broken but smashed," said Mark Maslin, a professor of climatology...
- The average global temperature in June, July and August was 16.77 degrees Celsius (62.19 degrees Fahrenheit), surpassing the previous 2019 record of 16.48C.
- "The three months that we've just had are the warmest in approximately 120,000 years, so effectively human history," C3S deputy director Samantha Burgess told AFP